Kai Ko

In this Chinese name, the family name is Ko.

Kai Ko Chen-tung (Chinese: 柯震東; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koa Chìn-tong; born Ko Chia-kai on 18 June 1991) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and film director. Ko rose to fame with You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011), for which he won Best New Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Awards^[1] and the 12th Chinese Film Media Awards. He released his debut studio album, Be Yourself, the same year.^[2] Following the success of the Tiny Times film series, his career was derailed in 2014 when he was arrested in Beijing for marijuana use, leading to a ban in mainland China. He returned to acting with The Road to Mandalay (2016) in Taiwan.

Kai Ko
Ko in 2023
Born	Ko Chia-kai (柯家凱) (1991-06-18) 18 June 1991 (age 33) Penghu County, Taiwan
Occupations	Actor singer film director
Years active	2011–present
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Also known as	Ke Zhendong
Origin	Taiwan
Genres	Mandopop
Labels	Sony Music
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	柯震東
Simplified Chinese	柯震东
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kē Zhèndōng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping O1 Zan3 Dung1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Koa Chìn-tong

Personal life

Relationships

Ko dated Cherry (黃慶宜), a TV showgirl, before he became famous for You Are the Apple of My Eye. He made headlines when his romance with pop singer Elva Hsiao, who is 12 years senior to him and a bigger star, broke in 2012. They split in 2014. Ko then has an on-and-off relationship with singer Tia Lee since 2014.^[3][4]

Drug use

On 18 August 2014, Ko was arrested along with Jaycee Chan, son of Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan, by the Beijing Police for drug use, amid a broad anti-drug crackdown on the Chinese celebrities. Police said both actors tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug. Ko was given a sentence of 14 days in administrative detention.^{[citation needed]}

Ko had appeared in a 2012 anti-drug advertisement in Taiwan in which he and other celebrities declared, "I don't use drugs".^[5][6] He was released on 28 August and faced another round of interrogations by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office after returning to Taiwan.^[7]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	You Are the Apple of My Eye	Ko Ching-teng	Golden Horse Awards for Best New Actor Chinese Film Media Awards for Best New Actor
2012	When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep	Tung / Wolf
2013	Machi Action	Face (stand-in)	Cameo
	Together	A-tzu
	Tiny Times	Gu Yuan
	Tiny Times 2	Gu Yuan
	Dive in 2013	Ke Dong	Short film
2014	Dive in 2014	Ke Dong	Short film
	Tiny Times 3	Gu Yuan
2015	Tiny Times 4	Gu Yuan	Scenes edited out due to drug use conviction
2016	The Road to Mandalay	Ah Guo
2017	Mon Mon Mon Monsters	Student on bus	Cameo
2020	A Choo	Wang Yi-zhi
2021	Moneyboys	Fei
	Till We Meet Again	Ah Lun	Taipei Film Awards for Best Actor
	Grit	Croc / Xiao Yu
2022	Mama Boy	Hsiao Hung
	Bad Education	—	Directorial debut
2023	Miss Shampoo	Long Legs

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2022	The Exorcist
2023	Agent from Above	Han Jie	[8]
2024	Let's Talk About CHU	Chou Ping-ke
	Imperfect Us	Yu Xiang-li

Discography

Title	Album details	Track listing
Be Yourself 有話直說[9][10]	Released: November 11, 2011 Format: CD, streaming, download Label: Star Ritz, Sony Music Taiwan	Track listing "Qing Rang Wo Jixu Xihuan Ni" (請讓我繼續喜歡你; Please Let Me Continue to Like You) "Qing Bi Wo Ai Ta" (請比我愛她; Please Love Her Better Than I Do) "You Hua Zhi Shuo" (有話直說; Just Say It) "Ai Ni Jie Bu Liao" (愛你戒不了; Can't Stop Loving You) "Ai Jiu Ai" (愛就愛; Just Love) "Piao Liu Ping" (漂流瓶; Drifting Vase) featuring Michelle Chen "Zuo You" (左右; Left Right) "Feng Suo Ni" (封鎖你; Blocking You) "Be My Baby" "Bai Shi Zhi Ling" (百式之零; Zero of Hundred)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
2011	48th Golden Horse Awards	Best New Performer	You Are the Apple of My Eye	Won
2012	12th Chinese Film Media Awards	Best New Performer		Won
	6th Asian Film Awards	Best Newcomer		Nominated
	Changchun Film Festival	Best Actor		Nominated
2016	53rd Golden Horse Awards	Best Leading Actor	The Road to Mandalay	Nominated
2017	Youth Film Handbook Awards	Male Actor of the Year		Won
	8th To Ten Chinese Films Festival	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role		Won
	58th Asia-Pacific Film Festival	Best Actor		Nominated
2021	58th Golden Horse Awards	Best Leading Actor	Moneyboys	Nominated
2022	24th Taipei Film Awards[11]	Best Actor	Till We Meet Again	Won
	59th Golden Horse Awards	Best New Director	Bad Education	Nominated
2024	26th Taipei Film Awards[12]	Best Supporting Actor	Miss Shampoo	Nominated
	6th Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards[13]	Best Supporting Actor	Imperfect Us	Nominated
	59th Golden Bell Awards[14][15]	Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film		Won