William Gao (Chinese: 高鑫; pinyin: Gāo Xīn; born 2002 or 2003) is an English actor and musician. He is known for his debut role as Tao Xu in the Netflix series Heartstopper (2022–present), for which he was nominated for a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance.
Gao and his younger sister Olivia Hardy formed a music duo called Wasia Project in 2019.
Early life
Gao was born in 2002 or 2003, and he is from South Croydon. He is the son of an English father and a Chinese mother who moved to England in her 20s. He attended the Trinity School, where he completed A Levels in Chinese, music and drama in 2022. He took up classical piano at the age of 11 and was a member of Trinity Boys Choir. He joined the National Youth Theatre in May 2019.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|
| 2022–present | Heartstopper | Tao Xu | Main role |
|---|
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|
| 2016 | Shakespeare at 400 | Puck | Royal Festival Hall | |
|---|
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Cobweb | Glyndebourne | |
| 2022 | The Trials | Xander | Donmar Warehouse | |
|---|
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Heartstopper | Nominated | |
|---|
| Gay Times Honours | 2022 | On Screen Trailblazer | Heartstopper | Won | |
|---|
