Allan Wu
| Allan Wu | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 吴振天 (simplified) |
| Pinyin | Wú Zhèntiān (Mandarin) |
| Birth name | 吴振宇 (pinyin: Wú Zhènyù) |
| Born |
11 June 1972 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor, host, model |
| Spouse(s) | Wong Li-Lin (2003-2013) |
| Children | 2 |
| Ancestry | Shenyang, Liaoning, China |
Allan Wu (Chinese: 吴振天; pinyin: Wú Zhèntiān, born Chinese: 吴振宇; pinyin: Wú Zhènyù on 11 June 1972) is a Singapore-based Chinese-American actor, host, VJ and former model.
He is perhaps best known for being the host of 3 different editions of the popular reality game show, The Amazing Race. He was the host of 5 seasons of AXN Asia's The Amazing Race Asia, 3 seasons of International Channel Shanghai's The Amazing Race: China Rush and 3 seasons of Shenzhen Media Group's Chinese edition of The Amazing Race.
Wu decided to change his Chinese name because it was similar to Hong Kong film star Francis Ng (Chinese: 吳鎮宇; pinyin: Wú Zhènyù).[1]
Early Life and Education
Wu was born in Los Angeles, California, United States to Chinese immigrant parents from Shenyang, Liaoning, China. His first language was Mandarin as his parents spoke it at home.[2] He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in the United States and worked in the biotechnology industry for several years. He eventually discovered his desire to become an actor after an accident made him reassess his life. He did some modeling for a while and also participated in an episode of the reality competition series Fear Factor, where he placed 2nd. He moved to Hong Kong where he worked as an actor.[3]
Career
Despite struggling with limited knowledge of Cantonese, MTV Taiwan gave him a stint as a VJ, during which he co-hosted a Christmas concert. He moved to Singapore and began acting in Chinese language drama series on Channel 8.
He has been the host for all four seasons of The Amazing Race Asia. He is also the host of The Amazing Race: China Rush, the Chinese version of The Amazing Race. In Season 16 of the American version of the Amazing Race, Allan Wu made a cameo appearance in Singapore, handing out clues.
Personal life
In September 2011, Wu and his family relocated to Shanghai, China to be nearer to job commitments.[4]
Wu was married to former MediaCorp actress Wong Li-Lin and they have a daughter Sage and son Jonas. Sage was 1 and a half years older than Jonas, she was born in 2004 while he was born in 2006.The couple is managed by Fly Entertainment.[5] In 2013, the couple separated.[6]
Filmography
- Television
| Year | Work | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Bukit Ho Swee 河水山 | ||
| Beautiful Connection 九层糕 | Du Zhengyu | ||
| The Unbeatables III 双天至尊III | Ding Wei | ||
| 2003 | True Heroes 真心英雄 | Wang Feng 王峰 | |
| A Child's Hope 孩有明天 | |||
| Always On My Mind 无炎的爱 | |||
| 2004 | My In-Laws 我的岳父岳母 | Sitcom | |
| A Child's Hope II 孩有明天II | |||
| Fear Factor | 1 episode | ||
| 2005 | My Lucky Charm 情来运转 | ||
| Baby Blues 谁家母鸡不生蛋 | |||
| 2006 | C.I.D. 刑警二人组 | Steve | |
| House of Joy 欢乐满屋 | Zheng Sanji 郑三吉 | ||
| Police & Thief | Sitcom; 1 episode | ||
| 2011 | Miss Universe China | Host | |
| 2012 | Rally On | ||
| 2014 | Mata Mata: A New Era | Alan Leong |
- Film
| Year | Work | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Overheard 2 窃听风云2 | ||
| 2010 | Love Cuts | ||
| 2008 | Kung Fu Hip Hop | Tang Ge | |
| 2008 | The Leap Years | Steven | |
| 2005 | I Do I Do 爱都爱都 | Chen Jianfeng 陈健锋 | |
| 2004 | Rice Rhapsody 海南雞飯 | Ronald | |
| 2003 | Night Corridor 妖夜迴廊 | Vincent Sze | |
| 1999 | Never Compromise 逆我者死 | Chun Yu Ng |
Shows
| Year | Show | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Discover Australia 奥妙无及现 | |
| 2005 | Hua Yu, Cool! | MediaCorp TV Channel 5 [7] |
| 2006-now | The Amazing Race Asia | |
| 2010 | The Amazing Race 16 | Cameo appearance |
| 2010–2012 | The Amazing Race: China Rush | |
| 2014–now | The Amazing Race (China) | From Season 1 Episode 3 |
Brand Ambassador/ Spokesperson
| Year | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | TAG Heuer | [8] |
| 2009 | Carlsberg | [9] |
| 2014 | Oakley | [10] |
References
- ↑ "What's Up with My Chinese Name??". Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ↑ "Allan Wu back in the race". AsiaOne. 10 February 2012.
- ↑ Men’s Health, November 2006
- ↑ "Allan Wu's culture shock". The New Paper. 6 September 2011.
- ↑ "Amazing Race Asia a 'wild ride' for Allan Wu". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
- ↑ Yap, Desmond (17 June 2013). "Allan Wu & Wong Li Ling divorced due to affair". Yahoo. Yahoo News Singapore. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ↑ "Be cool and catch Hua Yu, Cool!" (18 January 2005). Today. 18 January 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ↑ "A new star for TAG Heuer". Newspaper SG. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ↑ "早早报喜!". eAdvine February 2009. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ↑ "When Oakley Meets Ferrari". GolfPunk-Singapore Edition. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
External links
- Allan Wu at the Internet Movie Database
- Personal Website / Blog
- Profile on xinmsn
- Profile at Fly Entertainment