Photo: PhilipRomanoPhoto / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Daniel Dae Kim is the kind of actor whose quiet authority I keep returning to. From Jin on Lost to Chin Ho on Hawaii Five-0, he brings a grounded intelligence that never tips into showiness, the mark of a Haverford-educated performer comfortable in stillness. But what earns my deeper respect is the path he has cut for Asian American representation, both on screen and behind it. His 2025 inclusion in the Time 100 felt less like a surprise and more like overdue recognition. I admire performers who build their influence patiently, role by role, and let the work do the arguing.
Overview
Daniel Dae Kim (born August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in network television and theater. In 2025, Time magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people. On television, he portrayed Jin-Soo Kwon in the ABC sci-fi action series Lost (2004–2010) and Chin Ho Kelly in the CBS police procedural Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2017).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Daniel Dae Kim
- Name (Japanese)
- ダニエル・デイ・キム
- Reading
- だにえる・でい・きむ
- Born
- August 4, 1968 (age 57)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Monkey
- Origin
- Busan, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / television actor / film actor / voice actor / video game actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Freedom High School
- University
- Haverford College
Awards & achievements
- 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Time 100
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Television actor — see all → · More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.