Born in Busan, South Korea, but raised in New York and Pennsylvania, Kim discovered acting as a student at Haverford College. After graduation, he moved to New York City, where he began his career on stage, performing in classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Ivanov, and A Doll's House. Despite early success, he decided to deepen his knowledge of the craft by enrolling at New York University's Graduate Acting Program, where he earned his Master's Degree.

After receiving his MFA, Kim's film career began in earnest with roles in The Jackal, For Love of the Game, The Hulk, Spider-Man 2 and The Cave, as well as the Academy Award-winning Crash. He created the role of Jack Kang in The Divergent Series films, Insurgent and Allegiant. Kim appeared as Ben Daimio in the highly anticipated feature: Hellboy. His cinematic features in 2020 are Blast Beat and Stowaway.

Kim is celebrated for his stereotype-breaking roles. For seven seasons, Kim played Chin Ho Kelly on Hawaii Five-0. He was best known for his role as Jin Soo Kwon on the hit TV series Lost, for which he shared a 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble. Kim was individually honored with an AZN Asian Excellence Award, a Multicultural Prism Award, and a Vanguard Award from the Korean American Coalition, all for Outstanding Performance by an Actor. In 2009, he was recognized with the prestigious KoreAm Achievement Award in the field of Arts and Entertainment, and has twice been named one of PEOPLE Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive."

Kim received a Broadway Beacon Award, as well as the Theater Legacy Award from New York's Pan Asian Repertory Theater, for his role as the King of Siam in Lincoln Center's Tony Award-winning production of The King and I.

He has also lent his voice talents to animated series and films, such as the award-winning Studio Ghibli film, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, as well as the nature documentary series, Big Pacific, currently airing on PBS. He's also voiced characters for several video games, including Johnny Gat in the bestselling series, Saints Row.

On the small screen, he has guest-starred on numerous TV shows, including CSI, ER, and two seasons on 24 as CTU Agent Tom Baker. In 2008, he starred in the Emmy Award-nominated miniseries The Andromeda Strain.

In addition to his onscreen career, Kim spearheads his production company 3AD, established in 2014 to produce premier content for TV, film, and digital media – in development partnership with ITV Studios America. Committed to storytelling that integrates characters and cultures underrepresented in today's media, 3AD produced projects include the acclaimed series The Good Doctor (ABC).

Outside of his artistic endeavors, he actively pursues interests in the community at large, having most recently served as Cultural Envoy and Member of the U.S. Presidential Delegation for the United States at the World Expo in Korea.

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