Ricky Lee Neely, known professionally as Ricky Kim (), is an American actor.

Career

Ricky Lee Neely was born on June 19, 1981, to a Korean mother and an American father. He grew up in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, and then studied mass communications at

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

, with ambitions of becoming a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

. In 2005 he arrived in South Korea to

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

and

teach English Teach may refer to: People * Blackbeard, English pirate Edward Teach (c. 1680–1718) * nickname of Earl Caldwell (1905–1981), American Major League Baseball pitcher * nickname of Eleanor Tennant (1895–1974), American tennis player and coac ...

on the side, then left the country to continue traveling around the world. But having made the decision to pursue a career in entertainment, he returned four months later and began handing out his profile to modeling and talent agencies. Under the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Ricky Kim, he made his acting debut in the 4-episode 2006 TV series ''Miracle''. He first attracted notice for his supporting role in the 2008 hit show '' On Air'', followed by his first leading role in the romantic comedy film ''My Darling FBI''. He then joined the cast as Michelle Morris in the 2009 Korean staging of the musical ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others,Gro ...

''. In the 2010 period medical drama ''

Jejungwon Chejungwon () was founded in Seoul in 1885, and is known as the first Western medical institution in Korea. It affiliated with Yonhee University in 1957, which changed its name to Yonsei University to mark the collaboration. It is now part of the ...

'', he played Dr. John William Heron,

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

and hospital director of the first Western medical institution in Korea. Since 2009 he has been a regular on sports-

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

Let's Go Dream Team! Season 2 ''Let's Go! Dream Team Season 2'' () is an organized sports variety program that airs on KBS2. The first episode aired on June 25, 2009 and the last one on May 29, 2016. The pilot episode was aired on September 13, 2009 titled as ''Let's Go Dream ...

''. He also appeared in several seasons of ''

Law of the Jungle "The law of the jungle" (also called jungle law) is an expression that has come to describe a scenario where "anything goes". The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines the Law of the Jungle as "''the code of survival in jungle life'', now usual ...

'', a

travel Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel c ...

-reality show in which a cast of celebrities go to exotic locations such as

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, Papua,

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and are left to explore and survive in nature.

Personal life

Kim met

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

actress Ryu Seung-joo while working with

Compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

, an international

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

both are active in. After dating for two years, the couple married on May 4, 2009 at Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel. Their first child, daughter Taylor (Kim Tae-rin) was born on February 10, 2011. Their second child, son Asher William (Kim Tae-oh) was born on March 11, 2013. Their third child, daughter Ellysen Victoria (Kim Tae-ra) was born on September 19, 2015.

Filmography

Television series

*''

Beating Again ''Beating Again'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Jung Kyung-ho, Kim So-yeon, and Yoon Hyun-min. It aired on jTBC from April 3 to May 23, 2015 on Fridays and Saturdays at 21:45 ( KST) time slot for 16 episodes. Synopsis K ...

'' (jTBC, 2015) - Wigo ( cameo, ep 4) *''

Cunning Single Lady Cunning Single Lady (; lit. "Devious Woman Who's Single Again") is a 2014 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Lee Min-jung and Joo Sang-wook as a divorced couple who rekindles their romance. It aired on MBC from February 27 t ...

'' (MBC, 2014) - Yeo-jin's first love *''

The Queen's Classroom is a live-action Japanese television drama about Maya Akutsu (Yūki Amami), a new teacher at Hanzaki Elementary School who strives for perfection and punishes her students in unorthodox manners. A 12-year-old student, Kazumi Kanda (Mirai Shida), h ...

'' (MBC, 2013) - Justin *''

I Need Romance ''I Need Romance'' () is a 2011 South Korean romantic comedy series starring Jo Yeo-jeong, Kim Jeong-hoon, Choi Yeo-jin, Choi Song-hyun and Choi Jin-hyuk. It aired on tvN from June 13 to August 2, 2011 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 23:00 ( KST) for ...

'' (tvN, 2011) - Alex *''

Drama Special ''KBS Drama Special'' () is a South Korean anthology series created and broadcast by KBS2, with each episode having a different story, cast, director and scriptwriter. The format is based on its predecessor ''Drama City'' and MBC's Best Theater. ...

'' "Perfect Spy" (KBS2, 2011) - Eric *''

Midas Midas (; grc-gre, Μίδας) was the name of a king in Phrygia with whom several myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ...

'' (SBS, 2011) - Stephan Lee *'' Athena: Goddess of War'' (SBS, 2010-2011) - Viktor Sevcenkov / Sasha *''

'' (SBS, 2010) - Dr. John W. Heron *''

Heading to the Ground ''Heading to the Ground'' (), also known as ''No Limit'' is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Yunho, Go Ara, Lee Yoon-ji, and Lee Sang-yoon. It aired on MBC on Wednesdays to Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes beginning September 9, 2 ...

'' (MBC, 2009) - Maxim *'' On Air'' (SBS, 2008) - Aidan Lee *''Miracle'' (MBC, 2006) - Jang-mi's boyfriend

Film

*''My Darling FBI'' (2008) - Albert Lee *''

D-War ''D-War'' (Korean: 디워, released in North America as ''Dragon Wars: D-War''), is a 2007 South Korean action-adventure fantasy film written and directed by Shim Hyung-rae, and starring Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster, and Elizabeth Pe ...

'' (2007)

Variety show

*'' Return of Superman'' (KBS ep 223, 2018) *''

True Dad Confession ''True Dad Confession'' () is a 2016 South Korean television program that follows the lives of three celebrities who are fathers. It airs on Channel A every Wednesday at 21:30 (KST). Content True Dad Confession is an observational reality pro ...

'' (JTBC ep 101, 2018) *''

Off to School ''Welcome Back to School'' (also known as ''Off to School'', ''I'm Going to School''; ''Oh, I'll Go to School''; and ''Going to School''; Romanization: Hakgyo danyeo ogesseubnida) was a 2014 South Korean variety program where celebrities attended ...

'' (JTBC, 2015) *'' Oh! My Baby'' (SBS, 2014) *''

'' (SBS, 2011-2013) *''Smart Bus'' (Channel IT, 2011) *''

'' (KBS2, 2009–2016) *''I Need Family Season 3'' (MBC Every 1, 2009) *''Park So-hyun's Secret Garden'' (DongA TV, 2008) *''Delicious Food'' (Arirang TV, 2006) *Running Man (SBS ep 144, 2013)

References

External links

Ricky Kim
at Bonboo Entertainment * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Ricky South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors South Korean people of American descent American male actors of Korean descent Male actors from Kansas 1981 births Living people 21st-century American male actors People from Lane County, Kansas