Daniel Wu Yin-cho was born on 30 September 1974 in California to parents from Shanghai, and studied architecture at the University of Oregon. He travelled to Hong Kong in 1997 and was spotted by director Yonfan, making his screen debut in Bishonen (1998). That same year he drew notice with a Best New Performer nomination at the 18th Hong Kong Film Awards for City of Glass, and from 1999 appeared in films such as Purple Storm and Gen-X Cops, steadily widening his range. Raised in the United States and fluent in both English and Cantonese, he found it easier to take on international projects. In 2004 his portrayal of the villain Kwan in New Police Story won him Best Supporting Actor at the 41st Golden Horse Awards, and that year he also starred in Derek Yee's One Nite in Mongkok, whose mainland-hitman role made critics reassess his acting. He formed the band Alive with Terence Yin, Conroy Chan and Andrew Lin, and wrote and directed the mockumentary The Heavenly Kings (2006), which turned its cameras on the music industry, winning Best New Director at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards. He later played an undercover officer in Protege and police surveillance officers in the Overheard series, earning a Best Actor nomination at the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards for That Demon Within (2014). In 2012 he co-founded Diversion Pictures, and has since worked in Hollywood, appearing in Tomb Raider and leading and executive-producing the television series Into the Badlands and appearing in Westworld.
Daniel Wu moved from idol roles to serious acting, winning Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Horse Awards for New Police Story (2004), while his self-directed mockumentary The Heavenly Kings (2006) turned a critical eye on the music industry and earned him Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards. He is also one of the few Hong Kong stars to work on both Chinese-language and American screens, leading and executive-producing the US series Into the Badlands.
Achievements
- 1998 · Debuted in Bishonen; in the same year was nominated for Best New Performer at the 18th Hong Kong Film Awards for City of Glass.
- 2004 · Won Best Supporting Actor at the 41st Golden Horse Awards for New Police Story.
- 2007 · Won Best New Director at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards for the self-directed The Heavenly Kings.