| Daniel K. Isaac | |
| Birth Date: | 5 December 1988 |
| Birth Place: | Fullerton, California, U.S. |
Daniel K. Isaac is an American actor and writer. He is known for his recurring role as Ben Kim in Showtime's Billions.[1] Isaac is also known for creating the hashtag #AccordingToMyMother, which he uses to share comedic conversations between him and his mother.[2]
Isaac's parents are immigrants from Korea. His mother raised him in California as a single parent, and he grew up bilingual. Isaac is an only child.[3] He received his bachelor's degree in theater from the University of California, San Diego.[4]
In 2015, Isaac created the hashtag #AccordingToMyMother to share comedic conversations with his mother. He then started a Kickstarter campaign to finance a short film loosely based on their relationship. Isaac produced and starred in what became a television pilot, According to My Mother, with Cathy Yan and Devin Landin.[5] It premiered at the New York Television Festival in October 2016 and won the award for Best Drama. Isaac was named Best Actor in a Drama for his performance.
Isaac has appeared in the role of Ben Kim in Billions since its premiere in 2016. The role was initially written to be to a three-episode part, but the writers ended up making the character a series regular the first two seasons. Isaac also stars as a bike courier with a foot fetish in the BDSM-focused web series Mercy Mistress, produced by Margaret Cho.[6]
He portrayed William Inge in an off-Broadway production of Philip Dawkins' The Gentleman Caller in May 2018.[7]
Isaac appeared in a recurring role as Jeremy Delongpre in the first season of the 2019 Comedy Central series The Other Two.[8] He also played the role of "Sandwich Artist" in the May 22, 2022 Episode (#251) of the HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
In 2022, Isaac made his play-writing debut with Once Upon a (Korean) Time, which was produced by the Ma-Yi Theatre Company and performed at the historic La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City. The production was directed by Ralph Peña.[9] Also in 2022, it was announced that Isaac would star in the comedy film Plan B, alongside Jon Heder, Tom Berenger, and Shannon Elizabeth.[10]
Isaac is gay. He voluntarily participated in gay conversion therapy from the age of 13 to 16.[11] His mother, a devout Christian, disowned him for his sexuality when he was a freshman in college. Isaac later embraced his sexuality.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Too Big To Fail | Translator | TV movie |
| 2016 | Money Monster | Male Raver | |
| 2016 | Urban Teach Now | Vincent | TV movie |
| 2016 | Eugenia and John | Dan Eisenberg | |
| 2016 | Drew | Noah | TV movie |
| 2017 | Maggie Black | Delivery Guy | |
| 2020 | The Dark End of the Street | Keith | |
| 2021 | The Drummer | Mike | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Kelsey | Tyrone | ||
| 2014 | Believe | Lab Tech | Episode: Pilot | |
| 2014 | Person of Interest | Virgil | 2 episodes | |
| 2014–15 | Mr. Right | Justin | ||
| 2015 | The Following | Paramedic | Episode: Dead or Alive | |
| 2015 | Dog Park | Jacob Hart | ||
| 2016 | The Jim Gaffigan Show | Foshay | Episode: No Good Deed: Part 3 | |
| 2016 | Search Party | Barista | Episode: The Return of the Forgotten Phantom | |
| 2016–23 | Billions | Ben Kim | 55 episodes | |
| 2017 | Quiet Tiny Asian | Boyfriend | ||
| 2017 | Crashing | Korean Man | Episode: Barking | |
| 2017 | Don't Shoot the Messenger | Michael | Episode: Episode #1.6 | |
| 2018 | Ollie & Molly Can't Get Arrested | Ryan | 2 episodes | |
| 2018 | Puffy | Gordon | Mini series | |
| 2018–19 | Mercy Mistress | Ken | 9 episodes | |
| 2019 | The Other Two | Jeremy Delongpre | 2 episodes | |
| 2019 | Indoor Boys | Walker | Web series, 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | The Deuce | Dr. Lee | Episode: Episode #3.5 | |
| 2024 | Elsbeth | Lieutenant Steve Connor | 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Level of Production | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Miss Electricity | Freddy | La Jolla Playhouse | Regional | |
| 2013 | Shalom Shanghai | Suzuki | Shanghai International Arts Festival | International | |
| 2015 | Underland | Taka | 59E59 Theaters | Off-Broadway | |
| 2016 | Sagittarius Ponderosa | Owen | 3LD Art and Technology Center | ||
| 2017 | The Ballad of Little Jo | Tin Man Wong | Two River Theater | Regional | |
| 2018 | The Chinese Lady | Atung | Barrington Stage Company | Regional | |
| 2018 | The Gentleman Caller | William Inge | Abingdon Theatre | ||
| 2018 | The Chinese Lady | Atung | Beckett Theater | Off-Broadway | |
| 2022 | Once Upon a (Korean) Time | Playwright | La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club | Off-Broadway | |
| 2022 | You Will Get Sick |
| Laura Pels Theatre | Off-Broadway[12] | |
| 2023 | Every Brilliant Thing | Narrator | Geffen Playhouse |