Yao Yuan-hao (; born Teng Yong-lin on 19 April 1982) is a Taiwanese actor and television host.

Early life and career

Yao was born on April 19, 1982 in

Keelung Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...

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 ...

. He started acting at around 16 years old in the television series ''Bandits and Angels'' (; 1999), directed by

Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, Film director, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has als ...

, but only became active in 2002. He had his career breakthrough in FTV's 2011 series ''Rookies' Diary'', which received high ratings. The production costs for the series was said to be up to two million

TWD 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 ...

, and it also received strong support from the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

. Due to the high expectations, each cast member received training in

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

, and self-defense before shooting began in July. Two years after ''Rookies' Diary'', he starred opposite

Cheryl Yang Cheryl Yang (; born 12 December 1977) is a Taiwanese actress. She joined the entertainment scene at the age of 14 when she filmed her first commercial. Not long after she started her career, she filmed a music video together with Andy Lau, which ...

in ''

Big Red Riding Hood ''Big Red Riding Hood'' () is a 2013 Taiwanese idol romantic-comedy television series. Produced by Sanlih E-Television and Dreamland Productions, it stars Cheryl Yang as the female main lead and Yao Yuan Hao as the male lead. The series first air ...

''. Screenwriter Su Limei (蘇麗媚) asked him to cut his hair similar to her favorite character in the Japanese manga ''

Musashi no Ken is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Motoka Murakami that focuses on kendo. It was serialized by Shogakukan in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' between April 1981 and October 1985. ''Musashi no Ken'' received the 1984 Shog ...

'', which would make him look more humorous. In 2013, Yao starred in five television series, in four of which he portrayed "rich, handsome men".Translated from the Chinese language: 雖然都是演高富帥，但每部戲都有不同詮釋方法，反而更能讓自己揣摩不一樣的演出方式。

Personal life

Yao was involved in high profile relationships with actress-model

Sonia Sui use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

for 8 years until 2012 and singer

Cyndi Wang Cyndi Wang Hsin-ling (; born 5 September 1982) is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Wang debuted her musical career as she released her debut album, ''Begin...'' (2003). Besides her musical career, Wang has starred in many TV dramas, including ' ...

for 4 years until 2016. Since 2018, he has been dating model Candy Wang. Yao enjoys skateboarding, surfing, and extreme sports. He usually joins race marathons, including a 42-km marathon during the 'Tokyo Marathon' in February 2013; he was a sports brand ambassador at that time. He also entered the 2013 Taiwan International Surfing Competition.

Philanthropy

In December 2011, he became the ambassador for the Independent Department of Justice held at the '1209 International Anti-Corruption Day', calling people together for the anti-corruption efforts to improve Taiwan. He also became a charity ambassador in Taiwan township schools, promoting traditional Chinese culture to children. In 2015 he volunteered to sell chocolates to raise money for young kids who have brain tumors.

Filmography

Television series

Film

Variety and reality show

Music video appearances

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* *
Yao Yuan Hao
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yao, Yuanhao 1982 births Living people Taiwanese male television actors 21st-century Taiwanese male actors Taiwanese male film actors People from Keelung