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10 of the most Popular Taiwanese Actors

The cinema of Taiwan is deeply rooted in the island’s unique history. Since its introduction to Taiwan in 1901 under Japanese rule, cinema has developed in Taiwan under ROC rule through several distinct stages. It has also developed outside the Hong Kong mainstream and the censorship of the People’s Republic of China on the mainland.

In recent years, Taiwan’s film industry has received recognition due to several internationally respected filmmakers, such as Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, and the Malaysian-Chinese Tsai Ming-liang.

In recent years, documentary films from Taiwan have also become more popular. The development of Taiwanese documentaries began after the lifting of martial law in 1987 and the rise in popularity of small electronic camcorders, as well as the support and promotion provided by the Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs. Documentaries also receive support from other government agencies and private corporations. A variety of film festivals and awards have been established to encourage the production of documentaries.

1. Jerry Yan

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Jerry Yan is a Taiwanese Actor, Singer, and Model. He was born on January 1^st, 1977 in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

He is best known for playing Dao Ming Si in the popular Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden and its sequel Meteor Garden II.

He is also renowned for his singing skills and is a former member of a boy band named F4.

Over the years, Jerry Yan has won several awards, such as Mnet Asian Music Award.

2. Takeshi Kaneshiro

Takeshi Kaneshiro. Photo by Minh Duc –

Takeshi Kaneshiro is a Taiwanese-Japanese Actor. He was born on October 11^th, 1973 in Taipei City, Taiwan.

He was not seen in any major projects after his successful stint in the romantic comedy This Is Not What I Expected, till he announced he was part of the much-delayed Sons of the Neon Night.

He is also popular as Samanosuke from the Onimusha video games.

3. Wallace Huo

Wallace Huo is a Taiwanese Actor. He was born on December 26^th, 1976 in Taipei, Taiwan.

He initially aspired to be a basketball player but later deviated to singing and then acting. The Taiwanese entertainer is known for his performances in Chinese Paladin 3, Swordsman, and the hit fantasy drama The Journey of Flower.

He has grabbed deals with brands such as Hugo Boss.

4. Jay Chou

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Jay Chou is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor, film director, television personality, and magician. He was born on 18^th January 1979 in Linkou Taipei County, Taiwan.

His acting was unplanned and unexpected. His English teacher has said that he was terrible at facial expressions and a director had said that his strong individualistic personality would make him a bad actor.

His performance in Initial D won him Best Newcomer Actor in Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.

His performance in Curse of the Golden Flower was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the Hong Kong Film Awards.

5. Darren Chen

Darren Chen was born on 15th January 1995 in Taiwan. He is also known as Kuan Hong. He is a Taiwanese actor and model.

He is best known for his roles in Meteor Garden (2018), My Unicorn Girl, The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (2020), No Boundary season 1 (2021), and No Boundary season 2 (2021).

In 2016, Chen made his acting debut in the youth fantasy web series Proud of Love and its sequel.

In 2019, Chen was cast in his first leading role in the historical mystery drama The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, produced by Jackie Chan. The series premiered on iQiyi on April 1, 2020.

6. Aaron Yan

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Aaron Yan was born on 20th November 1985 in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese actor and singer.

In August 2004, he made his acting debut in the Taiwanese drama, I Love My Wife. In 2005, after signing with Comic Productions and HIM International Music, Yan starred in Taiwanese dramas, It Started with a Kiss and KO One.

In March 2011, Yan released his debut extended play, The Next Me. The album spent 5 weeks at the number 1 spot on the G-Music chart.

In June 2013, Yan starred in the Taiwanese romantic comedy-drama, Just You. The drama topped ratings in its timeslot during its run.

In March 2016, Yan starred in the Taiwanese workplace romance drama, Refresh Man. The drama was a massive hit both domestically as well as across Asia, boosting Yan’s popularity to a new high.

He has continued to star in several dramas to date.

7. Lai Kuan

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Lai Kuan-lin was born on 23rd September 2001 in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese rapper, singer, and actor based in South Korea and China.

In January 2019, Lai was confirmed as the male lead in the Chinese drama A Little Thing Called First Love.

In June 2020, Lai was cast in the youth drama Don’t Think About Interrupting My Studies as the main lead, Lin Xiao Ran alongside Li Landi as Nan Xiangwan.

8. Darren Wang

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Darren Wang was born on May 29^th, 1991. He is a Taiwanese actor.

He is best known for his breakout role as Hsu Tai-Yu in the film, Our Times.

Wang made his debut in the 2008 drama series Mysterious Incredible Terminator and went on to make his big-screen bow in the 2010 film In Case of Love.

He appeared in the hit high school romance film Our Times in 2015, after which he was crowned GQ’s Man of the Year.

In 2019, Wang starred as the male lead in the romance film Fall in Love at First Kiss, a remake of the Taiwanese series of the same name.

9. Eddie Peng

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Eddie Peng was born on 24^th March 1982. He is a Taiwanese actor, singer, and model.

He began his career when he was cast in Tomorrow by director Yang Daqing during a summer vacation in Taiwan. He built a teenage fan following after romantic comedy gained popularity.

Peng achieved a breakthrough with his performance in the 2011 teen film Jump Ashin! He reportedly trained for eight months to portray an athlete. The film was a critical and commercial success.  He earned nominations as Best Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Film Festival and 13th Taipei Film Festival, which marked the turning point of his career.

He achieved another breakthrough in 2016 with the film Operation Mekong. He portrayed a hardcore undercover agent along with veteran actor Zhang Hanyu. The film received critical acclaim and is highest grossing Chinese cop film to date.

10. Chang Chen

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Chang Chen was born on 14th October 1976 in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese actor.

He rose to fame for his role as “Dark Cloud” in the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

In 2021, Chang played Dr. Wellington Yueh in Denis Villeneuve’s epic science fiction film Dune. It premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.

In the same year, he won the Best Leading Actor award at the 58th Golden Horse Awards. This was for his amazing performance in the mystery film The Soul, which was his first Golden Horse Award after being nominated three times without winning.

All in all Taiwanese filmmakers have attempted to cater to the Mainland Chinese market. Any films released on the mainland must comply with censorship. This often involves downplaying or removing any indicators that Taiwan is a separate country from China.

Successful films that focus on Taiwan have however predominantly been independent, low-budget, and aimed at the local market.