Daniel Dae Kim Net Worth

What Is Daniel Dae Kim's Net Worth and Salary?

Daniel Dae Kim is a South Korean-American actor and producer who has a net worth of $10 million. Daniel Dae Kim is best known for starring as Jin-Soo Kwon on ABC's "Lost" (2004–2010) and Chin Ho Kelly on the CBS reboot of "Hawaii Five-0" (2010–2017). He has more than 80 acting credits to his name, including the films "Spider-Man 2" (2004), "Crash" (2004), "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" (2015), "The Divergent Series: Allegiant" (2016), and "Hellboy" (2019) and the television series "Crusade" (1999), "Angel" (2001–2003), "24" (2003–2004), "The Good Doctor" (2019), "New Amsterdam" (2020–2021), and "The Hot Zone: Anthrax" (2021).

Daniel has his own production company, 3AD, and he has served as an executive producer on "The Good Doctor" and the films "Ms. Purple" (2019) and "Blast Beat" (2020). He also directed the 2015 "Hawaii Five-0" episode "Kuka'awale," and he has signed first-look deals with CBS Television Studios (2014) and Amazon Studios (2019).

Kim has lent his voice to numerous animated projects, such as the film "Raya and the Last Dragon" (2021), the TV shows "The Legend of Korra" (2012–2014), "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power" (2019–2020), and "The Casagrandes" (2020–2021), and the video games "Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven" (2003), "24: The Game" (2006), "Saints Row" (2006), "Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth" (2007), and "Agents of Mayhem" (2017). In 2016, he starred as the King of Siam in a Broadway production of "The King and I."

Early Life

Daniel Dae Kim was born Kim Dae-hyun on August 4, 1968, in Busan, South Korea. His father, Dr. Doo-tae Kim, and mother, Jung Kim, moved the family to the U.S. when Daniel was 2 years old. He spent his youth in New York City and Pennsylvania (both Easton and Bethlehem), and he attended Freedom High School. After graduation, Kim enrolled at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and he earned double bachelor's degrees in political science and theater in 1990. Daniel then attended New York University's Graduate Acting Program, earning his MFA in 1996.

Career

Daniel Dae Kim began his acting career in the early 1990s, making his feature film debut in "American Shaolin" (1991). He soon found work in television, appearing in two episodes of "Unsolved Mysteries" (1992–1993) and guest-starring on popular shows including "Law & Order" (1994), "All-American Girl" (1994), and "All My Children" (1995). By the mid-to-late '90s, Kim was a sought-after guest actor, landing roles in series such as "Pacific Palisades," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "NYPD Blue," "Seinfeld," "Ally McBeal," "The Practice," "Party of Five," and "Walker, Texas Ranger."

His film career began gaining traction in the late 1990s with roles in "Addicted to Love," "The Jackal," and "For Love of the Game." In 1999, he took on one of his first major television parts as Lt. John Matheson in the "Babylon 5" spinoff "Crusade." From 2001 to 2003, Kim appeared as the lawyer Gavin Park on The WB's "Angel," one of several recurring roles he held during that period, including parts on "24," "Miss Match," and "ER."

Kim's breakout came in 2004 when he was cast as Jin-Soo Kwon on ABC's groundbreaking drama "Lost." His portrayal of a South Korean husband struggling with love, loyalty, and identity earned him critical acclaim and multiple ensemble awards. Over six seasons and 121 episodes, "Lost" became one of television's most influential dramas, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Drama Series.

During his "Lost" years, Kim appeared in films such as "The Cave" (2005) and "The Onion Movie" (2008) and starred in the sci-fi miniseries "The Andromeda Strain" (2008). After the show ended in 2010, he joined CBS's reboot of "Hawaii Five-0" as Detective Chin Ho Kelly, appearing in more than 160 episodes before his 2017 departure over a high-profile salary dispute with CBS (see: "Hawaii Five-0" Salary Dispute).

Kim continued working steadily in both film and television. His credits include "Arena" (2011), "Ktown Cowboys" (2015), and "Hellboy" (2019), as well as voice roles in the documentary "Linsanity" (2013) and Disney's animated feature "Raya and the Last Dragon" (2021). He also appeared in "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" (2015) and "Allegiant" (2016), narrated the PBS nature series "Big Pacific" (2017), and played recurring roles on "The Good Doctor" and "New Amsterdam."

In 2021, Kim starred as FBI agent Matthew Ryker in National Geographic's "The Hot Zone: Anthrax" and voiced key roles in several animated projects. That same year, he was cast as Fire Lord Ozai in Netflix's live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender."

Beyond acting, Kim has established himself as a respected producer through his company 3AD, which develops television and film projects emphasizing diversity and inclusion, including the hit ABC series "The Good Doctor." Throughout his career, he has remained a trailblazer for Asian-American representation in Hollywood—admired for his versatility, professionalism, and commitment to equality both on and off screen.

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"Hawaii Five-0" Salary Dispute

Daniel Dae Kim's exit from "Hawaii Five-0" in 2017 became one of the most widely discussed contract disputes in recent television history and a defining moment in Hollywood's conversation about pay equity and diversity. After seven seasons portraying Detective Chin Ho Kelly, Kim—an original cast member and one of the show's central figures—left the CBS series alongside co-star Grace Park following a breakdown in salary negotiations with the network.

At the time, Kim and Park were reportedly earning about 10–15% less than their white co-stars, Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, who each made approximately $200,000 per episode. Both Kim and Park sought equal pay for Season 8, arguing that their long-running roles and contributions to the ensemble were essential to the show's success. Although CBS offered a salary increase, the proposed deal still fell short of parity, leading both actors to make the difficult decision to depart.

In a public statement following his exit, Kim called the move "a difficult but principled decision," explaining that he had spent years advocating for pay equality and that walking away was the only way to uphold those values. He also emphasized his gratitude toward the cast, crew, and fans, noting that his departure was not a reflection of personal animosity but a matter of fairness and respect.

The controversy sparked widespread debate across Hollywood, with many industry peers and advocacy groups commending Kim for taking a stand. His decision helped spotlight ongoing disparities in compensation and representation for actors of color in mainstream television. Despite leaving the show, Kim's reputation as both a talented performer and a leader for equality in entertainment only grew stronger in the years that followed.

Personal Life

Daniel married Mia Haeyoung Rhee on June 12, 1993, and they have two sons, Zander and Jackson. While filming "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-0," Kim lived in Hawaii, and in 2014, he was the speaker at the University of Hawaii's graduation ceremony. In March 2020, Daniel tested positive for COVID-19, and he spoke out about the racism and xenophobia that Asian people had experienced since the start of the pandemic, stating, "Please, please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people. Randomly beating elderly, sometimes homeless Asian Americans is cowardly, heartbreaking and it's inexcusable." He added, "Yes, I'm Asian. And yes, I have coronavirus. But I did not get it from China, I got it in America. In New York City. Despite what certain political leaders want to call it, I don't consider the place where it's from as important as the people who are sick and dying."

In February 2021, Kim and Chinese American actor Daniel Wu offered a $25,000 reward for information that could help identify suspects who assaulted three Asian Americans, including a 91-year-old man, in Oakland, California. A few days later, Yahya Muslim, who was already in custody for a different crime, was arrested for the assaults. Daniel's younger sister, Connie, was the victim of a hate crime in 2015. In October 2021, he told "People" magazine that Connie was out for a run when a man yelled at her to get out of the way. Though Connie moved out of the man's way, Kim said, "This man specifically targeted her because of her race and tried to run her over with his car repeatedly," hitting her twice. Connie is no longer able to run because of the injuries caused by the attack.

Awards and Nominations

In 2006, Kim shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with his "Lost" co-stars, and the cast won a Gold Derby Award for Ensemble of the Year in 2008. Daniel was named Outstanding Television Actor for "Lost" at the 2006 Asian Excellence Awards, and he was honored with the Influential Asian American Artist Award at the 2010 San Diego Asian Film Festival. He has been nominated for five Behind the Voice Actors Awards, sharing the BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award and the BTVA Television Voice Acting Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series with his "The Legend of Korra" castmates in 2013. He earned Teen Choice Award nominations for Choice TV Actor: Action for "Hawaii Five-0" in 2011 and 2012, and "The Good Doctor" received a Leo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Series in 2019. Kim also earned three Golden Nymph nominations for Outstanding Actor – Drama Series for "Lost" at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival (2007, 2009, and 2010). In 2017, Daniel was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame.

Real Estate

In June 2010, Kim paid $2.21 million for a 3,354 square foot home in Honolulu. He sold the five-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home for $2.43 million in January 2011.

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