# Wallace Huo

Wallace Huo Chien-hwa (Chinese: 霍建華; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hok Kiàn-hôa, born 26 December 1979) is a Taiwanese actor and singer. After gaining popularity for the Taiwanese idol drama At Dolphin Bay (2003), he shifted his career to mainland China and became known for his roles in Chinese Paladin 3 (2009), Swordsman (2013), Battle of Changsha (2014), The Journey of Flower (2015), Love Me If You Dare (2015) and Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018).
Huo ranked 82nd on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2014, 48th in 2015, 22nd in 2017, and 66th in 2019.

## Early life

Huo was born in Taipei, Taiwan on 26 December 1979 to Liu Yu and Huo Chao-Ku. He has one brother, Huo Chien-yuan. His family originated from Shandong; his parents were natives of Longkou and Tianjin respectively. His grandfather was a follower of Sun Yat-sen and in October 1949, his family moved to Taiwan. Both his parents worked in the court system and his brother is a police officer. His parents divorced when he was young.
Huo once aspired to be a basketball player but then turned to singing in his early teenage days. With the goal of becoming a singer, Huo joined the entertainment business at the age of 17, as the assistant of Taiwanese TV host Sam Tseng.

## Career
### 2002–2004: Beginnings in Taiwan

After starring in Star (2002), Huo rose to fame for the idol drama At Dolphin Bay (2003), which achieved a peak rating of 5.11 and became the most popular idol drama of the year. He was then in great demand and was cast in seven idol dramas at the same year (a record yet to be broken).
In 2004, Huo released his first ever solo album Start. Owing to his inability to cope with the promotion tour of the album, he decided to focus on acting thereafter.

### 2005–2014: Rising popularity in China

In 2005, Huo starred in his first wuxia drama The Royal Swordsmen directed by Wong Jing. His melancholic portrayal of Guihai Yidao received rave reviews from fans and audiences. It proved to be an important turning point of his career, as it introduced him to mainland audiences. The same year, Huo made his big screen debut in the movie Hands in the Hair alongside actress Rosamund Kwan.
Huo then took the leading role in various dramas, including Sound of Colors alongside actress Ruby Lin, Romance of Red Dust opposite Shu Qi, and Emerald on the Roof with Sun Li. Huo expressed that his role in Emerald on the Roof had taught him how to act, and has a deep impact on him. Huo also starred in kungfu comedy Love at First Fight, taking on an eccentric and crazy role. His exaggerated expressions and comedic acting showed his ability to take on different roles.
In 2009, Huo rose to mainstream popularity with the hit xianxia drama Chinese Paladin 3, an adaptation from the video game of the same title. In 2011, Huo starred in period action drama The Vigilantes in Masks with Cecilia Liu; and historical drama The Glamorous Imperial Concubine wherein he played a cold and detached Emperor. Due to the success of the dramas, Huo was awarded Most Influential Actor at the 2011 Youku Television Awards.
In 2012, Huo starred in the medical drama Inspire the Life. In 2013, he starred in Lord of Legal Advisors, a mystery series in the Ming dynasty, and Swordsman, a wuxia series based on Jin Yong’s classic novel of the same Chinese title. In 2014, Huo starred in Perfect Couple, written by Tong Hua. The project was Huo's first attempt at producing a drama series after the establishment of his own company Huajae Studio, and reunited him with Chinese Paladin 3 co-star Tiffany Tang. Huo won the Most Popular Actor in the ancient drama genre at the 2014 China Student Television Festival for the drama. Huo then starred in Battle of Changsha. Battle of Changsha was a critical success, as one of the highest rated dramas on Douban.

### 2015–2017: Career peak

In 2015, Huo starred in xianxia drama The Journey of Flower with Zanilia Zhao. The drama was a huge success in China, achieving a peak rating of 3.89. It is also the first Chinese drama to surpass 20 billion online views. The success of The Journey of Flower brought Huo's career to a new high. He then starred in crime thriller Love Me If You Dare, which received positive reviews and an international following. Due to his success, Huo was chosen by China Newsweek as Artist of the Year. He was distinguished as one of the Most Influential People in China for 2015, a remarkable distinction since he is the only recipient of this award in the field of Performing Arts.
In 2016, Huo starred in historical medical drama The Imperial Doctress, portraying Zhu Qizhen. It was one of the highest rated dramas that year, and Huo was awarded Most Popular Actor and Most Marketable Artist for his performance in The Imperial Doctress as well as Love Me If You Dare at the 1st China Television Drama Quality Ceremony. He next starred in the crime thriller Inside or Outside alongside Korean actor Jang Hyuk and Hong Kong star Simon Yam, as well as romantic comedy film Suddenly Seventeen and suspense thriller Hide and Seek.
In 2017, Huo starred in the science fiction suspense film Reset, produced by Jackie Chan and directed by Korean director, Chang; and war film Our Time Will Come, directed by award-winning director Ann Hui. In 2018, Huo returned to the small screen in the palace drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace playing the role of Qianlong Emperor. In 2019, Huo starred in the period epic drama The Great Craftsman, reuniting with his Chinese Paladin 3 and Reset co-star Yang Mi. The same year, he starred in the romance drama film Somewhere Winter written by Rao Xueman.

### 2018–present: Hiatus and partial comeback

In September 2018, Huo announced the closure of Huajie Studio’s Weibo and Facebook accounts, which had been managed by his co-founder and manager, Lian Junjie, effectively shutting down Huo's only social media presence amid an acrimonious breakup with Lian. Since then, Huo has largely retired to family life in Taiwan. In December 2020, Huo shut down another production company under his name in Hengdian. In 2021, he had a cameo in Light the Light, a Taiwanese drama produced by his wife, Ruby Lin. Huo returned to acting in 2024 with the Chinese drama The Tale of Rose.

## Personal life

On 20 May 2016, Huo confirmed his relationship with actress Ruby Lin, his co-star in Sound of Colors (2006) and The Glamorous Imperial Concubine (2011). They were married in Bali on 31 July 2016, and held another wedding reception in Taipei on 2 August 2016. Their daughter was born in January 2017.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Original title | Role |
| 2005 | Hands in the Hair | 做頭 | Ah Hua |
| 2009 | Contract About Interchange Status | 变身契约 | Mai Zhelun |
| 2012 | Ultra Reinforcement | 超时空救兵 | Yang Zhiang |
| 2015 | The Honey Enemy | 情敌蜜月 | Xu Mo |
| 2016 | Inside or Outside | 真相禁区 | Xie Tianyou / Qiu Le |
| 2016 | Hide and Seek | 捉迷藏 | Zhang Jiawei |
| 2016 | Suddenly Seventeen | 28岁未成年 | Mao Liang |
| 2017 | Reset | 逆时营救 | Cui Hu |
| 2017 | Our Time Will Come | 明月幾時有 | Li Jinrong |
| 2017 | The Founding of an Army | 建军大业 | Chiang Kai-shek |
| 2019 | Somewhere Winter | 大约在冬季 | Qi Xiao |

### Television series

| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Star | 摘星 | Xia Yuanqiao | |
| 2003 | Pretty Girl | 美丽俏佳人 | Fu Liheng | |
| 2003 | The Great Teacher | 麻辣鲜师 | Huo Jianqi | Cameo |
| 2003 | My Secret Garden | 我的秘密花园 | Li Wei / Huo Jianhua | Cameo |
| 2003 | At Dolphin Bay | 海豚灣戀人 | Zhong Xiaogang | |
| 2003 | Westside Story | 西街少年 | Xingwang | |
| 2004 | 100% Senorita | 千金百分百 | Li Weixiang | |
| 2005 | The Royal Swordsmen | 天下第一 | Guihai Yidao | |
| 2005 | Romance of Red Dust | 风尘三侠之红拂女 | Li Jing | |
| 2006 | Sound of Colors | 地下铁 | Lu Yunxiang | |
| 2006 | Emerald on the Roof | 屋顶上的绿宝石 | Zhou Nianzhong | |
| 2007 | Love at First Fight | 武十郎 | Li Yashou | |
| 2008 | Rouge Snow | 胭脂雪 | Xia Yunkai | |
| 2008 | A Mobile Love Story | 爱情占线 | Lu Yunfei | |
| 2008 | Modern Beauty | 现代美女 | Yang Guang | |
| 2008 | Love in the Forlon City | 伤城之恋 | Yan Fei | |
| 2009 | Chinese Paladin 3 | 仙剑奇侠传三 | Xu Changqing | |
| 2010 | New One Plum Blossom | 新一剪梅 | Zhao Shijun | |
| 2010 | Detective Tanglang | 唐琅探案 | Tang Lang | |
| 2010 | Go Yi Yi Go | 一一向前冲 | Cao Yan | |
| 2011 | The Vigilantes in Masks | 怪侠一枝梅 | Li Gexiao | |
| 2011 | The Glamorous Imperial Concubine | 倾世皇妃 | Liu Liancheng | Special appearance |
| 2011 | Inspire the Life | 感动生命 | Han Zihang | |
| 2012 | Lord of Legal Advisors | 刑名师爷 | Meng Tianchu | |
| 2013 | Swordsman | 笑傲江湖 | Linghu Chong | |
| 2014 | Perfect Couple | 金玉良缘 | Jin Yuanbao | also co-producer |
| 2014 | Incisive Great Teacher | 犀利仁师 | Li Daren | Cameo |
| 2014 | Battle of Changsha | 战长沙 | Gu Qingming | |
| 2014 | The Great Protector | 镖门 | Liu Anshun | |
| 2015 | The Journey of Flower | 花千骨 | Bai Zihua | |
| 2015 | Love Me If You Dare | 他来了，请闭眼 | Bo Jingyan / Simon Allen | |
| 2016 | The Imperial Doctress | 女医·明妃传 | Yingzong Emperor | |
| 2018 | Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace | 如懿传 | Qianlong Emperor | |
| 2019 | The Great Craftsman | 筑梦情缘 | Shen Qinan | |
| 2021 | Light the Night | 華燈初上 | Ma Tien-hua | |

## Discography
### Albums

| Year | English title | Original title | Album information |
| 2004 | Start | 开始 | Language: Mandarin Label: Sony Music Genre: Mandopop |

### Singles

| Year | English title | Original title | Album | Notes |
| 2002 | Picking Stars | 摘星 | Star OST | |
| 2002 | Love is like Cotton Candy | 爱像棉花糖 | Star OST | with Romi Li |
| 2002 | Come and go freely | 来去自如 | Star OST | |
| 2002 | Happiness under the Umbrella | 伞下的幸福 | Star OST, My Secret Garden OST | |
| 2003 | Somebody | — | 100% Senorita OST | |
| 2005 | Your Number One | 你的第一 | The Royal Swordsmen OST | |
| 2005 | That Time | 那时候 | The Royal Swordsmen OST | |
| 2007 | Angel's Wings | 天使的翅膀 | | in memory of Beatrice Hsu; with various artists |
| 2011 | Pass Away | 倾世 | The Glamorous Imperial Concubine OST | |
| 2013 | Free and Unfettered | 逍遥 | Swordsman OST | |
| 2014 | I Will Remember You | 我会记得你 | Battle of Changsha OST | with Yang Zi |
| 2014 | Good Times | 好时光 | Perfect Couple OST | with Ding Dang |
| 2015 | Not to Mention | 不可说 | The Journey of Flower OST | with Zhao Liying |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song Title | Singer |
| 1997 | Love Story of Music (音乐爱情故事) | Saya Chang |
| 2000 | Want to Escape (想逃) | Kang Chin-chung |
| 2003 | The Map of Love (幸福的地图) | Elva Hsiao |
| 2006 | Big Fool (大傻) | Miriam Yeung |
| 2017 | Psudo-Single, Yet Single (未单身) | A-Lin |

## Awards and nominations

Major awards :
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2004 | 39th Golden Bell Awards | Best Actor | At Dolphin Bay | Nominated | |
| 2016 | 22nd Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actor | The Journey of Flower | Nominated | |
| 2017 | 20th Shanghai International Film Festival | Best Actor | Our Time Will Come | Nominated | |
| Other awards ||||||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2011 | Youku Television Awards | Most Marketable Actor | The Glamorous Imperial Concubine | Won | |
| 2013 | 8th Chinese TV Audience Festival | Top Ten Actors | Swordsman | Won | |
| 2014 | 5th China Student Television Festival | Most Popular Actor (Ancient Drama) | Perfect Couple | Won | |
| 2014 | 6th China TV Drama Awards | Most Popular Couple (with Tiffany Tang) | Perfect Couple | Won | |
| 2014 | 6th China TV Drama Awards | Most Popular Actor (Hong Kong/Taiwan) | Perfect Couple, Battle of Changsha | Won | |
| 2014 | iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Best Television Actor (Hong Kong/Taiwan) | Perfect Couple, Battle of Changsha | Won | |
| 2015 | China Newsweek | Artist of the Year | — | Won | |
| 2015 | iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Most Popular Actor | The Journey of Flower | Won | |
| 2015 | 7th China TV Drama Awards | Most Popular Actor | The Journey of Flower | Won | |
| 2015 | 7th China TV Drama Awards | Audience's Favorite Character | The Journey of Flower | Won | |
| 2016 | 2015 Conference on Big Data Index of Culture and Entertainment | Most Popular Character | The Journey of Flower | Won | |
| 2016 | 1st China Quality Television Drama Ceremony | Most Marketable Actor | The Journey of Flower, The Imperial Doctress | Won | |
| 2016 | 1st China Quality Television Drama Ceremony | Most Popular Actor | The Journey of Flower, The Imperial Doctress | Won | |
| 2016 | 3rd Asia Rainbow TV Awards | Best Actor (Historical Drama) | The Journey of Flower, The Imperial Doctress | Nominated | |
| 2016 | 19th Huading Awards | Best Actor | The Journey of Flower, The Imperial Doctress | Nominated | |
| 2016 | 19th Huading Awards | Best Actor (Contemporary Drama) | Love Me If You Dare | Nominated | |
| 2018 | 24th Huading Awards | Best Actor | Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace | Nominated | |