Wu Kang-ren

Wu Kang-ren is a Taiwanese actor born on November 24, 1982. He made his screen debut in the 2007 short film Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion and gained wider public recognition through his performance in the 2009 television series Autumn's Concerto. Over his career, he has earned major accolades, including a Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for Abang Adik and a Golden Bell Award for Best Male Lead in a Television Series for Living.

Born in a military dependents' village in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with family heritage from Anhui, Wu was raised by his mother following his parents' divorce. To assist his family financially, he began working at age 14 after finishing junior high school. His early employment included working as a construction welder, during which he suffered eye burns due to lack of experience, as well as holding positions in supermarkets, stalls, and restaurants. He balanced his studies at Kaohsiung Municipal Chung-Cheng Industrial High School with work, served mandatory military conscription upon graduation, and subsequently worked as a bartender in Taipei for three years. At age 27, director Li Qiyuan discovered him and introduced him to the entertainment industry.

Wu began his career modeling for advertisements before enrolling in an acting course at the National Taiwan University of Arts. After his debut in Fragile in Love: Poetry in Motion, which screened at multiple international festivals, he appeared in the miniseries Talking With You Boyfriend's Ex-Girlfriend and the 2008 feature film Miao Miao. In 2009, he landed a prominent role as Hua Tuoye in the popular idol drama Autumn's Concerto, despite facing early difficulties delivering his lines during shooting.

Between 2010 and 2015, Wu expanded his filmography with diverse television and film roles. He appeared in series such as Zhong Wu Yan, Local Hero, What Is Love, King Flower, Rock N' Road, Winnie the Boob, and The Lying Game, as well as the feature When Love Comes. For his role as an ALS-afflicted single father in the 2012 film The Third Wish, he underwent rigorous physical preparation, dropping eight kilograms in ten days through strict diet and exercise. He received his first acting accolade, the Best Actor in a Leading Role award at the 18th Asian Television Awards in 2013, for his performance in Emerging Light.

Wu achieved further critical acclaim in subsequent years. His portrayal of a young fighter pilot in the period drama A Touch of Green won him the Golden Bell Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2016. In 2023, he received the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for Abang Adik, followed by a Golden Bell Award for Best Male Lead in a Television Series in 2024 for his work in Living.

In 2024, Wu signed with Easy Entertainment to expand his career into mainland China, marking his first agency partnership in a decade. The decision prompted discussion in both mainland China and Taiwan due to his prior participation in the Sunflower Student Movement and advocacy for the Taiwanese film and television industry. That same year, he won a Golden Bell Award while absent from the ceremony due to filming commitments in Shanghai, and later attended the 61st Golden Horse Awards as a presenter.

In his personal life, Wu was in a relationship with actress Aviis Zhong from 2015 to 2017. He later began dating his former co-star Ivy Shao in 2017, and their relationship was publicly confirmed in November 2020.