# Wu Kang-ren

Wu Kang-ren (Chinese: 吳慷仁; Wade–Giles: Wu K'ang-jen; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ngô͘ Khóng-jîn; born 24 November 1982), is a Taiwanese actor. He debuted in the short film Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion in 2007 and gained wider recognition for his role in the 2009 television series Autumn's Concerto. He won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for Abang Adik (2023) and the Golden Bell Award for Best Male Lead in a Television Series for Living (2023).

## Early life

Wu was born on November 24, 1982, in a military dependents' village in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with his family roots in Anhui. His parents divorced when he was young, after which he lived with his mother. He began working at 14, after graduating from junior high school, to support his family. Initially, he tried his hand as an on-site construction welder despite his lack of experience, which resulted in eye burns. He later worked in various jobs, including restaurants, stalls, and supermarkets and enrolled into the Kaohsiung Municipal Chung-Cheng Industrial High School, where he balanced work with studies. He enlisted in Taiwan’s mandatory military service immediately after graduation. After completing his conscription at the age of 24, he moved from Kaohsiung to Taipei, where he worked as a bartender for three years. At 27, he was discovered by director Li Qiyuan, who helped him break into the entertainment industry.

## Career
### 2007–2009: Beginnings

He started his career as an ad model. Later, he enrolled into an acting program at National Taiwan University of Arts and moved to being an actor. He made his debut performance in Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion (沿海岸线徵友). Directed by Mickey Chen and Chi Chen Jun, the short film was featured at The LGBT Civil Rights Movement Film Festival and at the Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival among others. His first television miniseries came the afterwards in Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend (與男友的前女友密談). The mini-series was awarded the Best Mini-series Screenplay Award and the Best Editing Award at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards in 2008. The same year, he was cast in Hong Kong film Miao Miao with actors Ko Chia-yen and Wing Fan. The film was selected at the 2009 Melbourne International Film Festival, but it was later pulled out due to controversies about China's boycott against the film festival, as well as premiering at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was also screened at the 11th Taipei Film Festival.
In 2009, Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend's director Chen Hui Jing cast him once again in his first idol drama Autumn's Concerto starring Vanness Wu and Ady An, where he played the role of Hua Tuoye. In later years, he stated that he was often reprimanded by Li Qiyuan as he had difficulties delivering his lines well in shootings. The series was received favorably by viewers.

### 2010–2015: Recognition

Wu started to receive more television and film projects. In TTV's Zhong Wu Yan, he played the character of Howard, a blind man who finds love in Wu Yen, played by Cheryl Yang. He also starred in When Love Comes which garnered multiple nominations from different award-giving ceremonies.
During the press conference of TTV's Local Hero in 2011, Wu stated that he accidentally injured his left hand while shooting. He still participated in their scheduled charity event game that requires peeling fruits despite his hand injury, nevertheless, because he stated that he wanted the kids to enjoy. A year later, he was cast in four more television series. Among them is TTV's What Is Love co starring Jade Chou.
In 2012, Wu was cast in the role of Rong Guang, a farmer raising his son as a single parent, in the film The Third Wish. In preparation for the role, who is a skinny farmer to be diagnosed of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Wu started running 5-kilometer races in the hot sun, and ate only boiled eggs and guava. He lost 8 kilograms of weight in 10 days. He also started acting as a father to child actor Chen Yu-cheng a week before filming began to study the father-and-son's lifestyle.
   I was not born an actor... These experiences (doing manual labor jobs at a young age) made me aware of how money is earned that I try my best to be a hardworking actor. — Wu Kang-jen
In January, Wu was cast in TTV's King Flower co-starring James Wen and Nikki Hsieh. He played the character role of Ouyang Tai, the GM of Shen Da Realty who was engaged to Du Liang Yan, but was later killed by accident. The series consistently topped the viewers' ratings during its timeslot, garnering a 1.57 total average by the end of the series. Before the year ended, his performance in the 2012 TV series Emerging Light (愛在旭日升起時) earned him the Best Actor in a Leading Role award at the 18th Asian Television Awards, his first acting award, on December 5, 2013 in Singapore.
In 2014, he played the role of Zhou Shu Yu and David in Rock N' Road and Winnie the Boob (小胸維妮的幸福旅程), respectively. He was once again paired with Judy Chou, his co-star in What Is Love, in the latter series. He also acted alongside Ella Chen in The Lying Game (謊言遊戲) towards the end of the year.

### 2016–present: Acclaim

From late 2015 to early 2016, he starred in the period drama A Touch of Green as a young fighter pilot, for which he won the Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Golden Bell Awards 2016. In 2023, he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Abang Adik. In 2024, Wu signed with Easy Entertainment, marking his first agency partnership in a decade and expanding his career into mainland China. This decision sparked controversy in both mainland China and Taiwan, given his past involvement in the Sunflower Student Movement and his advocacy for Taiwan's film and TV industry. Amid the controversy, he won the award for Best Male Lead in a Television Series for his performance in Living at the 59th Golden Bell Awards, a ceremony he missed, citing scheduling conflicts due to TV drama shooting in Shanghai. The next month, after initially claiming he would not attend, Wu made a last-minute change in plans and attended the 61st Golden Horse Awards as a co-presenter for the Best Leading Actress category.

## Personal life

Wu was in a relationship with his White Ant co-star Aviis Zhong from 2015 to 2017, until he started an on-and-off relationship with The Perfect Match co-star Ivy Shao in 2017. On November 11, 2020, after being spotted living together, Shao publicly confirmed their relationship.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend | 與男友的前女友密談 | | Film |
| 2007 | Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion | 沿海岸線徵友 | Hsiao-hai | Film |
| 2008 | Taipei 24H: Save the Lover | 台北異想：舊．情人 | Rookie | |
| 2009 | Autumn's Concerto | 下一站，幸福 | Hua Tuoye | |
| 2010 | Zhong Wu Yen | 鍾無艷 | Howard | |
| 2010 | Days We Stared at the Sun | 他們在畢業的前一天爆炸 | Police officer | |
| 2011 | The Local Hero | 田庄英雄 | Ma Shanghong | |
| 2012 | I Love You So Much | 粉愛粉愛你 | Bu Haowen | Cameo |
| 2012 | Inborn Pair | 真愛找麻煩 | Zhao Dongyang | |
| 2012 | What Is Love | 花是愛 | Bai Zongyou | |
| 2012 | Emerging Light | 愛在旭日升起時 | Zhang Tingxu | |
| 2013 | King Flower | 金大花的華麗冒險 | Ouyang Tai | |
| 2013 | The Sea Reflects the Blue Sky | 碧海映藍天 | Chien Chunyi | |
| 2013 | The Day Mom Came to Visit | 那天媽媽來看我 | Ho Xuan | Film |
| 2014 | Rock N' Road | A咖的路 | Zhou Shuyu | |
| 2014 | My Antenna Is Broken | 搆不到的訊號 | Antenna man | Film |
| 2014 | Winnie The Boob | 小胸維妮的幸福旅程 | David | Film |
| 2014 | The Lying Game | 謊言遊戲 | Wei Youliang | |
| 2014 | Mr. Right Wanted | 徵婚啟事 | Xu Lei | Cameo |
| 2014 | Love by the River | 河畔卿卿 | Passerby | Cameo |
| 2015 | Heart Of Steel | 鋼鐵之心 | Dance instructor | Cameo |
| 2015 | Wake Up | 麻醉風暴 | Yeh Chien-te | |
| 2015 | Long Day's Journey into Light | 出境事務所 | Zhao Shengwei | |
| 2015 | The Crossing Hero | 超級大英雄 | Sun Yen-chun | |
| 2015 | A Touch of Green | 一把青 | Kao Jen | |
| 2016 | Q Series: Love of Sandstorm | 植劇場-戀愛沙塵暴 | Lin Yi-de | |
| 2016 | In Love - Love | 滾石愛情故事-愛情 | Chang Ching-yeh | |
| 2016 | Where the River Flows | 鮮肉老爸 | Chiu Min-hui | Film |
| 2016 | Lost? Me Too | 迷徒Chloe | Wang Shih-chi | Webseries |
| 2016 | Code | CODE浮士德遊戲 | Alex Chen | Webseries |
| 2017 | The Perfect Match | 極品絕配 | Huo Ting-en | |
| 2017 | The Masked Lover | 我的愛情不平凡 | Huo Ting-en | Cameo |
| 2017 | My Gifts | 我的禮物 | Chao Yi-chung | Film |
| 2017 | We Are One | 望月 | Chou Ta-lung | Film |
| 2017 | Ping Pong | 乒乓 | Fang Yi | Film |
| 2017 | Wake Up 2 | 麻醉風暴2 | Yeh Chien-te | |
| 2018 | Your Children Are Not Your Children | 你的孩子不是你的孩子 | | |
| 2019 | The World Between Us | 我們與惡的距離 | Wang She | |
| 2020 | The Ghost Bride | 彼岸之嫁 | Er Lang | Webseries |
| 2021 | Light the Night | 華燈初上 | Liu Pao-lung | |
| 2021 | Brave Animated Series | 勇者動畫系列 | Chief Brave | Animated series |
| 2022 | Mom, Don't Do That! | 媽，別鬧了！ | Chen Ru-rong | |
| 2022 | Shards of Her | 她和她的她 | Tu Chun-ju |
| 2023 | Copycat Killer | 模仿犯 | Guo Xiao-qi | Netflix series |
| 2023 | Living | 有生之年 | Gao Jia-yue | |
| TBA | Friend Begin | 吳慷仁 | Chi Hei-ye | |

### Film

| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Miao Miao | 渺渺 | Bei Jiaxin | |
| 2008 | In the Coming of Surprise | 意外之前 | | Short film |
| 2009 | The End Of Love | 愛情的盡頭 | A-kai | Short film |
| 2010 | When Love Comes | 當愛來的時候 | Mu Zongfu | |
| 2011 | Blowfish | 河豚 | |
| 2012 | The Third Wish | 第三個願望 | Ho Rong-guang | |
| 2012 | Dive In | 這一刻，愛吧！ | Shuai Yiqiang | Short film |
| 2012 | Economical Man | 經濟適用男 | A-han | Short film |
| 2012 | Xiao Yuan San Kuai Ke | 校園三快客 | Wu Shihan | Short film |
| 2012 | Love in Kyushu | 九州 向愛走 | Lin Bai | Short film |
| 2012 | Life in Tokyo | 東京 不見不散 | A-zhi | Short film |
| 2013 | Star of Bethlehem | 微光閃亮 第一個清晨 | A Sheng | |
| 2014 | 42 Minutes | 42分鐘 | Husband | Short film |
| 2015 | The Bride | 屍憶 | Yeh Cheng-hao | |
| 2016 | White Ant | 白蟻─慾望謎網 | Bai Yide | |
| 2016 | Beyond All Doubt | 我們都不應該討論愛情 | Ming-lung | Short film |
| 2017 | Portrait Coffee Shop | 寫真咖啡館 | Lin Wen-lung | Short film |
| 2017 | Solo | 獨奏 | | Short film |
| 2017 | Father with Dark Circles | 我的黑眼圈爸爸 | | Short film |
| 2018 | High Flash | 引爆點 | |
| 2018 | The Scoundrels | 刁民 | | |
| 2018 | Xiao Mei | | | |
| 2019 | The Lady Improper | | | |
| 2023 | Abang Adik | 富都青年 | Abang | |
| 2024 | Fly Me to the Moon | 但願人長久 | Lam Kok Man | |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist |
| 2007 | "Breathless" (缺氧) | Rainie Yang |
| 2008 | "Too Bad" (殘念) | Jeff Chang |
| 2008 | "Unable To Guess" (猜不透) | Della Ding |
| 2012 | "It Can Hurt More" (再痛也沒關係) | Andrew Tan |
| 2014 | "The Real Me" (真的我) | Ella Chen |
| 2015 | " A Million Butterflies" (一百萬隻蝴蝶) | We Save Strawberries |
| 2015 | "Travel" (放心去旅行) | Wing Lo |
| 2015 | "As It Is" (看淡) | Hebe Tien |
| 2015 | "Men Over Clouds and Women on Earth" (天上的男人 地上的女人) | Yoga Lin |
| 2015 | "You Are Nothing" (什麼東西) | Kris Kuan |
| 2016 | "Truth Be Told" (說實話) | Lee Chien-na |
| 2016 | "Tough" (頑固) | Mayday |
| 2017 | "Beginning of the End" (終於結束的起點) | Mayday |

## Discography
### Soundtrack contributions

| Year | Song title | TV series/Film |
| 2012 | "Sleep" (睡吧) | The Third Wish |
| 2014 | "In The Spring" (春天裡) | Rock N' Road |
| 2014 | "Onion" (洋蔥) | Rock N' Road |
| 2014 | "Friends" (朋友) | Rock N' Road |
| 2016 | "Wild Fires of Youth" (野性的青春) | Where the River Flows |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2013 | 18th Asian Television Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Emerging Light | Won | |
| 2015 | 50th Golden Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film | Wake Up | Won | [34] [35] |
| 2015 | 50th Golden Bell Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Television Series | Long Day's Journey into Light | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| 2016 | 51st Golden Bell Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Television Series | A Touch of Green | Won | |
| 2017 | 19th Taipei Film Awards | Best Actor | White Ant | Won | |
| 2017 | 52nd Golden Bell Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Television Series | Love of Sandstorm | Nominated | |
| 2017 | 52nd Golden Bell Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film | We Are One | Nominated | |
| 2017 | 22nd Asian Television Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | We Are One | Nominated | |
| 2017 | 12th Asia-Pacific Producers Network Awards | Best Actor | | Won | |
| 2019 | 54th Golden Bell Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Television Series | The World Between Us | Nominated | |
| 2019 | 2nd Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role – Taiwan | The World Between Us | Won | |
| 2021 | 23rd Taipei Film Awards | Best Actor | I Missed You | Nominated | |
| 2022 | 57th Golden Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series | Seqalu: Formosa 1867 | Nominated | |
| 2022 | 5th Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Light the Night | Won | |
| 2023 | 17th FIRST International Film Festival | Best Performance | Abang Adik | Won | |
| 2023 | 58th Golden Bell Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Television Series | Copycat Killer | Nominated | |
| 2023 | 60th Golden Horse Awards | Best Leading Actor | Abang Adik | Won | |
| 2023 | 11th QCinema International Film Festival | Best Lead Performance | Abang Adik | Won | |
| 2024 | 17th Asian Film Awards | Best Actor | Abang Adik | Nominated | |
| 2024 | 30th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actor | Fly Me to the Moon | Won | |
| 2024 | 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Fly Me to the Moon | Nominated | |
| 2024 | 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival | Best Lead Actor (Asian in Competition Films) | Fly Me to the Moon | Won | |
| 2024 | 6th Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | Best Lead Actor | Living | Nominated | |
| 2024 | 59th Golden Bell Awards | Best Male Lead in a Television Series | Living | Won | |
| 2025 | 18th Asian Film Awards | Next Generation Award | — | Honored | |