Wu Xiubo

Wu was born and raised in Beijing, China. His father, who died in 2007, was a diplomat, and his stepmother is a pharmacist.{{cite news |title=吴秀波42岁爆红 |url=http://hb.qq.com/a/20101021/000345.htm |work=Yangtze Evening News |publisher=China Xinhua News Network Corporation |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=19 July 2011|language=zh }} Wu has one older step-brother who is a physicist.

As a teenager, Wu became involved in the arts, particularly painting, drawing, poetry, and singing. In 1984, at the age of 17, he joined a state-owned theater company and was trained at the acting program of the Central Academy of Drama on contract. After graduating in 1987, he worked an assortment of jobs, such as running a restaurant, karaoke hall, and clothing shop. In the 90s, Wu became a singer popular with karaoke halls in Beijing. In 1995, Wu left the theater company to become a professional singer. He released an album in 1996 to lackluster reaction.

In 2001, Wu started working as an agent for his childhood friend, actress Liu Bei. In 2002, when his wife was pregnant, Wu returned to acting with the help of Liu and her then husband, TV producer Zhang Jian, who cast Wu as the leading man in the television drama Crime Investigate (2002). {{cite web |date=14 November 2010 |title=Taking the long way to success |url=https://www.shine.cn/archive/feature/people/Taking-the-long-way-to-success/shdaily.shtml |work=Shanghai Daily}}

Wu first drew attention for his performance in the war drama Sword & Spy, which won him the Most Popular Actor award at the TVS Award Ceremony.{{cite web|url=http://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2009-12-25/09512823411.shtml|title=《剑谍》南方盛典赢双奖 吴秀波魅力非凡|date=25 December 2009|publisher=Sina Corp|language=zh}} He rose to fame in 2010 for his role as an undercover Communist Party member in hit spy drama Before Dawn.{{cite web|url=http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/2014-08/28/content_18507029.htm|title= Wu Xiubo: A different kind of actor|date=28 August 2010|work=China Daily}} The same year, he starred in the historical drama The Case of an Orphan named Zhao, for which Wu was nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Actor.{{cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2014-10/15/content_18741013.htm|title=Wu Xiubo nominated for International Emmy|date=15 October 2014|work=China Daily}}

In 2012, Wu starred in the medical drama Angel Heart, based on best-selling writer Liu Liu's novel.{{cite web|url=http://yule.sohu.com/20120513/n343045332.shtml|title=《心术》收视创新高 导演：医患矛盾不应激化|date=13 May 2012|work=Sohu|language=zh}} In 2013, Wu starred in the romantic comedy film Finding Mr. Right alongside Tang Wei, which was a box office hit.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} His success continued in 2014 when he starred in Divorce Lawyer, where Wu played a divorce lawyer trying to adjust to his new life after his wife's betrayal and the loss of his divorce case.{{cite web|url=http://english.cri.cn/12394/2014/09/05/2361s843205.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910005010/http://english.cri.cn/12394/2014/09/05/2361s843205.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 September 2014|title=TV Drama The Divorce Lawyer Has Been A Huge Success in China|date=5 September 2014|work=China Radio International}} The same year, he starred in the drama A Civic Yuppie in Countryside, for which he won the Outstanding Actor award at the Flying Apsaras Awards.

Wu starred in the musical television series My Youth High Eight Degrees, playing a club director who leads a gang of misfits with hidden musical talents, whipping them into shape and competing in the national choir competition. Despite achieving stellar ratings, the show was slammed for plagiarism accusations.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinese-musical-tv-drama-draws-723914|title= Chinese Musical TV Drama Draws Ratings, Criticism for 'Copying' 'Glee'|date=8 July 2014|work=The Hollywood Reporter}}

In 2015, Wu starred in the historical drama Troubled Scholarly. Wu and Tang then teamed up again to film the sequel of Finding Mr. Right, titled Book of Love (2016),{{cite web|url=http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2015-06/23/content_21083958.htm|title='Finding Mr.Right 2' starts shooting in Macao|date=23 June 2015|work=China Daily}} which became the highest grossing Chinese romantic film of all time.{{cite web|url=http://chinafilminsider.com/screen-china-director-xue-xiaolus-book-love-aims-rom-com-record/|title=On Screen China: Director Xue Xiaolu's 'Book of Love' Aims for Rom-Com Record|date=29 April 2016|work=China Film Insider}} In 2017, Wu played strategist Sima Yi in the historical drama The Advisors Alliance.

In 2018, Wu starred alongside Angelababy in the urban drama City of Desire, about two people of different world helping each other out of their battle with depression. The show, however, has been mothballed for Wu's extramarital scandal. {{cite web|url=https://sg.style.yahoo.com/angelababy-happy-wu-xiubo-062600804.html|title=Angelababy happy to work with Wu Xiubo|date=9 November 2017|work=Yahoo}}

Wu is a Buddhist and vegetarian. In 2014, PETA named him as Asia's Sexiest Male Vegetarian Celebrity.{{cite web |date=26 November 2014 |title=Wu Xiubo Named Asia'S Sexiest Male Vegetarian Celebrity |url=https://www.petaasia.com/media/wu-xiubo-named-asias-sexiest-male-vegetarian-celebrity/ |work=Peta Asia}} Wu is also a billiards enthusiast.

Wu married He Zhenya in 2001. They live in Beijing with their two sons Hanhan (born 2003) and Xiaoyu (born 2007).

In September 2018, Chinese actress Ruby Chen went public with her seven-year affair with Wu. In January 2019, Chen was arrested by the police for blackmailing Wu, resulting in Wu receiving public criticism for his revenge on the ex-lover. The films and TV programs Wu was working on were impacted by the scandal, with some being canceled or editing him out of scenes. {{cite web |date=22 January 2019 |title=Chinese actor caught up in 'break-up fee' blackmail row |url=https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/chinese-actor-caught-break-fee-blackmail-row}}

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{{Golden Eagle Award (China) Best Actor}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1968 births

Category:Central Academy of Drama alumni

Category:Musicians from Beijing

Category:Male actors from Beijing

Category:Chinese male singers

Category:Chinese male film actors

Category:Chinese male television actors

Category:21st-century Chinese male actors