John Kim was an Australian actor who gained recognition in the United States in 2014 after landing a recurring role on the TNT adventure series The Librarians (TNT, 2014–present). Of Korean descent and originally from Australia, John Kim was born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria in 1995. As a young boy, he was quite active and played a variety of sports such as basketball and tennis, with dreams of becoming a professional athlete.
It wasn’t until he turned 15 that John Kim began to seriously consider a career in acting. At that age, he was discovered by an Australian talent agent who saw potential in him. After signing with the agent, Kim started working as an extra on several Australian TV shows while continuing to audition for more substantial roles in both film and television.
His first major opportunity came in 2010 when he landed a role as a teenage Japanese soldier in the World War II miniseries The Pacific (HBO, 2010), which was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Following his appearance in the series, John Kim signed with a prominent talent agency and soon joined the cast of the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours (Eleven, 1985–present), playing the character Dale McGregor.
Kim appeared in 14 episodes of the show and remained a familiar face until his departure in 2011. After leaving the series, he took a short break from acting that lasted about three years. He made his return to television in 2014 with a role in the American series The Librarians, starring alongside Rebecca Romijn and John Larroquette. The show’s second season debuted on November 1, 2015, with John Kim reprising his role as the clever and charming Ezekiel Jones.
When it comes to John Harlan Kim’s filmography, one standout in terms of reception is Paper Tiger, released back in 2020. This particular movie tends to be his most praised work by audiences and critics alike. On the flip side, John Harlan Kim also has a film that didn’t quite resonate as well — Purple Hearts, which came out in 2022. That one, unfortunately, holds the spot as his lowest rated movie so far.