Daniel Wu

Daniel Wu Bio

Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu is an American actor widely regarded as one of the most flexible and distinctive leading actors in the Chinese language film industry. Born in Berkeley, California, on September 30, 1974, Wu began his screen career in 1998 and has since been featured in more than 60 films. A three-time Golden Horse Award winner, he later achieved international recognition for playing Sunny on the AMC martial arts series Into the Badlands and for his role in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese.

Daniel Wu Early Life and Background

Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in nearby Orinda, California. He is a third-generation Chinese American, with both of his parents’ families originally from Shanghai. During the era of upheaval caused by wars, his grandparents relocated the family to Taiwan and Hong Kong before immigrating to the United States in the 1950s.

Both of his parents are highly educated. His mother, Diana Wu, is a university professor who holds a doctorate, and his father, George Wu, is an engineer who obtained a master’s degree in Oklahoma. George met Diana in New York, when Diana was a student at New York University, and the couple settled in California after marrying. Wu has two older sisters, Gloria and Greta, and an older brother named Douglas, who died in an accident when he was two years old.

As a child, Wu’s grandfather took him to watch movies in Chinatown. He developed an interest in martial arts after seeing Jet Li in The Shaolin Temple and Donnie Yen in Iron Monkey, and he began studying wushu at age 11. His childhood role model was Jackie Chan. Wu attended the Head-Royce School in Oakland, California, and later majored in architecture at the University of Oregon. He also attended a summer program at SCI-Arc, worked for architect Michael Rotondi, and in 1994 founded the University of Oregon Wushu Club, serving as the team’s first coach.

Path to Celebrity

Following graduation, Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu traveled to Hong Kong in 1997 to witness the handover of Hong Kong, with no intention of pursuing a film career. On the suggestion of his sister, he began modeling. Within a month, director Yonfan spotted Wu in a clothing advertisement and approached him about starring in an upcoming film. With no acting experience and without the ability to speak Chinese, Wu initially turned down the offer. Persuaded by the director’s persistence, he finally accepted and embarked on his acting career.

Daniel Wu Career

Early Career (1998-2003)

Despite his inability at the time to speak Cantonese or read Chinese, Wu successfully completed his first film, Yonfan’s Bishonen, in 1998. The day after the film wrapped, he was offered the leading role in Mabel Cheung’s City of Glass, for which he was nominated for Best New Actor at the 18th Hong Kong Film Awards, followed by a supporting part in Young and Dangerous: The Prequel. During this period, Wu met Jackie Chan at a restaurant opening and was signed to Chan’s JC Group with agent Willie Chan.

His breakthrough performance came in 1999 with Gen-X Cops, directed by Benny Chan. He followed this with a wide range of roles, including the big-budget thriller Purple Storm, the arthouse production Peony Pavilion, and the popular Love Undercover. In 2003, he produced and creatively directed MTV Asia’s Whatever Things! and starred in Julian Lee’s Night Corridor, which earned him a Best Actor nomination at Taiwan’s 40th Golden Horse Film Awards.

Breakthrough (2004-2010)

In 2005, Wu was nominated for Best Actor at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards for Derek Yee’s One Nite in Mongkok and for Best Supporting Actor for New Police Story. At the 41st Golden Horse Film Awards, he won Best Supporting Actor for New Police Story, a win that surprised him. In 2006, he made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, a mockumentary about a fabricated boy band, which earned him the Best New Director award at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 2011, Wu starred alongside Kevin Spacey in Dayyan Eng’s bilingual film Inseparable. The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and became Wu’s first English-language feature performance, released in China and other territories worldwide.

Notable Works and Milestones

From 2015 to 2019, Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu starred as Sunny on the AMC action series Into the Badlands, also serving as an executive producer. In 2016, he portrayed the central antagonist Gul’dan through motion capture and voice work in the fantasy film Warcraft. In 2018, he appeared in Tomb Raider as Captain Lu Ren, and in 2021, he appeared in Reminiscence, director Lisa Joy’s feature film debut.

Daniel Wu Award Nominations

Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu has received several award nominations across his career, including Best New Actor at the 18th Hong Kong Film Awards for City of Glass, Best Actor at the 40th Golden Horse Film Awards for Night Corridor, and Best Actor at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards for One Nite in Mongkok. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for New Police Story.

Daniel Wu Awards Won

Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu is a three-time Golden Horse Award winner. His wins include Best Supporting Actor at the 41st Golden Horse Film Awards for New Police Story, the Best New Director award at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards for The Heavenly Kings, and an additional Golden Horse Award over the course of his career.

Daniel Wu Family

Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu was born to George Wu, an engineer, and Diana Wu, a university professor. He has two older sisters, Gloria and Greta, and an older brother named Douglas, who died in an accident at the age of two. Following the passing of his mother due to illness in 2014, he relocated his family from Hong Kong back to California to care for his elderly father and attend to his daughter’s education.

Personal Life

Daniel Neh-Tsu Wu married Lisa S. on April 6, 2010, in South Africa, and the couple welcomed a daughter in May 2013. He maintains residences in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Oakland, California, and continues to train in wushu and other martial arts.