Background
Ricky Lee Neely was born on June 19, 1981, to a Korean mother and an American father.
Ricky Lee Neely was born on June 19, 1981, to a Korean mother and an American father.
He spent his growing up years in Kansas and Hawaii, then studied mass communications at Kansas State University, with ambitions of becoming a lobbyist.
In 2005 he arrived in South of Korea to volunteer and teach English 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 Ricky Kim, he made his acting debut in the 4-episode 2006 television 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. He then joined the cast as Michelle Morris in the 2009 Korean staging of the musical Dreamgirls.
Since 2009 he has been a regular on sports-reality show Season 2. He also appeared in several seasons of Law of the Jungle, a travel-reality show in which a cast of celebrities go to exotic locations such as Namibia, Papua, Vanuatu, Siberia, Madagascar, and New Zealand, and are left to explore and survive in nature.