Daniel Wu

b. 1974 · Chinese-American actor, also producer and director

Biography

Daniel Wu Yin-cho (born September 30, 1974, in Berkeley, California) is a Chinese-American actor best known for his work in Chinese-language cinema, though he has also taken roles in international productions. He made his film debut in 1998 and has appeared in more than sixty films. Alongside acting, he has produced and directed, and his role in the martial arts series Into the Badlands brought him wider recognition in the West.

Raised in California by a family of Shanghai origin, he became interested in martial arts after seeing Jet Li and Donnie Yen on screen, and began studying wushu at age eleven. He studied architecture at the University of Oregon, where he founded the wushu club in 1994. In 1997 he travelled to Hong Kong to witness the handover of the territory and, at his sister's suggestion, began modelling. Director Yonfan persuaded him to star in Bishonen (1998), even though he could not yet speak Cantonese.

His career took off with Gen-X Cops (1999), directed by Benny Chan, and he soon joined Jackie Chan's company. In 2003 he starred in Night Corridor, his first experience in film production, and in 2005 he won the Golden Horse for best supporting actor for New Police Story. That same year he joined other performers in the band Alive, whose story became the basis for The Heavenly Kings (2006), a mockumentary about the Hong Kong pop industry with which he made his writing and directing debut. The film earned him the best new director award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

From the early 2010s he moved between Hong Kong productions and international projects, including Inseparable (2011), opposite Kevin Spacey, and Warcraft (2016), where he played Gul'dan through motion capture. From 2015 to 2019 he starred as Sunny in Into the Badlands, which he also served as executive producer. In 2021 he appeared in Reminiscence, the feature debut of Lisa Joy. His career continues to move between Asia and the United States.

Key films

Gen-X Cops (1999): the role that made his name in Hong Kong, under director Benny Chan.
New Police Story (2004): his performance earned him the Golden Horse for best supporting actor.
The Heavenly Kings (2006): his writing and directing debut, a mockumentary about a fictional band.
Warcraft (2016): Gul'dan, a character he played through motion capture and voiced.
Reminiscence (2021): a role in the feature debut of Lisa Joy.

Trivia

A childhood idol

His role model as a boy was Jackie Chan, who now considers him « like a son ». He later signed with Chan's company.

A mockumentary posing as fact

The Heavenly Kings was presented as the story of a real band, but it was later revealed to be a mockumentary and the group had been created only for the film.