Chen Xiao (, born 5 July 1987) is a Chinese actor and model. He is best known for his roles in ''

Swordsman Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

'' (2013), ''

Legend of Lu Zhen ''Legend of Lu Zhen'' () is a 2013 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Female Prime Minister'' (女相) by Zhang Wei. Directed by Li Huizhu, Zheng Wei'en and Liang Guoguan and produced by Yu Zheng and Mu Xiaohui, the series stars Zhao Li ...

'' (2013), ''

The Romance of the Condor Heroes ''The Romance of the Condor Heroes'' is a 2014–15 Chinese television series produced by Yu Zheng and adapted from Jin Yong's novel ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', with additional material from the preceding novel, ''The Legend of the Condor ...

'' (2014), ''Who Sleeps My Bro'' (2015), '' Nothing Gold Can Stay'' (2017) and ''

Love Journey ''Love Journey '' () is a 2019 Chinese television series directed by Mao Weining, starring Chen Xiao and Jing Tian with He Minghan and Qin Shan. Partly produced by the Ministry of Public Security (China), the series is touted as the first "road-t ...

'' (2018). Chen ranked 93rd on ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

China Celebrity 100 The ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 is a list published annually by ''Forbes'' that ranks the influence of Chinese celebrities. First published in 2004, it is similar to Celebrity 100 also published by ''Forbes''. Factors that are taken into acco ...

list in 2014, and 74th in 2015.

Early life and education

Chen Xiao was born in

Hefei Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

. At the age of 10, he was cast in his first television series '' Our Class Song'' (1997). Chen graduated from the

Central Academy of Drama The Central Academy of Drama (), abbreviated Zhong Xi (), is a drama school in Beijing, China. It is a Chinese state Double First Class University Plan university identified by the Ministry of Education of China. The school is the first theatre ...

in 2009.

Career

2009–2012: Beginnings

In 2009, Chen signed with his first agency

Huayi Brothers Huayi Brothers Media Corp. () is a Chinese multinational entertainment company that owns a film studio, a television production company, a talent agency, a record label, and a movie theater chain founded in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Maca ...

. He then featured in the film ''

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame ''Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame'' (Chinese: 狄仁傑之通天帝國) is a 2010 Chinese-Hong Kong action-adventure mystery film/gong'an movie directed and produced by Tsui Hark, which stars Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Li Bingbing, ...

'', directed by

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...

. The same year, he appeared in the television series ''Spell of the Fragrance'' produced by

Yu Zheng Yu Zheng (; born 28 February 1978) is a Chinese screenwriter and producer who is noted for ''Palace'', which earned him a Best Screenwriter award at the 16th Asian Television Awards. Biography Early life Yu was born and raised in Haining, Zheji ...

. Chen continued to appear in several television series under Yu Zheng, but only official signed a contract with him after starring in ''Beauties of the Emperor''. Chen started to gain attention as an actor in the 2012 hit palace drama ''

Palace II ''Palace II'' (Chinese: 宫锁珠帘, lit. ''Locked Beaded Curtain'') is a 2012 Chinese television series written and produced by Yu Zheng and directed by Lee Wai-chu. It is a sequel to the 2011 television series ''Palace''. The series was firs ...

'' where his portrayal of the 19th prince attracted positive audience reviews.

2013–2016: Rising popularity

Chen rose to fame with his role of Lin Pingzhi in the 2013 wuxia television series ''

'', which was adapted from

Louis Cha Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong dail ...

's novel ''

The Smiling, Proud Wanderer ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised in Hong Kong in the newspaper ''Ming Pao'' from 20 April 1967 to 12 October 1969. The Chinese title of the novel, ''Xiao Ao Jiang Hu'', literally ...

''. He then played his first leading role in historical drama ''

'', where he took on the role of a wise and devoted Emperor. The series was both a domestic and overseas hit, and led to increased recognition for Chen. In 2014, he starred in wuxia romance drama ''

'', playing

Yang Guo Yang Guo, courtesy name Gaizhi, is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. Birth and heritage Yang Guo traces his lineage to Yang Zaixing, a Song general who participated in the Jin–Song W ...

. Chen's portrayal of the character earned praised by fans of the original novel by

, which further raised his popularity. He also featured in wuxia film ''

The Taking of Tiger Mountain ''The Taking of Tiger Mountain'' () is a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong epic action film directed by Tsui Hark, produced by Huang Jianxin and Yu Dong, and based on the novel ''Tracks in the Snowy Forest'' by Qu Bo. The story is based on a conflict be ...

'' directed by Tsui Hark; playing a young and hot-blooded policeman. He was nominated at the

Hundred Flowers Award The Hundred Flowers Awards () are, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards honouring the best in Chinese cinema, as well as Hong Kong cinema and the Cinema of Taiwan, they are classified as the Chinese equivale ...

for Best Supporting Actor. In 2015, Chen co-starred in historical romance drama ''

Love Yunge from the Desert ''Love Yunge from the Desert'' ( Chinese: 大汉情缘之云中歌) is a 2015 Chinese television series based on Tong Hua's novel '' Song in the Clouds''. It is a sequel to '' Sound of the Desert'' (2014), also based on a novel by Tong Hua. The ...

'', adapted from the novel ''

Song in the Clouds ''Song in the Clouds'', also known as ''Yun Zhongge'' (), is a novel by Tong Hua. It was published in 2007 by Writers Publishing House (作家出版社). It is a sequel to '' Ballad of the Desert.'' Plot During the Western Han Dynasty, Huo Yu ...

'' by Tong Hua. Despite the mixed reviews and criticism for the series, Chen received acclaim for his performance as a clumsy assassin. In 2016, Chen starred in the coming-of-age web series ''Who Sleeps My Bro'', which gained a large following online and became a cult classic. The same year, he starred in wuxia drama '' The Three Heroes and Five Gallants'', based on the novel of the same name by Shi Yukun; playing

Bai Yutang Bai Yutang, nicknamed "Sleek Rat" or "Brocade-Coated Rat" (錦毛鼠), is a fictional Song dynasty knight-errant from the 19th-century Chinese novel ''The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants''. Handsome, brave, clever and charismatic, Bai Yutang is ...

. Chen was nominated for the Best Actor award in the ancient drama category at the

Huading Awards The Huading Awards are a set of entertainment awards in China. The awards were set up by Tianxia Yingcai Cultural Media Co., LTD () in 2007 in Beijing and are held more than once each year across multiple entertainment media from Chinese televisi ...

2017–present: Acclaim

In 2017, he starred alongside Sun Li in the historical drama '' Nothing Gold Can Stay'', which earned high ratings of 3%. Chen received acclaim for his acting performance and character interpretation, and experienced a resurgence of popularity. In 2019, Chen starred alongside

Joe Chen Joe Chen Chiao-en (; born 4 April 1979) is a Taiwanese actress, singer and television host. Known as the "Queen of Idol Dramas", Chen is known for her roles in ''The Prince Who Turns into a Frog'' (2005), ''Fated to Love You'' (2008) and '' The Qu ...

in the historical television series '' Queen Dugu'', playing the role of the

Emperor Wen of Sui The Emperor Wen of Sui (; 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), personal name Yang Jian (), Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (), alias Narayana () deriving from Buddhist terms, was the founder and the first emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty. The ''Book of ...

. The same year, he starred in road-trip suspense drama ''

'' directed and written by Mao Weining. Chen played an undercover cop who appears frivolous but is serious and passionate about his job, and received positive reviews for his performance. He then played a violinist in the romance suspense film ''Lost in Love'' directed by Huo Jianqi, as well as military drama ''The King of Land Battle''. Chen is set to star in the political television series ''The People's Property'', the sequel to the highly successful drama '' In the Name of People''.

Personal life

Chen Xiao married his ''

'' co-star

Michelle Chen Michelle Chen Yanxi (born Chen Mei-hsuan; 31 May 1983) is a Taiwanese actress and singer. Chen is best known for starring in the 2011 film ''You Are the Apple of My Eye'', which broke box office records for Chinese-language films in mainland Chi ...

in 2016. Michelle gave birth to their first son in the same year.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Short film

Music video

Theater

Discography

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Xiao 21st-century Chinese male actors Male actors from Anhui Chinese male film actors Chinese male television actors People from Hefei Central Academy of Drama alumni 1987 births Living people