After successfully performing as an actor, he moved on and participated in a sport-themed variety reality show. Due to his handsome face and athletic body, he gained more popularity from his appearance in Law of the Jungle. His appearance in the outdoor program suited his character well because he loves traveling and physical activity. In this article, Channel-Korea will provide you with a detailed explanation of everything about the handsome American-Korean Ricky Kim. So, stay tuned and keep scrolling down.
Full Profile
Name: Ricky Kim American name: Ricky Lee Neely Korean name: Kim Kyung-ho (김경호) Date of Birth: June 19th, 1981 Place of Birth: Texas, USA Height: 183 cm Weight: 81 kg Blood type: O Management: Bonboo Entertainment Education: Kansas State University, Mass Communication Zodiac: Gemini Chinese Zodiac: The Year of Rooster Twitter: Rickykim81 Instagram: taetaefamilyofficial YouTube: taetaefamiliy Facts
He doesn’t have a Korean name but his mother and grandfather gave him his family name. His son and daughter are officially registered with English names but they are called with Korean names in their house and kindergarten. Ricky Kim usually addresses his only son by his English name Asher. Australian comedian, Sam Hammington, asked Ricky Kim’s permission to name his son with the same Korean name, Tae-oh. According to Korean law, the children who were born to a Korean mother and were born in Korea rightfully earn American citizenship as well. From birth, all of his children have dual citizenship.
Career Journey
Ricky Kim was born to an American father and a Korean mother. He majored in Mass Communications at Kansas State University. He visited Korea to volunteer and teach English in 2005 and left Korea to travel to other countries. He decided to return to Korea and pursue a career in modeling and entertainment. He debuted in the MBC mini-series Miracle in 2006 under the name Ricky Kim. He started gaining attention for his acting talent after performing a supporting role in the popular SBS drama On Air. he managed to get the male leading role in the comedy movie My Darling FBI in 2008. He frequently appeared in sports-themed variety-reality shows such as KBS2’s Let’s Go Dream Team! Season 2 and SBS’ Law of the Jungle. His breakthrough came when he performed the role of Doctor Heron, one of the first missionaries in Korea. He admitted that he had difficult times with the Joseon Kingdom Korean language that was used in the drama. He basically practiced reading the script throughout the days. He couldn’t sleep well because the lines of the script were going through his head. At first, the practice wasn’t working well. After he changed his work ethic and started enjoying his role, Ricky Kim did well and fans loved his character. In an interview with online media, he said that he wants to change the stereotype of foreign actors. They are usually good looking, always smiling and having a good character. He wanted to break away from the stereotype and perform as a Korean-American actor. Regarding his choice in selecting a TV program, Ricky Kim revealed that he had done a career suicide in the past. He explained that the variety-reality programs didn’t speed up his career progress at all. However, he wanted to show the fans and viewers his true self and be honest with his status. He said that he has done things that probably killed his acting career. Some of them were getting married at the age of 28 years old and having babies right after the marriage. He announced his marriage to the public and even showed his pregnant wife on one of his TV programs. In short, he did what Korean celebrities mostly avoid, that is showing their private lives.
Personal Life
Ricky Kim’s family lived in the countryside in Kansas where there were many Asian and African people to the point that Americans were uncommon. He and his brother were ostracized because of their Asian-American appearance. His father suggested both of them to work hard in sport and excel in it. If they excelled in sport, they will have a better opportunity to mingle with other kids. The two brothers trained hard in sports and became their university representative athletes. Ricky Kim’s parents divorced when he was little and his father died when was fourteen years old. His mother got married to a Japanese immigrant and moved to Hawaii. He has a step-brother from his mother’s second marriage. Ricky Kim was working with Compassion, a Christian humanitarian aid child sponsorship when he met musical actress Ryu Seung-joo. She was born in 1977 and 4 years older than Ricky Kim. The couple started dating while working together at the international NGO. After dating her for two years, Ricky Kim got married to Ryu Seung-joo on May 4th, 2009 at Grande Walkerhill Hotel, Seoul. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Taylor Kim (Kim Tae-rim) on February 10th, 2011. Their second child, a boy named Asher William (Kim Tae-oh) was born on March 11th, 2013. Ellysen Victoria, their third child, was born on September 19th, 2015. Ricky Kim said that there are 10 things he wants to achieve in his life. Among the list, solving Rubic’s cube within less than 2 minutes and traveling around the world have already been fulfilled by him. He said that the next wish on the list was to branch out his career to his home country and introduce Korea to the USA. Regarding his status as a Korean-American, he said, “I was treated as an American when I visited Korea, and when I visited America, they treated me as a Korean. Because of this situation, I was always avoiding other people. It was the reason why I exercised and studied hard.”
Filmography
Television Series
Beating Again (jTBC, 2015) – Wigo (cameo, ep. 4) Cunning Single Lady (MBC, 2014) – Yeo-jin’s first love The Queen’s Classroom (MBC, 2013) – Justin I Need Romance (tvN, 2011) – Alex Drama Special “Perfect Spy” (KBS2, 2011) – Eric Midas (SBS, 2011) – Stephan Lee Athena: Goddess of War (SBS, 2010-2011) – Viktor Sevcenkov/Sasha Jejungwon (SBS, 2010) – Dr. John W. Heron Heading to the Ground (MBC, 2009) – Maxim On Air (SBS, 2008) – Aidan Lee Miracle (MBC, 2006) – Jang-mi’s boyfriend
Movies
My Darling FBI (2008) – Albert Lee D-War (2007)
Variety Shows
Return of Superman (KBS ep. 223, 2018) True Dad Confession (JTBC ep. 101, 2018) Off to School (JTBC, 2015) Oh! My Baby (SBS, 2014) Law of the Jungle (SBS, 2011-2013) Smart Bus (Channel IT, 2011) Let’s Go Dream Team! Season 2 (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)
