Mark Chao (, born 25 September 1984) is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. He made his debut in the television series '' Black & White'' (2009), for which he won the

Golden Bell Award for Best Actor The Golden Bell Award for Best Male Lead in a Television Series () is one of the categories of the competition for the Taiwanese television production, Golden Bell Awards. It was presented annually by the Government Information Office The Gove ...

. After collaborating with director

Doze Niu Doze Niu (, also known as Niu Chen-zer; born June 22, 1966) is a Taiwanese actor, film director, show host, screenwriter, and producer. As a film director, he is best known for the Taiwanese film '' Monga''. Early life Niu was born in Taipei ...

in '' Monga'' (2010) and ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

'' (2012), he shifted his career to China, starring in films '' Caught in the Web'' (2012), '' So Young'' (2013), '' Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon'' (2013), ''

Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe ''Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe'' () is a 2015 Chinese 3D adventure action film directed and co-written by Lu Chuan, and stars Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan, Li Chen, Tiffany Tang and Daniel Feng. The film is an adaptation of Zhang M ...

'' (2015), '' Her Story'' (2024) as well as the television series '' Eternal Love'' (2017). Chao ranked 100th on ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2011 and 36th in 2017.

Early life

Chao is the son of actor and television host . He graduated from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

in Canada, with a double degree in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. After he graduated, he started his career in the Taiwanese entertainment industry.

Career

Mark Chao made his debut playing Wu Yingxiong in the television drama '' Black & White'' (2009). His role as the rash, righteous and no-nonsense cop shot him to fame and won him the Best Actor award at the 44th

Golden Bell Awards The Golden Bell Awards () is an annual Taiwanese television and radio production award presented in October or November each year by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, a division of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture (Taiwan), M ...

. He then starred in his first film, '' Monga'' (2010). The gangster flick, directed by

, became a critical and commercial success, winning him the Best Newcomer at the

Asian Film Awards The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Asian Film Awards Academy to recognise the excellence of the film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema. History On January 29, 2007, Wilfred Wong, the Chairman of Hong Kon ...

. After reuniting with Niu in ''

'' (2012), Chao branched out of Taiwan by starring in '' First Time'' opposite

Angelababy Angela Yeung Wing ( zh, s=杨颖, p=Yáng Yǐng; born 28 February 1989), better known by her stage name Angelababy, is a Chinese model and actress. In 2013, she was chosen by '' Southern Metropolis Entertainment Weekly'' as one of the New Fou ...

. He reprised his role of Wu Yingxiong in '' Black & White Episode I: The Dawn of Assault,'' the film prequel of '' Black & White.'' The same year, he starred opposite

Gao Yuanyuan Gao Yuanyuan ( zh, s= 高圆圆, p=Gāo yuányuán, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and model. She gained attention in 2000 for appearing in a commercial for Qingzui (Clear Mouth) lozenges, earning her the nickname "Clear-Mouth Girl." She ...

in '' Caught in the Web'' directed by

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige ( zh, s=陈凯歌, link=no; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese directors, Chen is known for his visual flair and epic storytelling.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: His ...

, winning him the Best Actor award for the Hong Kong and Taiwan category at the

Huabiao Awards China Huabiao Film Awards (), also simply known as Huabiao Awards, is an annual awards ceremony for Chinese cinema. Named after the decorative Chinese winged columns (''huabiaos''), The Huabiao Awards were first instituted in 1957 as the Minist ...

. Chao then starred in

Zhao Wei Zhao Wei (; born 12 March 1976), also known as Vicky Zhao or Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese nationality law, Chinese actress, singer, filmmaker, and businesswoman. Regarded as one of China's Four Dan Actresses, she rose to pan-Asian fame for her rol ...

's directorial debut '' So Young'' (2013), playing an ambitious and nerdy China university student. The same year, he played

Di Renjie Di Renjie (630 – November 11, 700), courtesy name Huaiying (懷英), posthumous name Duke Wenhui of Liang (梁文惠公), was a Chinese politician of the Tang dynasty, Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties, twice serving as Chancellor of the Tang dynas ...

in '' Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon,'' directed by

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, , born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong (), is a Hong Kong filmmaker. A major director in the Golden Age of Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cinema, Tsui gained critical and commercial success with films such as ''Zu Warriors from ...

. Chao once again reprised his role as Wu Yingxiong in '' Black & White: The Dawn of Justice'' (2014), the sequel to '' Black & White Episode I: The Dawn of Assault''. He won the Best Actor award at the 16th

Huading Awards The Huading Awards are a set of entertainment awards in China. The awards were set up by Global Talents Media Group, Inc in 2007 and are held more than once each year across multiple entertainment media from Chinese television shows to internatio ...

for his performance. Chao was then cast to play Hu Bayi in ''

'' (2015), adapted from the best-selling tomb raid novel series ''

Ghost Blows Out the Light ''Gui Chui Deng (Ghost Blows Out the Light)'' (), also referred to as ''Candle in the Tomb'', is a fantasy novel series written by (天下霸唱) about a team of grave robbers seeking a hidden treasure haunted by ghosts, with the first book publ ...

''. The film, directed by

Lu Chuan Lu Chuan (born 8 February 1971) is a Chinese filmmaker. One of China's Sixth Generation directors, he is known for his films '' Kekexili: Mountain Patrol'' (2004), '' City of Life and Death'' (2009)'', and The Last Supper'' (2012). Early life ...

, was a box office hit but received mixed reviews regarding its faithfulness to the novel. The following year, he starred in the Chinese-French film ''

The Warriors Gate ''The Warriors Gate'' (, also released as ''Enter the Warriors Gate'') is a 2016 Chinese-French action-adventure-fantasy film directed by Matthias Hoene and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It was released in China on November 18, 2 ...

'', directed by Matthias Hoene. Chao made his return to television after 8 years in fantasy romance drama '' Eternal Love'' (2017). Though Chao's casting as the beautiful male lead was originally met with criticism, he eventually won praise for his acting. After the series aired, he experienced an explosive rise in popularity and increased film offers. In 2018, Chao starred in the romance film ''Till the End of the World'', which was shot in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

. He is also set to reprise his role in '' Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings''. The same year, Chao was cast in

Lou Ye Lou Ye (), born 1965, is a Chinese screenwriter-director who is commonly grouped with the " Sixth Generation" directors of Chinese cinema. In June 2018, Lou was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Care ...

's period drama film '' Saturday Fiction''.

Personal life

From 2009 to 2011, Chao dated his '' Black & White'' co-star

Ning Chang Ning Chang (; born September 4, 1982), previously known as Janine Chang, is a Taiwanese actress and film producer. Chang is known for portraying Guan Xin in ''The Hospital'' and Lan Xi Ying in '' Black & White''. Since 2010, Chang began wor ...

. They did not acknowledge their relationship until 2014, when they promoted their film '' Black & White: The Dawn of Justice'' on talk show '' Kangsi Coming''. After meeting on the set of '' Caught in the Web'', Chao married Chinese actress

in 2014. They welcomed a daughter, Rhea Chao, in June 2019, one month after announcing that Gao was pregnant.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Mark Chao at chinesemov.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chao, Mark 1984 births Living people 21st-century Taiwanese male actors Taiwanese male film actors Taiwanese male television actors Male actors from Taipei Naturalized citizens of Canada University of Victoria alumni Best Newcomer Asian Film Award winners Taiwanese activists for Chinese unification