Wu Kang-ren

Not to be confused with Kris Wu.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Wu.

Wu Kang-ren^[1] (Chinese: 吳慷仁; Wade–Giles: Wu K'ang-jen; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ngô͘ Khóng-jîn; born 24 November 1982), is a Taiwanese actor. He debuted in the short film Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion in 2007, and first came to attention for his role in the 2009 television series Autumn's Concerto. He received the Asian Television Award for Best Actor, his first acting award, at the 18th Asian Television Awards for his performance in the 2012 TV series Emerging Light. In 2023, he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Abang Adik.

Wu Kang-ren
吳慷仁
Wu for ELLE Taiwan in December 2023
Born	(1982-11-24) 24 November 1982 (age 41) Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Other names	Wu Kang-jen
Alma mater	Kaohsiung Municipal Chung-Cheng Industrial High School
Occupation(s)	Actor, model
Years active	2007–present
Agent	Easy Entertainment (2024–)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	吳慷仁
Simplified Chinese	吴慷仁
Hanyu Pinyin	Wú Kāng-rén
Wade–Giles	Wu K'ang-jên
Hokkien POJ	Ngô͘ Khóng-jîn

Early life

Wu was born on November 24, 1982, in a military dependents' village in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with his family roots in Anhui. His parents divorced when he was young, after which he lived with his mother. He began working at 14, after graduating from junior high school, to support his family. Initially, he tried his hand as an on-site construction welder despite his lack of experience, which resulted in eye burns. He later worked in various jobs, including restaurants, stalls, and supermarkets and enrolled into the Kaohsiung Municipal Chung-Cheng Industrial High School, where he balanced work with studies. He enlisted in Taiwan’s mandatory military service immediately after graduation.^[2] After completing his conscription at the age of 24, he moved from Kaohsiung to Taipei, where he worked as a bartender for three years. At 27, he was discovered by director Li Qiyuan, who helped him break into the entertainment industry.^[3][4]

Career

2007–2009: Beginnings

He started his career as an ad model.^[3] Later, he enrolled into an acting program at National Taiwan University of Arts and moved to being an actor. He made his debut performance in Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion (沿海岸线徵友). Directed by Mickey Chen and Chi Chen Jun, the short film was featured at The LGBT Civil Rights Movement Film Festival^[5] and at the Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival among others.^[6] His first television miniseries came the afterwards in Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend (與男友的前女友密談). The mini-series was awarded the Best Mini-series Screenplay Award and the Best Editing Award at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards in 2008.^[7] The same year, he was cast in Hong Kong film Miao Miao with actors Ko Chia-yen and Wing Fan. The film was selected at the 2009 Melbourne International Film Festival, but it was later pulled out due to controversies about China's boycott against the film festival,^[8][9] as well as premiering at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival.^[10] The film was also screened at the 11th Taipei Film Festival.^[11]

In 2009, Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend's director Chen Hui Jing cast him once again in his first idol drama Autumn's Concerto starring Vanness Wu and Ady An, where he played the role of Hua Tuoye.^[12] In later years, he stated that he was often reprimanded by Li Qiyuan as he had difficulties delivering his lines well in shootings.^[3] The series was received favorably by viewers.^[13][11]

2010–2015: Recognition

Wu started to receive more television and film projects. In TTV's Zhong Wu Yan, he played the character of Howard, a blind man who finds love in Wu Yen, played by Cheryl Yang.^[11] He also starred in When Love Comes which garnered multiple nominations from different award-giving ceremonies.^[11][14][15]

During the press conference of TTV's Local Hero in 2011, Wu stated that he accidentally injured his left hand while shooting.^[16] He still participated in their scheduled charity event game that requires peeling fruits despite his hand injury, nevertheless, because he stated that he wanted the kids to enjoy.^{[citation needed]} A year later, he was cast in four more television series. Among them is TTV's What Is Love co starring Jade Chou.^[17]

In 2012, Wu was cast in the role of Rong Guang, a farmer raising his son as a single parent, in the film The Third Wish.^[18] In preparation for the role, who is a skinny farmer to be diagnosed of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Wu started running 5-kilometer races in the hot sun, and ate only boiled eggs and guava. He lost 8 kilograms of weight in 10 days.^[19] He also started acting as a father to child actor Chen Yu-cheng a week before filming began to study the father-and-son's lifestyle.^[20]

I was not born an actor... These experiences (doing manual labor jobs at a young age) made me aware of how money is earned that I try my best to be a hardworking actor. — Wu Kang-jen^[3]

In January, Wu was cast in TTV's King Flower co-starring James Wen and Nikki Hsieh. He played the character role of Ouyang Tai, the GM of Shen Da Realty who was engaged to Du Liang Yan, but was later killed by accident. The series consistently topped the viewers' ratings during its timeslot, garnering a 1.57 total average by the end of the series.^[21] Before the year ended, his performance in the 2012 TV series Emerging Light (愛在旭日升起時) earned him the Best Actor in a Leading Role award at the 18th Asian Television Awards on December 5, 2013, held in Singapore.^[22]

In 2014, he played the role of Zhou Shu Yu and David in Rock N' Road and Winnie the Boob (小胸維妮的幸福旅程), respectively. He was once again paired with Judy Chou, his co-star in What Is Love, in the latter series.^[23] He also acted alongside Ella Chen in The Lying Game (謊言遊戲) towards the end of the year.^[24]

2016–present: Acclaim

From late 2015 to early 2016, he starred in the period drama A Touch of Green as a young fighter pilot, for which he won the Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Golden Bell Awards 2016.^[25] In 2023, he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Abang Adik. In 2024, Wu signed with Easy Entertainment, marking his first agency partnership in ten years and expanding his career into mainland China.^[26]

Personal life

Wu was in a relationship with White Ant co-star Aviis Zhong from 2015 to 2017.^[27] Since 2018, he has an on-and-off relationship with The Perfect Match co-star Ivy Shao. On November 11, 2020, Shao went public with their relationship.

Filmography

Television

Year	English title	Original title	Role	Notes
2007	Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend	與男友的前女友密談		Film
	Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion	沿海岸線徵友	Hsiao-hai	Film
2008	Taipei 24H: Save the Lover	台北異想：舊．情人	Rookie
2009	Autumn's Concerto	下一站，幸福	Hua Tuoye
2010	Zhong Wu Yen	鍾無艷	Howard
	Days We Stared at the Sun	他們在畢業的前一天爆炸	Police officer
2011	The Local Hero	田庄英雄	Ma Shanghong
2012	I Love You So Much	粉愛粉愛你	Bu Haowen	Cameo
	Inborn Pair	真愛找麻煩	Zhao Dongyang
	What Is Love	花是愛	Bai Zongyou
	Emerging Light	愛在旭日升起時	Zhang Tingxu
2013	King Flower	金大花的華麗冒險	Ouyang Tai
	The Sea Reflects the Blue Sky	碧海映藍天	Chien Chunyi
	The Day Mom Came to Visit	那天媽媽來看我	Ho Xuan	Film
2014	Rock N' Road	A咖的路	Zhou Shuyu
	My Antenna Is Broken	搆不到的訊號	Antenna man	Film
	Winnie The Boob	小胸維妮的幸福旅程	David	Film
	The Lying Game	謊言遊戲	Wei Youliang
	Mr. Right Wanted	徵婚啟事	Xu Lei	Cameo
	Love by the River	河畔卿卿	Passerby	Cameo
2015	Heart Of Steel	鋼鐵之心	Dance instructor	Cameo
	Wake Up	麻醉風暴	Yeh Chien-te
	Long Day's Journey into Light	出境事務所	Zhao Shengwei
	The Crossing Hero	超級大英雄	Sun Yen-chun
	A Touch of Green	一把青	Kao Jen
2016	Q Series: Love of Sandstorm	植劇場-戀愛沙塵暴	Lin Yi-de
	In Love - Love	滾石愛情故事-愛情	Chang Ching-yeh
	Where the River Flows	鮮肉老爸	Chiu Min-hui	Film
	Lost? Me Too	迷徒Chloe	Wang Shih-chi	Webseries
	Code	CODE浮士德遊戲	Alex Chen	Webseries
2017	The Perfect Match	極品絕配	Huo Ting-en
	The Masked Lover	我的愛情不平凡	Huo Ting-en	Cameo
	My Gifts	我的禮物	Chao Yi-chung	Film
	We Are One	望月	Chou Ta-lung	Film
	Ping Pong	乒乓	Fang Yi	Film
	Wake Up 2	麻醉風暴2	Yeh Chien-te
2018	Your Children Are Not Your Children	你的孩子不是你的孩子
2019	The World Between Us	我們與惡的距離	Wang She
2020	The Ghost Bride	彼岸之嫁	Er Lang	Webseries
2021	Light the Night	華燈初上	Liu Pao-lung
2022	Mom, Don't Do That!	媽，別鬧了！	Chen Ru-rong
	Shards of Her	她和她的她	Tu Chun-ju
2023	Copycat Killer	模仿犯	Guo Xiao-qi	Netflix series
	Living	有生之年	Gao Jia-yue
TBA	Friend Begin	吳慷仁	Chi Hei-ye

Film

Year	English title	Original title	Role	Notes
2008	Miao Miao	渺渺	Bei Jiaxin
	In the Coming of Surprise	意外之前		Short film
2009	The End Of Love	愛情的盡頭	A-kai	Short film
2010	When Love Comes	當愛來的時候	Mu Zongfu
2011	Blowfish	河豚
2012	The Third Wish	第三個願望	Ho Rong-guang
	Dive In	這一刻，愛吧！	Shuai Yiqiang	Short film
	Economical Man	經濟適用男	A-han	Short film
	Xiao Yuan San Kuai Ke	校園三快客	Wu Shihan	Short film
	Love in Kyushu	九州 向愛走	Lin Bai	Short film
	Life in Tokyo	東京 不見不散	A-zhi	Short film
2013	Star of Bethlehem	微光閃亮 第一個清晨	A Sheng
2014	42 Minutes	42分鐘	Husband	Short film[28]
2015	The Bride	屍憶	Yeh Cheng-hao
2016	White Ant	白蟻─慾望謎網	Bai Yide
	Beyond All Doubt	我們都不應該討論愛情	Ming-lung	Short film
2017	Portrait Coffee Shop	寫真咖啡館	Lin Wen-lung	Short film
	Solo	獨奏		Short film
	Father with Dark Circles	我的黑眼圈爸爸		Short film
2018	High Flash	引爆點
	The Scoundrels	刁民
	Xiao Mei
2019	The Lady Improper
2023	Abang Adik	富都青年	Abang
2024	Fly Me to the Moon	但願人長久	Lam Kok Man	[29]

Music video appearances

Year	Song title	Artist
2007	"Breathless" (缺氧)	Rainie Yang
2008	"Too Bad" (殘念)	Jeff Chang
	"Unable To Guess" (猜不透)	Della Ding
2012	"It Can Hurt More" (再痛也沒關係)	Andrew Tan
2014	"The Real Me" (真的我)	Ella Chen
2015	" A Million Butterflies" (一百萬隻蝴蝶)	We Save Strawberries
	"Travel" (放心去旅行)	Wing Lo
	"As It Is" (看淡)	Hebe Tien
	"Men Over Clouds and Women on Earth" (天上的男人 地上的女人)	Yoga Lin
	"You Are Nothing" (什麼東西)	Kris Kuan
2016	"Truth Be Told" (說實話)	Lee Chien-na
	"Tough" (頑固)	Mayday
2017	"Beginning of the End" (終於結束的起點)	Mayday

^{[30] [31]}

Discography

Soundtrack contributions

Year	Song title	TV series/Film
2012	"Sleep" (睡吧)	The Third Wish
2014	"In The Spring" (春天裡)	Rock N' Road
	"Onion" (洋蔥)
	"Friends" (朋友)
2016	"Wild Fires of Youth" (野性的青春)	Where the River Flows

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2013	18th Asian Television Awards	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Emerging Light	Won	[32]
2015	50th Golden Bell Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film	Wake Up	Won	[33] [34]
		Best Leading Actor in a Television Series	Long Day's Journey into Light	Nominated
2016	51st Golden Bell Awards	Best Leading Actor in a Television Series	A Touch of Green	Won	[35]
2017	19th Taipei Film Awards	Best Actor	White Ant	Won	[36]
	52nd Golden Bell Awards	Best Leading Actor in a Television Series	Love of Sandstorm	Nominated	[37]
		Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film	We Are One	Nominated
	22nd Asian Television Awards	Best Actor in a Leading Role		Nominated	[38]
	12th Asia-Pacific Producers Network Awards	Best Actor		Won	[39]
2019	54th Golden Bell Awards	Best Leading Actor in a Television Series	The World Between Us	Nominated	[40]
	2nd Asian Academy Creative Awards	Best Actor in a Leading Role – Taiwan		Won	[41]
2021	23rd Taipei Film Awards	Best Actor	I Missed You	Nominated	[42]
2022	57th Golden Bell Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series	Seqalu: Formosa 1867	Nominated	[43]
	5th Asian Academy Creative Awards	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Light the Night	Won	[44]
2023	17th FIRST International Film Festival	Best Performance	Abang Adik	Won	[45]
	58th Golden Bell Awards	Best Leading Actor in a Television Series	Copycat Killer	Nominated	[46]
	60th Golden Horse Awards	Best Leading Actor	Abang Adik	Won	[47]
2024	17th Asian Film Awards	Best Actor		Nominated	[48]
	30th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actor	Fly Me to the Moon	Won	[49]
	42nd Hong Kong Film Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	[50]
	2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival	Best Lead Actor (Asian in Competition Films)		Won	[51]
	6th Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards	Best Lead Actor	Living	Nominated	[52][53]
	59th Golden Bell Awards	Best Leading Actor in a Television Series		Won	[54]

References

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External links

• Wu Kang-ren at IMDb
• Wu Kang-ren on Facebook
• Wu Kang-ren on Sina Weibo