Liu Wen-cheng (; born 12 November 1952) is a former Taiwanese singer and actor. He is the nephew of

Burton Levin Burton Levin (September 28, 1930 – October 31, 2016) was the SIT Investment Visiting Professor of Asian Policy at Carleton College. Life He was born in New York City. He earned his BA in 1952 from Brooklyn College, and his MA in International Af ...

, an American diplomat serving as the

United States Ambassador to Burma This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Burma. In 1989 the military government of Burma changed the name of the nation to Myanmar, but the United States government—and all other Western governments—do not accept the name and stil ...

in the late 1980s and early 90s.

Early life

Liu is the youngest son of a well-to-do family and a favorite of his mother. He had initially planned to follow the path of his siblings, a brother and two sisters, to further his education overseas after college. However, this was shelved after he won the singing contest which led to a contract with Taiwan Television (TTV), Tai Shi at the age of 17. Liu first started performing with his band "Zhengwu" in Xu Hui Zhong Xue, a Catholic school he attended. According to Liu, his interest in music was encouraged by a priest who was a fan of pop music there.

Career

Liu's first album ''Nuoyan'' (The Promise), released in 1975, launched his singing career when it became an instant hit. Liu's path to super-stardom was smooth, due to his distinctive vocal styles and good looks. Early in his career, he often wore a white scarf when performing and this evolved into his

signature look Trademark look or signature look is the characteristic clothes or other distinguishing signs used by a certain character or performer, making the person more recognizable by the audience. Politicians may also have trademark signs, such as the sui ...

. He won the prestigious

Golden Bell Award The Golden Bell Awards () is an annual Taiwanese television and radio production award presented in October or November each year by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, a division of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture. It is the ...

for ''Best Male Singer'' three times, in the year 1980, 82 and 83. At the height of his career, Liu commanded an appearance fee of

NT$ The New Taiwan dollar (code: TWD; symbol: NT$, also abbreviated as NT) is the official currency of Taiwan. The New Taiwan dollar has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dollars ...

240,000 per night. He released close to 40 albums and acted in over a dozen movies, in which he co-starred with some of the most popular female actresses like

Brigitte Lin Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia (; born 3 November 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. She is regarded as an icon of Chinese language cinema for her extensive and varied roles in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong films. Biography Lin was born in Chiayi, Taiwan. S ...

, Shirley Lu and

Sylvia Chang Sylvia Chang (born 21 July 1953) is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, she was one of the jury members of the main competition ...

. In 1983, the then 30-year-old Liu announced unexpectedly that he would give up the limelight and focus on developing his career backstage. In numerous interviews, Liu explained that he could see no further breakthroughs and wished to retire at the peak of his career. He wanted to expand his horizons and not limit a lifetime to entertainment business. He subsequently set up a production company "Fei Ying" to groom young talents but the company was wound up in 1991 when he immigrated to the United States. In 1991, he consented to a rare phone interview with a Singapore radio station during which the usually private Liu talked briefly about his personal life. He described his childhood as happy and himself as an easy going and optimistic child who was quite oblivious to his future career as a singer as he had no interest in music till he was in college. As to why he remained unmarried, Liu attributed it to his independent character and a reluctance to settle down. He felt that a long-term relationship required a level of commitment and responsibility that were difficult to maintain in the entertainment industry. Despite his then 30 odd years, he felt that he has yet to achieve a level of maturity necessary to play the role of a husband and father. Asked if it was due to the fact that he loved himself so well that he did not require love from another, he laughingly replied, "It appears to be a little problem there" Though Liu is known for his glamorous image, he revealed that the glittering outfits and flashy stage performances were part of the deliverables as a celebrity. Now retired from show biz, he confessed to a preference for comfortable and simple clothes. His taste for food is also undemanding and is happy with a bowl of ''Zha Jiang Mien'' and ''dumplings''. His first love is travel, especially to big, modern cities that offer arts and culture like New York and Tokyo. He once said that he doesn't like staying in hotels when he travels and his dream is to have a "small apartment in every city I love". Despite his superstar status, Liu maintains an impeccable reputation in the entertainment industry. Insiders describe him as gentlemanly, quiet and reserved off stage. Liu now resides in New York City. He is said to be a savvy property investor with assets spanning many countries. He has no plans to return to show business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Wen-cheng 1952 births Living people Male actors from Taipei Musicians from Taipei Taiwanese emigrants to the United States 20th-century Taiwanese male singers 20th-century Taiwanese male actors