Wu Kang-ren facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wu Kang-ren
吳慷仁
Wu for ELLE Taiwan in December 2023
Born	(1982-11-24) 24 November 1982 (age 42) Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Other names	Wu Kang-jen
Education	National Taiwan University of Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Actor, model
Years active	2007–present
Agent	Easy Entertainment (2024–present)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	吳慷仁
Simplified Chinese	吴慷仁
Hanyu Pinyin	Wú Kāng-rén
Wade–Giles	Wu K'ang-jên
Hokkien POJ	Ngô͘ Khóng-jîn

Wu Kang-ren (born November 24, 1982) is a famous actor from Taiwan. He started his acting journey in 2007 with a short film called Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion. He became more widely known after appearing in the TV show Autumn's Concerto in 2009.

Wu Kang-ren has won many important awards for his acting. He received the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his role in the movie Abang Adik (2023). He also won the Golden Bell Award for Best Male Lead in a Television Series for his work in the TV series Living (2023).

Early Life and First Jobs

Wu Kang-ren was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He grew up with his mother. From a young age, he started working to help his family. He had many different jobs, like working in restaurants, shops, and supermarkets. He even tried welding at construction sites.

After his military service, he worked as a bartender. This is where a director named Li Qiyuan noticed him. This meeting helped Wu Kang-ren start his career in the entertainment world.

Becoming an Actor

Starting Out (2007–2009)

Wu Kang-ren first worked as a model for advertisements. He then decided to study acting at the National Taiwan University of Arts. This helped him become an actor.

His first acting role was in the short film Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion in 2007. This film was shown at several film festivals. Soon after, he appeared in a TV mini-series called Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend. This series won awards at the Golden Bell Awards in 2008.

In 2008, he also acted in the Hong Kong film Miao Miao. This movie was shown at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2009, he got a role in his first idol drama, Autumn's Concerto. He played the character Hua Tuoye. He later shared that he found it challenging to deliver his lines well at first.

Gaining Fame (2010–2015)

After 2009, Wu Kang-ren started getting more roles in TV shows and movies. He played a blind character named Howard in the TV show Zhong Wu Yan. He also starred in the movie When Love Comes, which received many award nominations.

In 2011, while filming Local Hero, he accidentally hurt his hand. But he still took part in a charity event for children, showing his dedication. In 2012, he acted in four more TV series, including What Is Love.

For his role in the 2012 film The Third Wish, he played a farmer with a serious illness. To prepare, he ran long distances in the sun and ate very little. He lost 8 kilograms in just 10 days to look like his character. He also spent time with the child actor who played his son to build their on-screen relationship.

In 2013, he won his first acting award, the Best Actor in a Leading Role award, at the 18th Asian Television Awards for his role in the TV series Emerging Light. He continued to act in many popular shows, including King Flower and The Lying Game.

Major Awards and Recent Work (2016–Present)

From late 2015 to early 2016, Wu Kang-ren starred in the drama A Touch of Green. He played a young fighter pilot and won the Best Actor award at the Golden Bell Awards in 2016 for this role.

In 2023, he achieved a big success by winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in the movie Abang Adik. In 2024, he joined Easy Entertainment, an agency that helps actors. This move helped him expand his career into mainland China. He also won the Best Male Lead award at the 59th Golden Bell Awards for his role in Living.

Personal Life

Wu Kang-ren has been in a relationship with actress Ivy Shao since 2017. In November 2020, their relationship was publicly confirmed.

Filmography

Television

Film

Music video appearances

Discography

Soundtrack contributions

Awards and Nominations