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Edward Peng Yu-Yan ( zh, c=彭于晏, poj=Phêⁿ Û-àn, p=Péng Yúyàn; born 24 March 1982) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and model. He is best known for starring in the films '' Hear Me'' (2009), '' Unbeatable'' (2013), '' Fleet of Time'' (2014), '' Operation Mekong'' (2016), '' Duckweed'' (2017), '' Wu Kong'' (2017), and '' Hidden Man'' (2018). In 2024, Peng starred in '' Black Dog'', which premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and won the '' Un Certain Regard'' prize.


Early life and education

Peng was born in Penghu, Taiwan. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at the age of thirteen. In 2000, he graduated from Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. Subsequently, he was admitted to the
University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...
and majored in economics, but later dropped out to begin his acting career.


Career


2002–2008: Beginnings

Peng began his career when he was cast as in '' Tomorrow'' by director Yang Daqing during a summer vacation in Taiwan. The drama is adapted from the Japanese manga series '' Asunaro Hakusho'', written by Fumi Saimon. Peng built a teenage fan following after the romantic comedy gained popularity. In 2003, he took on his first leading role in the Taiwanese drama ''Scent of Love'', which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers who transcend life and death to find one another in their many reincarnations. In 2005, he starred in the idol drama ''When Dolphin Met Cat'', portraying an autistic youth. To prepare himself for the filming, Peng took one month to learn how to interact with dolphins from a trained instructor. He then starred in Chinese xianxia drama '' Chinese Paladin'' and wuxia drama '' The Young Warriors'', which were extremely popular during their run and led to increased recognition for him in the Mainland. Thereafter, Peng made his big screen debut in the movie ''Exit No.6'' (2006), directed by Yu-Hsien Lin. The film put him on the radar of many film directors, including Tsui Hark who cast him in his 2008 romantic comedy, '' All About Women''. In 2007, Peng was nominated as Best New Actor at the 44th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards for his performance in ''My DNA Says I Love You''.


2009–2010: Contractual disputes

In 2009, Peng was involved in a contract dispute lawsuit against his former manager, reaching the nadir of his career. However, during this period, Peng starred in the movie '' Hear Me'', directed by Fen-Fen Cheng, about a delivery boy who falls for a deaf girl and communicates with her using sign language.The film was released a week prior to the opening of the 21st Summer Deaflympics, and became the highest grossing locally produced movie at Taiwan's box office. After winning the lawsuit in 2010, he released his debut EP titled ''It Has To Be You'', which featured 5 songs under the management of Avex Group. The same year, he starred as the male lead in the movie ''Close to You''. To portray his role as a boxer, Peng trained for three months prior to filming. He was nominated in the Best Actor category at the 2nd Macau International Movie Festival for his performance.


2011–2013: Rising popularity

Peng achieved breakthrough with his performance in the 2011 teen film ''Jump Ashin!'', directed by Yu-Hsien Lin. He reportedly trained eight months to portray an athlete. The film was a critical and commercial success. Peng earned nominations as Best Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Film Festival and 13th Taipei Film Festival, which marked the turning point of his career. Thereafter, he starred in romance films '' Love You You'' and '' Love''; police thriller ''
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
''; kungfu comedy '' Tai Chi 0'' and '' Tai Chi Hero''; showcasing his versatility. In 2013, Peng starred in action film '' Unbeatable'', playing a
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
fighter. Peng practised boxing for four hours a day for his character. ''Unbeatable'' was the highest grossing local production at the Hong Kong box office, and received positive reviews. The film earned Peng nominations as Best Supporting Actor at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Award and 50th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards. The same year, Peng starred in romantic comedy '' A Wedding Invitation'' alongside Bai Baihe. The film earned nearly 200 million yuan ($32 million) in China, making it the highest-grossing Chinese-South Korean production.


2014–present: Box office success

In 2014, Peng was cast as Wong Fei-hung in '' Rise of the Legend'', the latest film about the iconic Kung-Fu master. He reportedly practiced 10 hours of martial arts every day to prepare for the role. Peng was nominated in the Best Actor category at the 34th Hong Kong Film Award. The same year, he starred in historical drama '' Sound of the Desert'' and coming-of-age film '' Fleet of Time'', which were both commercial successes. Peng's achievements in both the film and television industry brought his career to a new height. In 2015, Peng played a professional cyclist in sports film '' To the Fore''. He reportedly received training and earned qualifications for competitive racing during filming. The film was selected to represent Hong Kong in the best foreign-language film category at the 88th
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
. Peng was also appointed the first Chinese Goodwill Ambassador of the 2015 '' Tour de France''. The same year, Peng starred alongside Shu Qi in romance film '' The Last Women Standing''. Peng achieved another breakthrough in 2016 with the film '' Operation Mekong'', where he portrayed a hardcore undercover agent along with veteran actor Zhang Hanyu. The film received critical acclaim, and is highest grossing Chinese cop film to date. He also starred in romance film '' Run for Love'' alongside Zhang Ziyi, police thriller '' Cold War 2'' as an antagonist, war epic '' Call of Heroes'', and Zhang Yimou's historical epic '' The Great Wall''. In 2017, Peng co-starred in Han Han's film '' Duckweed'' alongside Deng Chao and Zanilia Zhao. The sleeper hit gained commercial and critical success. He then starred in war film '' Our Time Will Come'' directed by
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in ...
, playing a complicated anti-hero. Peng then headlined his first film, fantasy epic '' Wu Kong'' where he played the title character. The film was a box office success and grossed US$100 million at the box office. In 2018, Peng stars in the wuxia film ''Hidden Man'', directed by Jiang Wen. In 2020, Peng starred in ''The Rescue'', a thriller film directed by Dante Lam which focuses on an emergency rescue operative. He is also set to star in period romance film ''Love After Love'', directed by
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in ...
.


Personal life

Eddie Peng and Jolin Tsai reportedly began dating in mid-2006, but their relationship remained private until March 2007, when Tsai was spotted visiting Peng's home late at night to "play video games." Due to strong opposition from Peng's agency, the couple eventually parted ways in 2009. Displeased with the interference, Peng attempted to terminate his contract with his agency early, which led to him being sidelined and his career stalling until the success of '' Jump Ashin!'', after which he moved his career focus from Taiwan to mainland China. In 2015, Peng dated Taiwanese actress Lyla Lin. While filming '' Black Dog'', Peng developed such a strong bond with his dog co-star Xin that he adopted her.


Controversy

On June 17, 2018, at the Weibo Movie Night, Eddie Peng, who was supposed to be seated in the second row, allegedly took a first-row seat intended for Li Bingbing, angering the actress to the point that she refused to enter the ceremony until she was called on stage to receive her award. On July 17, during an interview with ifeng.com, Peng was asked if the “seat-swapping” controversy had affected him, to which he responded, “I have done nothing to be ashamed of.” Later that day, Peng's office issued a statement clarifying that the seat changes were made without his knowledge and criticized ifeng.com for misrepresenting the interview. The website apologized and released the unedited transcript, showing that the original question referred to "misunderstandings online" without directly mentioning the “seat-swapping.” After this incident, Peng significantly slowed down his career. A plot point in the trailer for 2023 film '' The Movie Emperor'' was inspired by this event, although the scene was cut from the theater version.


Filmography


Film


Television series


Discography


Extended plays


Singles


Music video


Bibliography


Awards and nominations


Forbes China Celebrity 100


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peng, Eddie 1982 births Living people 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Taiwanese male actors Canadian people of Chinese descent Canadian male actors of Taiwanese descent Han Taiwanese People from Penghu County Naturalized citizens of Canada People from Meixian District Taiwanese emigrants to Canada Taiwanese people of Hakka descent Taiwanese male film actors Taiwanese male television actors University of British Columbia alumni Taiwanese idols Taiwanese male singers 21st-century Taiwanese singers 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singers