Ethan Juan (, born 8 November 1982) is a Taiwanese actor and model. He rose to prominence with the television series ''
Fated to Love You'' (2008). Juan won the Best Actor award at the
47th Golden Horse Awards for his role in ''
Monga'' in 2010.
Early life
Juan grew up in
Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Ta ...
, Taiwan, with ancestral roots in
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...
. He comes from a military family: his father is a soldier, his mother is a military nurse, and his younger brother is an air force pilot. As a competitive swimmer in his early years, Juan's numerous achievements and awards (including first place at the Taichung City Duathlon) gained him admission into the highly prestigious National Teaching First Senior High School. However, owing to his rebellious streak as a teenager, he eventually dropped out; only graduating after numerous transfers in five different high schools. Thereafter, he held several part-time jobs.
During this time, Juan also attended and later graduated from the private
Hsing Wu University
Hsing Wu University (HWU; ) is a private university located in Linkou District, New Taipei, Taiwan.
History
HWU was originally established in 1965. It was upgraded to Hsing Wu College in 2000 and to Hsing Wu University in 2012.
President
Acad ...
with a major in tourism. It was in 2002 when he accompanied a friend to an audition that he was discovered by the talent agency and began his first showbiz career starring in
Penny Tai
Penny Tai (; born 22 April 1978) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, producer and director. Since her debut in 2000, she has achieved many successes in her music career, including winning 5 Golden Melody Awards.
In addition to performing arts ...
's music video for "Once Fell In Love" (愛過). Juan was a full-time model before turning to mainstream acting.
Career
Juan began his career in entertainment industry with Catwalk Modelling Agency. As a model, he starred in the music videos of several popular artists, including but not limited to Stefanie Sun, A-Mei and S.H.E. He made his debut in the 2004 television series ''Michael the Archangel''. Subsequently, Juan took on other dramas such as ''
Green Forest, My Home
''Green Forest, My Home'' () is a Taiwanese television series released in 2005. Consisting of a total of 15 episodes, it was broadcast by the SETTV network. It stars Esther Liu, Leon Jay Williams, Ethan Juan, and Song Zhi Ai. Liu, who is also a ...
'' (2005) and ''
Summer x Summer
''Summer & Summer'' () is a 2007 Taiwanese television series starring Joe Cheng, Wu Xiong and Ethan Juan. It was based on the Japanese josei manga, , written by Yachi Emiko. It was produced by Comic Productions and directed by Wang Mingtai.
The s ...
'' (2006).
However, despite proving to be a promising actor, Juan's career failed to take off. It was only after he starred in the 2008 drama, ''
Fated to Love You'' that he managed to achieve breakthrough. ''Fated to Love You'' was the highest rated Taiwanese idol drama.
[
This was followed by another hit drama, '']My Queen
''My Queen'' (), also known as ''Defeated Queen'' or ''Queen of No Marriage'', is a 2009 Taiwanese romantic-comedy television series. The television drama was produced by Sanlih E-Television starring Ethan Juan and Cheryl Yang. It was first aired ...
'' in 2009.
Marking another breakthrough in his career, Juan won the Best Leading Actor award at the 47th Golden Horse Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...
for his role in the gangster film '' Monga'' in 2010. He subsequently made a name for himself in film, starring in romance film ''Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...
'' (2012) by ''Monga'' 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, ...
and wuxia film ''The Guillotines
''The Guillotines'' is a 2012 Chinese-Hong Kong wuxia drama film directed by Andrew Lau, starring Huang Xiaoming, Ethan Juan, Shawn Yue, Li Yuchun and Jing Boran. It is a remake of the 1975 Shaw Brothers film ''Flying Guillotine''.
Plot
During ...
'' by Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-keung ( zh, t=劉偉強, born 4 April 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, and cinematographer. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wo ...
.
Post military, Juan reunited again ''Monga'' 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 the military film ''Paradise in Service
''Paradise in Service'' is a 2014 Taiwanese historical period film directed, co-written and co-produced by Doze Niu. Set in Kinmen in the 1960s and 1970s, the film focuses on Unit 831, a Republic of China Armed Forces military brothel in existen ...
'' (2014), which earned him a nomination at the Asian Film Awards
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
for Best Actor.
In 2017, Juan returned to the small screen with the tomb-raiding drama ''The Weasel Grave
''The Weasel Grave'' ( Chinese: 鬼吹灯之黄皮子坟) is a 2017 Chinese web series adapted from the second book of the novel series ''Ghost Blows Out the Light'' directed by acclaimed director Guan Hu. It stars Ethan Juan, Xu Lu, Hao Hao and Li ...
'', eight years after his previous drama ''My Queen'' in 2009. The same year, played the role of a psychotic killer in the crime suspense film '' The Liquidator''.
In 2018, Juan starred in the fantasy adventure drama ''Legend of Fuyao
''Legend of Fuyao'' () is a 2018 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Empress Fuyao'' () by Tianxia Guiyuan. It stars Yang Mi and Ethan Juan
Ethan Juan (, born 8 November 1982) is a Taiwanese actor and model. He rose to prominence wi ...
'' alongside Yang Mi
Yang Mi (, born 12 September 1986) is a Chinese actress and singer. She made her acting debut in historical television series '' Tang Ming Huang'', and later received recognition for her leading roles in various television series such as ''Wang Zha ...
.
Personal life
Juan served one year of alternative service in lieu of military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...
due to his flat feet
Flat feet (also called pes planus or fallen arches) is a postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the ground. Sometimes children are born ...
(a recognized medical condition) in Taiwan, and was discharged on January 11, 2013.
During his post at the Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in New Taipei City
New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...
, he received a monthly salary of NT$9,955.
After his release from military service, his long-term contract expired with Catwalk. On 5 March 2013, Juan announced that he will be opening a talent management agency together with 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, ...
and Lee Lieh).
Filmography
Film
Television series
Variety show
Discography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juan, Ethan
1982 births
Living people
Taiwanese male models
Taiwanese male film actors
Taiwanese male television actors
Male actors from Taichung
21st-century Taiwanese male actors