... go see GEO ...: #TastyCrushieTuesday : Wallace Huo

Wallace Huo or Huo Chien-hwa [霍建華] (born 26 December 1979) is a Taiwanese-born Chinese actor and singer.

Nickname: Xiao Hua

Profession: Actor and singer

Birthdate: 1979-Dec-26

Birthplace: Taiwan

Height: 177cm

Weight: 64kg

Star sign: Capricorn

Chinese zodiac: Goat

Blood type: B

* More info and photos after break...

Huo first joined the entertainment business at the age of 17. Setting the goal as a singer, he went through two years of training in vocal and dancing. Just before he was about to record his first album, however, he was mandated to enlist in the army.

He became known for his cell phone commercial with Angelica Lee in 2000. After completing his military service, Huo joined etKING and became one of the two leading actors in the new drama Star. Though this series was not immensely popular, it kick-started his acting career.

His first real major break was in the drama 'At the Dolphin Bay', where he portrayed the role of a cold-hearted music director who fell in love with the female lead (Angela Chang) and eventually found himself slowly changing. After 'At the Dolphin Bay', he filmed '100% Senorita', 'Secret Garden I', 'Great Teacher', 'Pretty Girl' and 'Westside Story' with 5566, all in a year.

In 2003, Huo became best known by the audience in Taiwan. The idol drama 'At the Dolphin Bay' brought him new fame and popularity. He filled every major TV channel with the six TV dramas he made within that year. This overnight success brought Huo nothing but apprehension, however. He said, "Suddenly my life was filled with work. I didn't have time to study the script in detail, and I couldn't tell the difference between different characters. But that didn't make big difference: all the roles wanted me to look cool!"

In 2004, he left for China and decided to work there. His first break in China was to make the movie 'Hands in the Hair' with Rosamund Kwan. Thereafter, he did a martial art series 'Tian Xia Di Yi' with Michelle Ye, which received critical acclaim. His role in 'Tian Xia Di Yi' was voted by fans as his most memorable roles. He later also worked with some of the best actresses in China including Ruby Lin, Shu Qi, Fan Bingbing.

Huo is shy in nature, which was often described by the media as cold and aloof. He was teased by many of his co-stars as being too repressive and serious. However, he managed to show a lighter side of him when he filmed, 'Love at First Fight' with Miriam Yeung.

Career

2002-2003

The new star Huo debuted in the TTV drama Star. He also sang four songs in the original soundtrack. He and David Chen became good friends because of show. The crew liked to make fun of their unusually good friendship, and they deliberately displayed intriguing intimacy in public.

He tried to achieve in the SET trendy drama 'A Promise of Love At the Dolphin Bay'. Used to being a nice and tender person, he had a hard time looking like a bad boy. This made him more famous in Taiwan, making him one of the hottest idol star of the year. Within merely half a year, he filmed 6 TV dramas, his salary greatly increased, and his schedule was booked.

With his salary rising to 50000 NT dollars per episode and all CF together, he had made 5 million dollars within half a year. The photo book he made had sold more than 10000 copies before official release, and the CF he made for Mitsubishi Motors had won a prize in Japan.

As a gift for his hard work and also a solution to meet his packed working schedule, Huo bought the same Mitsubishi car for which he made a CF.

2004-2006

In 2003, he packed his bags and his idol fame in Taiwan and set forth for China to advance his acting career. Wanting to be an "actor's actor" instead of an "idol's actor", he left behind a budding and successful idol career for an acting career in China's entertainment industry.

The popularity in Taiwan that Huo carried to China with him also gave him a lot of pressure. He won accolades from the famous director Wong Jing in his first martial arts series 'Tian Xia Di Yi'. His melancholic portrayal of Yida received rave reviews from fans and audiences.

He also got the major lead in 'Romance of Red Dust'. The producer Wang Ziming praised Wallace highly for his dedication in the film. They became buddies and exchanged their ideas about drama and acting. "Wallace is very smart and is an actor with unique insight and perspectives. He is more mature in 'Romance of Red Dust', and brings out the true spirits of his role. I totally understand why Dong Wang likes and appreciates him so much," Wong commented.

'Sound of Colors', originally by the renowned comic artist Jimmy, was made into a brand new TV series, with Huo and Ruby Lin taking the leading roles. As both are extremely popular TV stars, their salary accounts for one third of the production expense. 'Sound of Colors' had been made into a movie and was performed on the stage.

2007-2008

He made his debut comedy role in the hit series 'Love at First Fight', which saw him working alongside Hong Kong's Miriam Yeung. He played a greedy, materialistic man who eventually finds true love in his childhood friend, played by Yeung. He was said to have done this role so as to allow his fans to see a different side of him. He became good friends with Yeung and she invited Huo to participate in her new MV 'Da Sha'.

He starred in a lead role in 'A Mobile Love Story', a Chinese series in collaboration with Singaporean actors. In the show, he was tangled in a love triangle with lead actress, Han Xue and Christopher Lee (Singapore actor). Critics pointed out that the movie had a lack of chemistry between Han Xue and Huo. However, Huo received accolades for his great and collaboration with Yvonne Lim.

Filmography

FILMS