--- description: Find out why Daniel Dae Kim is one of the 100 most influential people of 2025. title: Daniel Dae Kim: The 100 Most Influential People of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aafb11942b39ec2/6998c5b9e2d64b6562c5f3ec/time100-2025-daniel-dae-kim.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 16, 2025 # Daniel Dae Kim by J.J. Abrams  Tristan Fewings—Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival Daniel Dae Kim contains multitudes. A beloved star of shows such as _The Good Doctor,_ _Hawaii Five-0,_ and _Lost,_ Kim is also a successful producer and director and a devoted husband and father. And he was named one of _People_’s Sexiest Men Alive. Twice. When Kim combines his talent, skill, and humanity as an advocate for equality, he becomes a force of nature. I’ve seen this firsthand. When we made the _Lost_ pilot, Kim insisted his character’s arc defy stereotypes. Years later, when he learned of a significant pay disparity between himself and his white _Hawaii Five-0_ co-stars, Kim, along with Grace Park, made the bold decision to publicly walk away from the series, demanding equity even at personal cost. His advocacy extends beyond Hollywood—in 2021, as [anti-Asian violence surged](https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2022/ "undefined") in the U.S., Kim testified before the House Judiciary Committee, calling on lawmakers to take action. And in 2024, Kim returned to Broadway to star in _Yellow Face,_ David Henry Hwang’s acclaimed satire exploring Asian American identity, cultural appropriation, and the complexities of activism. A career like Kim’s is rare. But even rarer is a willingness to use success not just for oneself, but for others—a quality that makes Daniel Dae Kim a leading voice in the fight for change. _Abrams is an Emmy-winning director and producer, and co-created_ Lost Daniel Dae Kim Is on the 2025 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273818/daniel-dae-kim/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273818/daniel-dae-kim/"},"headline":"Daniel Dae Kim","datePublished":"2025-04-16T10:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:46:22.080Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273818/daniel-dae-kim/","keywords":["TIME100","franchise","Magazine","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades","t100artists2025"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aafb11942b39ec2/6998c5b9e2d64b6562c5f3ec/time100-2025-daniel-dae-kim.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aafb11942b39ec2/6998c5b9e2d64b6562c5f3ec/time100-2025-daniel-dae-kim.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273818/daniel-dae-kim/","name":"Daniel Dae Kim"}}]}] ```