Wallace Huo


Wallace Huo Chien-hwa is a Taiwanese actor, singer and producer. He is known for his roles in At Dolphin Bay, Chinese Paladin 3, Swordsman, Battle of Changsha, The Journey of Flower and Love Me If You Dare.
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. His family originated from Shandong, with parents being natives of Longkou, Shandong 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. Setting the goal as a singer, Huo joined the entertainment business at the age of 17. He was the assistant of Taiwanese TV host Sam Tseng then.

Career

2002–2008: Beginnings and Rising popularity

Huo, to have the chance to sing a theme song, became one of the two leading actors in the drama Star. This marked the beginning of his acting career.
Huo rose to fame from the idol drama At Dolphin Bay, which achieved a peak rating of 5.11 and became the most popular idol drama of the year.
His role as the talented and capable music director Zhong Xiaogang brought him significant popularity in Taiwan. He was then in great demand by many producers and was cast in seven idol dramas in the same year.
In 2004, Huo released his first ever solo album Start. Owing to his inability to cope with the excessive spotlight during the advertising of the album, he decided to focus on acting thereafter.
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.

2009–2014: Rising popularity in China

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. His character Xu Changqing and romantic pairing with Tiffany Tang were loved by the audience, and established his popularity in China.
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 acclaimed medical drama Inspire the Life. He then starred in Lord of Legal Advisors, a mystery series set in the Ming dynasty. The drama premiered in South Korea and became the second-highest viewed Chinese drama in the country after Scarlet Heart. It was subsequently broadcast in Taiwan in April 2013 and achieved high ratings as well.
In 2013, Huo starred in wuxia drama Swordsman, based on Jin Yong’s classic novel of the same Chinese title. He portrayed the character Linghu Chong. Swordsman was a commercial success and scored number one ratings on both TV and streaming websites; the success of the drama once again brought him to limelight.
In 2014, Huo starred in Perfect Couple, written by Tong Hua. It 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. The drama topped online broadcast views, and Huo won the Most Popular Actor in the ancient drama genre at the 2014 China Student Television Festival.
Huo then starred in his first war drama, Battle of Changsha, directed by Magnolia Award winner Kong Sheng. Huo played a young soldier from a wealthy and renowned family who fought bravely at the front-lines for his country despite all oppositions. Battle of Changsha was a critical success, and was the highest rated drama on major streaming website Douban.

2015–present: 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.

Personal life

On 20 May 2016, Huo confirmed his relationship with actress Ruby Lin, his co-star in Sound of Colors and The Glamorous Imperial Concubine. They got married in Bali on 31 July 2016. The pair also held another wedding reception in Taipei on 2 August 2016. Their daughter was born in January 2017.
Huo is a good friend of actor Hu Ge.

Filmography

Film

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes
2005Hands in the Hair做頭Ah Hua
2009Contract About Interchange Status变身契约Mai Zhelun
2012Ultra Reinforcement超时空救兵Yang Zhiang
2015The Honey Enemy情敌蜜月Xu Mo
2016Inside or Outside真相禁区Xie Tianyou / Qiu Le
2016Hide and Seek捉迷藏Zhang Jiawei
2016Suddenly Seventeen28岁未成年Mao Liang
2017Reset逆时营救Cui Hu
2017Our Time Will Come明月幾時有Li Jinrong
2017The Founding of an Army建军大业Chiang Kai-shek
2019Somewhere Winter大约在冬季Qi Xiao

Television series

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes
2002Star摘星Xia Yuanqiao
2003Pretty Girl美丽俏佳人Fu Liheng
2003The Great Teacher麻辣鲜师Huo JianqiCameo
2003My Secret Garden我的秘密花园Li Wei / Huo JianhuaCameo
2003At Dolphin Bay海豚灣戀人Zhong Xiaogang
2003Westside Story西街少年Xingwang
2004100% Senorita千金百分百Li Weixiang
2005The Royal Swordsmen天下第一Guihai Yidao
2005Romance of Red Dust风尘三侠之红拂女Li Jing
2006Sound of Colors地下铁Lu Yunxiang
2006Emerald on the Roof屋顶上的绿宝石Zhou Nianzhong
2007Love at First Fight武十郎Li Yashou
2008Rouge Snow胭脂雪Xia Yunkai
2008A Mobile Love Story爱情占线Lu Yunfei
2008Modern Beauty现代美女Yang Guang
2008Love in the Forlon City伤城之恋Yan Fei
2009Chinese Paladin 3仙剑奇侠传三Xu Changqing
2010New One Plum Blossom新一剪梅Zhao Shijun
2010Detective Tanglang唐琅探案Tang Lang
2010Go Yi Yi Go一一向前冲Cao Yan
2011The Vigilantes in Masks怪侠一枝梅Li Gexiao
2011The Glamorous Imperial Concubine倾世皇妃Liu LianchengSpecial appearance
2011Inspire the Life感动生命Han Zihang
2012Lord of Legal Advisors刑名师爷Meng Tianchu
2013Swordsman笑傲江湖Linghu Chong
2014Perfect Couple金玉良缘Jin Yuanbaoalso co-producer
2014Incisive Great Teacher犀利仁师Li DarenCameo
2014Battle of Changsha战长沙Gu Qingming
2014The Great Protector镖门Liu Anshun
2015The Journey of Flower花千骨Bai Zihua
2015Love Me If You Dare他来了，请闭眼Bo Jingyan / Simon Allen
2016The Imperial Doctress女医·明妃传Zhu Qizhen
2018Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace如懿传Qianlong Emperor
2019The Great Craftsman筑梦情缘Shen Qinan

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations