Deng Chao

Deng Chao (simplified Chinese: 邓超; traditional Chinese: 鄧超; born February 8, 1979 in Nanchang, Jiangxi) is a Chinese actor, comedian, director and singer. He is a cast member of the popular variety program, Hurry Up Brother. His recent comedies, The Breakup Guru, Devil and Angel and The Mermaid, are among the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time in China.

From 1995 to 1998, Deng studied at Jiangxi Vocational Academy of Art, majoring in stage play. He then studied performing arts at Central Academy of Drama from 1999 to 2002. Deng received high praises from his teacher, who said that he is the next best student after Jiang Wen. He became interested in stage plays, and often participated in the schools' productions. He could act in dramas/stage plays of different genres. In 2002, he participated in Cui Hua Shang Suan Cai, which became his most well-known/representative work during his schooling days. He became an actor of the National Theater of China, and participated in many theater plays.

Deng began filming dramas in 2002. He rose to fame with the 2003 historical television series The Young Emperor, receiving critical acclaim for his performance. After having acted in several historical period series, Deng became known as the "Emperor specialist", as he often portrayed Emperor characters in his dramas. In 2005, he starred in director Gao Xixi's military drama Happiness as Flowers, which marked his image transformation.

In 2007, Deng starred in Assembly, and won the Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Supporting Actor, successfully making his crossover to the big screen. He then starred alongside Zhou Xun in Cao Baoping's romantic thriller The Equation of Love and Death. His performance won the Special Jury prize at the Golden Phoenix Awards.

In 2008, Rich Man Poor Love starring Deng was released, and became the highest-rated television series of the year. Jiangsu Television bought exclusive broadcasting rights of the series. The same year, he reunited with Gao Xixi in another military drama, Tian Mi Mi. The series was chosen by the Chinese Radio & Television Association as the Top Ten television series of the year.

In 2009, Deng played Zhang Wuji in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the latest TV drama adaption of Louis Cha's wuxia novel. Following the airing of the drama, he started to gain recognition overseas. The same year, he signed a contract with Huayi Brothers. He then embarked on a Chinese tour for his stage play, Cui Hua, reprising his roles from his student days.

In 2010, he starred in Tsui Hark's action-mystery film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. He successfully brought the fictional character Pei Dong Lai to life in the movie, and established the character's wuxia image. Deng won Best Supporting Actor at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards, establishing himself as a front-like actor on the big screen. His following film is also successful; Mural (2011) topped the box office charts upon its release on National Day, and Deng joined the "100 million yuan box office" club.

In 2011, Deng starred in the TV drama, You're My Brother. The show garnered over 15% ratings on Beijing Television for its final episode. The same year, he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution award at the Chinese TV Industry 20 Years Festival, and became a jury member of the China Television Artists/Actors Committee.

From April 2011 to February 2012, Deng rejected all filming offers to accompany his pregnant wife, Sun Li. Nonetheless, he was still visible on the big screen, starring in 3D wuxia film The Four, based on Woon Swee Oan's novel series Si Da Ming Bu (The Four Great Constables). Following the end of his hiatus, he returned to the small screen, filming the TV drama Ten years of love. The series was broadcast in June 2014, and did reasonably well, achieving an average rating of 1 throughout its run.

In 2013, Deng starred as one of the three male leads in American Dreams in China, a movie about three young men from poor backgrounds achieving success by establishing a reputable English teaching school. The film was the 2nd highest grossing film for the first half of the year. In April, he participated in the program I Am a Singer, singing with Yu Quan. In July, he won the All-Round Talented Artist award at the 2013 Asian Idol Awards. The same year, he left Huayi and set up his personal studio. He then participated in the production and artistic direction of various films and stage plays.

China Newsweek chose Deng as the Artist of the Year for 2013.

In 2014, Deng directed and starred in the film, The Breakup Guru. The film was a commercial success, and grossed 600 million yuan in local box office. This marked a successful directorial debut for Deng. The film was showcased at the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival and became the first Chinese film to have all its tickets sold out. The same year, Deng joined the cast of variety program Hurry Up Brother, a spin-off of the highly popular South Korean show Running Man. He was also cast as the male lead for Stephen Chow's film, The Mermaid alongside newcomer Lin Yun.

Deng returned again for the 2nd season of Hurry Up Brother in 2015. The series was a huge hit in China, sparking a trend toward celebrity reality shows. It also garnered a viewership rating of 5, and Deng became a household name and "national idol" in China. For the 8th consecutive year, Deng entered the Forbes China celebrity list, and was placed #1 in media exposure (in magazines and television). The same year, he starred in The Dead End. The movie became the highest selling crime-drama film in China, and Deng won Best Actor awards at the 18th Shanghai International Film Festival and 52nd Golden Horse Awards. His performance in the film was also listed as 2015's "Top Ten Most Beautiful Performances" by Movies. In December, he starred in another self-directed film, Devil and Angel alongside Sun Li.

In 2016, The Mmermaid was released in cinemas. It broke numerous box office records, such as the biggest opening day and the biggest single day gross, as well as having the biggest opening week of all time in China. As of February 19, The Mermaid became the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time. With the highest score of 9.52, Deng was awarded "Actor with the Most Audience Appeal on the Silver Screen" at the 2016 China Film Index Awards.

The same year, Deng garnered another Best Actor award from the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards for The Dead End. In September, he starred alongside Zhang Tianai in the movie I Belonged to You. As of now, Deng has a combined box office sales of 100 billion yuan, making him one of the most commercially valuable movie stars in China.

Deng is married to actress Sun Li since 2010. They have two children, a son named Deng Han Zhi and a daughter named Deng Han Yi.

Film

Television

Variety