Hu ranked 63rd on the "Forbes China Celebrity List" in 2015, 18th in 2017, 3rd in 2019, and 24th in 2020.[2]
Early life and education
Hu Ge was born in Xuhui District, Shanghai, on 20 September 1982.[3] His father was a tennis coach and his mother was a teacher.[3] He received his first training in performing arts in Little Stars Performing Arts School run by Shanghai Media Group (SMG). Hu Ge attended Shanghai Xiang Yang Elementary School (1989–94) and Shanghai No.2 High School (1994–2001), both known for their educational rigor.[4][5]
In addition to excellent academic work, Hu Ge's talents in a variety of extracurricular endeavors were also recognized. At age 14, Hu Ge started to host a popular TV show Sunshine Youth on Shanghai TV Education Channel for three years. Meanwhile, he was also selected to host a program in East Radio Shanghai. Hu Ge began his acting career by appearing in TV commercials, which helped him gain financial independence before graduating from high school.[6]
In 2001, Hu Ge was admitted to two prestigious art institutes in China: the Central Academy of Drama and Shanghai Theatre Academy. Hu Ge decided to attend the latter, particularly attracted by its strong major in acting.[7][8]
Career
2002–2006: Beginnings and rise to fame
While he was still studying, Hu Ge was recommended by his friend to Chinese Entertainment Shanghai (now known as Tangren Media) where he acted as a dubvoice actor for the 2002 television drama The Book and the Sword (书剑恩仇录). Following which, he signed on with the company.[9] After appearing in numerous commercials, Hu starred in the film Pretend There's No Feeling (假裝沒感覺) with a minor role.[10] His first television role was in the romance drama Dandelion (蒲公英).[11]
Hu rose to prominence in 2005 when he was cast to play the protagonist Li Xiaoyao in Chinese Paladin, the first television adaptation of the popular adventurerole-playing video gameThe Legend of Sword and Fairy.[12] The television series was a major hit in China and launched Hu to instant fame.[13] The theme song sung by him, "June Rain" was also widely popular.[14] The same year, he also portrayed Ning Caichen in the television series Strange Tales of Liao Zhai.[15]
Hu next starred as the male protagonist in The Myth (2010), based on the 2005 Hong Kong film of the same title.[26] The drama acquired very high viewership ratings, and boosted Hu's popularity to a new high.[27] Hu won the Popularity award at the 1st China Student Television Festival, and Best Actor in the fantasy genre at the 2010 Huading Awards.[28][29]
To avoid being typecast, Hu subsequently stopped accepting any role in period dramas after he finished filming The Myth. He took on leading roles in modern dramas;[30]Bitter Coffee (苦咖啡, 2011), Modern People (摩登新人类, 2012) and Unbeatable (无懈可击之高手如林, 2012), as well as war drama Shangri-La (香格里拉, 2012).[31] He also starred in the 2011 historical film 1911, playing Lin Juemin, and was nominated as Best New Actor at the 31st Hundred Flowers Awards.[32][33]
Hu returned to historical fantasies in Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky, adapted from the video game of the same name, where he also acted as the series' producer.[34] His excellent portrayal of his character's paradoxical personality earned him another Best Actor in the fantasy genre at the 2012 Huading Awards,[35] as well as the Most Popular Actor award at the 4th China TV Drama Awards.[36] The same year, he participated in CES's nano-movie Refresh 3+7. He wrote the script for one of the stories Lights from the City, and starred in 4 out of the 10 stories.[37]
2013: Forays into theater
2013 has often been referred to as Hu Ge's year of theatre plays. He acted as Patient No.5 in Stan Lai's A Dream Like a Dream, which served as the opening act at the 1st Wuzhen Theatre Festival. Hu's performance in A Dream Like A Dream especially surprised many theatre critics, and garnered positive reviews all round.[38][39] He won the Best Actor award at the 2nd Denny Awards for his performance.[40]
He then starred as Xu Zhuang Tu in Forever Yin Xueyan, a play based on Pai Hsien-yung's novel of the same title performed in the Shanghai dialect.[41] He won the Most Popular Actor award at the Shanghai Culture Center,[42] and the Most Popular Theater Actor of the Year at the BQ Magazine Popular Artists Ceremony.[43]
2014–2016: Career resurgence and critical acclaim
In 2014, Hu Ge starred in modern drama Life Revelations alongside Yan Ni,[44] and won the People's Choice award at the 9th Seoul International Drama Awards for his performance.[45] He then starred in historical romance drama Sound of the Desert, based on the novel Ballad of the Desert written by Tong Hua. Originally cast in the role of the leading male role, Hu decided to take on the role of the second male lead instead, as it was a type of character he has never played before.[46] The same year, he garnered a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 21st Shanghai Television Festival for his performance in acclaimed war drama, Forty Nine Days: Memorial.[47][48] With three successful dramas, Hu won the Most Popular Actor award at the 6th China TV Drama Awards.[49]
In 2015, Hu starred in espionage drama The Disguiser, which was popular with viewers and received considerably high ratings, with a market share above 8%.[50] This was followed by Nirvana in Fire, a turning point in Hu's acting career,[51] and a commercial and critical success in its own right.[52] Hu Ge won awards at two of the most prestigious television awards in China for his role in Nirvana in Fire. He won Best Actor at the 22nd Shanghai Television Festival;[53] and snagged a double victory by claiming both the Best Actor award and the Most Popular Actor award at the 28th China TV Golden Eagle Award.[54]
In 2016, Hu starred in sports drama Go! Goal! Fighting! as a soccer coach.[57] He returned to the big screen in December 2016, starring as an antagonist in the crime suspense film Cherry Returns.[58] The same year, CBN Weekly crowned him the most commercially valuable actor in China.[59]
2017–present: Hiatus and focus on films
Hu Ge in 2019
The unprecedented surge in popularity in 2015 brought immense pressure. Hu admitted at the end of that year that he wished to take a break from acting. That wish was eventually fulfilled in the spring of 2017. He disappeared from the public eye for much of the year.[60][61] In 2017, Hu starred in Game of Hunting, a drama produced by critically acclaimed director and screenwriter Jiang Wei. The series was filmed back in 2015 and premiered on Hunan TV in November 2017.[62] Hu was later nominated for the Best Actor award at the Shanghai Television Festival for his role as a headhunter.[63]
In 2019, Hu was cast as the male lead in the sports biographic film about tennis player Li Na, directed by Peter Chan.[67] The same year, he was cast in the adventure drama film The Climbers .[68]
In the winter of 2019, cast in the lead male role, Hu joined co-star Wen Qi in "A Touch of Warm,” a crime film directed by Kang Bo. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was suspended until the winter of 2020. The almost one-year gap rendered many of the finished scenes unusable and had to be re-shot. It wrapped on 22 February 2021, and is currently in post-production.
Hu Ge was involved in a highway car accident on 29 August 2006 while traveling from Hengdian to Shanghai. According to later interviews, he didn't remember anything from the accident because he was asleep in the passenger seat at the time of the crash and suffered from post-traumatic amnesia. He survived with severe injuries while his assistant died. Hu had to undergo surgeries, some to repair disfiguring wounds to his face, and the entire healing process took approximately one year. The filming of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, which he was working on then, was temporarily halted due to his injury,[72] in addition to being unable to complete promoting his finished project The Young Warriors with his fellow cast members. Hu Ge expresses how he felt of the incident through the performance of his single "Dare to Love", and filmed a music video with his co-star from the two series and friend Cecilia Liu.
After the accident, he published a book Scavenger of Happiness, filled with his thoughts on the accident and post events, interesting childhood events, well wishes from good friends and previously unexposed pictures. This book documented in detail the process of how Hu Ge changed from a young idol with a smooth career path into an increasingly mature actor who could truthfully face life's problems as a scavenger of happiness.[73]
Relationships and Marriage
Hu Ge was in a relationship with actress Xue Jianing from 2006 to 2008, and later with actress Jiang Shuying from 2013 to 2014.[74]
On 31 January 2023, Hu announced on Weibo that he was married and had a newborn daughter. His wife is Huang Xining, who worked as his assistant.[75][1]
Following his surge in popularity and public awareness, Hu has also been appointed the Shanghai Tourism Ambassador in 2015.[104] Professional designers from Madame Tussauds Shanghai took measurements from Hu to make two wax figures of him; one of himself and one of his character Mei Changsu from Nirvana in Fire, which was unveiled in September 2016.[105]
^ ab胡歌获最受欢迎演员 王丽萍颁奖邀约再合作. Sohu (in Chinese). 18 December 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
^"谍战剧《伪装者》收视率不俗 缘何引年轻观众点赞？" (in Chinese). people.com.cn. 24 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
^胡歌成为 CHANEL 香水和美容品形象大使 [Hu Ge becomes Chanel Perfume and Cosmetics Brand Ambassador]. Today Lab (in Chinese). 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
^"获奖名单揭晓！胡歌+周迅" [The winners are announced! Hu Ge + Zhou Xun]. Sina Finance (in Chinese). 28 June 2024. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
^"《人世间》获得飞天奖优秀导演、优秀男演员奖" ["A Lifelong Journey" won the Feitian Award for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Actor]. Tencent News. 21 September 2024. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024.
^第32届中国电视金鹰奖提名名单发布 [The 32nd China TV Golden Eagle Awards nomination list released]. Sina Finance (in Chinese). 16 October 2024. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024.
^第二届电视剧风云盛典完全获奖名单 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 6 June 2006. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
^2006星光大典完美落幕 周杰伦成最大赢家. ifeng (in Chinese). 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
^胡歌福建获“收视贡献奖” 人气爆棚成收视保证 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 1 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
^新《射雕》福建获三项大奖 成年度最有人气作品 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 2 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
^2010春季电视剧互联网盛典评选 荣誉名单. Sohu (in Chinese). 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
In 2010, the list started to include Chinese celebrities born in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries. Prior to that it only included celebrities born in mainland China.
