Godfrey Gao (; 22 September 1984 – 27 November 2019) was a Taiwanese-Canadian model and actor. Described as Asia's first male

supermodel A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...

, Gao was the first male Asian model to appear in a campaign for

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather ...

. As an actor, he was known for his roles as

Magnus Bane This is a list of the main characters from ''The Mortal Instruments'' series by Cassandra Clare, including the novels '' City of Bones'', '' City of Ashes'', '' City of Glass'', ''City of Fallen Angels'', '' City of Lost Souls'', and ''City of ...

in the 2013 film adaptation of '' The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'', and for his leading role in the Chinese television series ''Remembering Lichuan'' ().

Early life

Gao was born Tsao Chih-hsiang in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

on 22 September 1984. Gao's father is a Taiwanese of Shanghainese descent, and worked as a general manager at Michelin Taiwan; his mother is a Malaysian of

Peranakan Chinese The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, t ...

descent from George Town who won the Miss Penang

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

in 1970. The youngest of three boys, Gao was moved with his brothers to North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where his parents raised their boys during his childhood. He attended Queensbury Elementary School and Argyle Secondary School, and later studied at

Capilano University Capilano University (CapU) is a teaching-focused public university based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located on the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, with programming that also serves the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and the Sunshin ...

where the 6'4" Gao played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

for the school's team.

Career

Gao returned to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

to work as a model in 2004, and was managed by JetStar Entertainment. Gao and fellow male models

Sphinx Ting Sphinx Ting or Ting Chun-cheng () is a Taiwanese actor and male model. TV series and music videos. He has earned the title "fashion 4" (shortened to F4) due to his fashion experience with Godfrey Gao, Victor, and Gaby. They made a show for YKsuit i ...

, Victor Chen, and Lan Chun-tien were collectively nicknamed the "Fashion 4" (F4), and jointly released a book in 2009. In 2011, he became the first Asian model for the fashion brand

. Gao began appearing in minor roles in

Chinese television drama Chinese television dramas ( Simplified Chinese: 中国电视连续剧), sometimes colloquially known as C-dramas, are television dramas originating from China or the Greater China region. China produces more television dramas than any other country ...

s in 2006, and had his first starring role in the 2010 television drama ''

Volleyball Lover ''Volleyball Lover'' () is a 2010 Taiwanese idol romantic-comedy television series. The television drama stars Godfrey Gao as the male main lead and Annie Chen as the female main lead. It began airing on July 16, 2010 on CTS channel after '' Panda ...

''. In 2013, he made his American film debut as

in the film adaption of '' The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones''. His starring role in the 2016 drama ''Remembering Lichuan'' (alongside Jiao Junyan, and others) was widely acclaimed, and earned him the nickname of the "nation's husband" in Chinese media. Gao's other notable credits include the 2015 film ''Wedding Bible'' alongside Korean actress

Yoo In-na Yoo In-na (; born June 5, 1982) is a South Korean actress and DJ. After supporting roles in '' High Kick! Through the Roof'' (2009–10) and '' Secret Garden'' (2010), she rose to fame as the lead actress in '' Queen and I'' (2012), which led to ...

, and the 2017

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film ''

Love is a Broadway Hit ''Love is a Broadway Hit'' () is a Chinese romantic comedy film written and directed by Peter Lee. Plot A new musical and dance show named Mulan is going to release on Broadway. A rivalry soon forms for the leading role between a newly graduate ...

'', alongside

Wang Likun :''This is a Chinese name. The family name is'' Wang. Wang Likun (), also known as Claudia Wang, is a Chinese actress and dancer. She is best known for her roles in television series ''Seven Swordsmen'' (2006), ''Beauty's Rival in Palace'' (2010), ...

Wang Chuanjun Wang Chuanjun (; born 18 October 1985), also known as Eric Wang, is a Chinese actor and host. Wang is noted for playing Sekitani Kamiya in the romantic comedy television series ''iPartment'', which enjoyed the highest ratings in China when it wa ...

Yuan Li Yuan Li (; born 12 July 1973), sometimes called "China's Audrey Hepburn" or "China's Mother Teresa", is a Chinese actress. She has won the China Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actres ...

and

Naren Weiss Naren Weiss (born March 15, 1991) is an actor, playwright, and former model. He played Osama bin Laden in Kamal Haasan's film on terrorism '' Vishwaroopam'', Dekker in the ABC series ''Deception'', and is known for his work in theatre in Indi ...

Death

On 27 November 2019 at about 1:45 am China Standard Time, Gao collapsed in

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

while filming ''

Chase Me ''Chase Me'' is a 2003 American direct-to-video animated short film based on the animated series ''The New Batman Adventures''. The film was released as a bonus feature on the DVD for '' Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman'' in the U.S. on October ...

'', a sports

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

series broadcast on

Zhejiang Television Zhejiang Television (ZJTV, ) is a satellite television channel A television channel is a terrestrial frequency or virtual number over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "chann ...

. He was taken to a hospital, where after attempts at resuscitation for nearly three hours, he was pronounced dead. Gao's death was confirmed in a statement on the social media site Sina Weibo by his agency JetStar Entertainment that stated, "We are very shocked and saddened and even until now find it impossible to accept." The producers of ''Chase Me'' said in a statement that Gao died from

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

. Gao's death prompted increased scrutiny of the series, which involves contestants competing in physically strenuous challenges late at night, and of the safety standards of Chinese reality television productions more broadly. Gao had reportedly been filming for 17 hours at the time of his collapse; actor and director Xu Zheng stated that the series' producers "must be held responsible" for what he claimed were poor health and safety conditions. In a statement on Sina Weibo,

stated that they were "deeply regretful and sorry for the irreparable and serious consequences that this incident has caused, and are willing to take up responsibility." Gao's body was moved to a funeral home in Ningbo on 28 November 2019, and returned to Taiwan on 2 December 2019. Gao's funeral, a Buddhist ceremony per the request of Gao's mother, was held in Taiwan on 15 December 2019. His remains are interred at

Chin Pao San Chin Pao San (also Jinbaoshan, Jiongbaoshan ) is a private cemetery located on a mountainside in Jinshan District, New Taipei, Taiwan. The site overlooks the Ju Ming Museum and, beyond it, the East China Sea. Urns at Jinbaoshan are placed both ...

Filmography

Film

Television series

Awards

, - , 2017 , ''

The Jade Pendant '' The Jade Pendant '' is a 2017 American Western film directed by Leong Po-Chih and starring Godfrey Gao as Tom Wong, Clara Lee as Peony, following a tragic love story leading to the largest mass lynching in American history, of 19 Chinese imm ...

'' , Most Popular Actor , Golden Angel Awards , , , , -

Notes

References

External links

Official website
(defunct, retrieved via

Archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gao, Godfrey 1984 births 2019 deaths 21st-century Taiwanese male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian male actors of Taiwanese descent Canadian male actors of Chinese descent Canadian male film actors Canadian male models Canadian male television actors Capilano University alumni Male actors from Taipei Male actors from Vancouver Taiwanese emigrants to Canada Taiwanese male film actors Taiwanese male television actors Taiwanese male models Articles with hCards