Juan was born in a military dependents' village in Taichung, Taiwan, to a military family with their ancestral roots in Zhejiang. His father was a soldier, his mother a military nurse, and his younger brother an air force pilot. Before fourth grade, Juan was raised by his grandparents. His grandfather, a seasoned veteran, transitioned from military service to a civilian role as the secretary of the board of directors at China Medical University. His grandmother was a homemaker. Due to his father's fiery character, Juan's parents split when he was in primary school (and officially divorced in 2021). He followed his mother, who then opened a red tea shop to support their livelihood.
As a competitive swimmer in his early years, Juan's numerous achievements and awards (including first place at the Taichung City Duathlon) gained him admission into the prestigious Taichung First Senior High School. However, due to his rebellious streak, he dropped out and, after being transferred and expelled from five different high schools, eventually graduated from the night school of Taichung's Shin Min High School after five years of high school. Thereafter, Juan attended the China University of Technology in Taipei but dropped out. He then attended the Hsing Wu University from 2004, majoring in tourism for over 6 years. After controversy emerged over his allegedly deliberate evasion of the military service by delaying graduation, he left before graduation to serve one year of alternative service at the Ministry of Education in lieu of military service from 2012 to 2013.[1]
Career
In 2002, when he accompanied a friend to an audition, he was chosen for his first showbiz gig in Penny Tai's music video for "Once Fell In Love" (愛過), after which he signed up with model agency Catwalk Entertainment.[2] He then appeared in a series of music videos for popular artists such as Faye Wong, Stefanie Sun, A-Mei and S.H.E.
Ruan made his acting debut in the 2004 TV drama Michael the Archangel, where he plays the role of a talented but moody dancer with an eerie and feminine aura. His performance caught the attention of director Doze Niu, who would become his mentor. Juan had his first breakthrough in Green Forest, My Home (2005) but his subsequent roles in Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (2006) and Summer x Summer (2006) were not outstanding.[3][2] It wasn't until 2007, when Juan starred in Doze Niu's idol drama Wayward Kenting (2007) that his acting began to receive positive notices. Since then, Juan started a long-time collaboration with Niu and became known as one of Niu's "Four Disciples", along with Eddie Peng, Li Wei, and Ryan Tang.
Ruan had a breakout success for Fated to Love You (2008), the highest rated Taiwanese idol drama ever.[4][2]
This was followed by another hit drama, My Queen, in 2009.[5] In 2010, Juan won the Best Leading Actor award at the 47th Golden Horse Awards for his role in Doze Niu's gangster film Monga, making him the youngest actor ever to receive the honor.[6] He subsequently extended his career to mainland China, starring in romance film Love (2012) directed by Niu and wuxia film The Guillotines (2012) directed by Andrew Lau.[7]
In 2012, Juan served one year of alternative service at the Ministry of Education in lieu of military service due to his flat feet (a recognized medical condition) in Taiwan, and was discharged on January 11, 2013.[8] During his post at the Ministry of Education, he received a monthly salary of NT$9,955.[9] After the service, on 5 March 2013, Juan announced that he will be opening a talent management agency (together with Doze Niu and Lee Lieh).[10] He reunited with Doze Niu in the military film Paradise in Service (2014), which earned him a nomination at the Asian Film Awards for Best Actor.[11][12] In 2017, Juan returned to the small screen with the tomb-raiding drama The Weasel Grave.[13] The same year, he played the role of a psychotic killer in the crime suspense film The Liquidator.[14] In 2018, Juan starred in the fantasy adventure drama Legend of Fuyao alongside Yang Mi.[15] In 2023, Juan enjoyed a career revival for his role in the sleeper hit action thriller The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon.
Personal life
Upon entering showbiz, Ethan Juan began a relationship with his then-manager, Chang Te Lin, who is 12 years his senior, until he fell for his Green Forest, My Home co-star Esther Liu in 2005. Their relationship was opposed by Liu's agency, leading him back to Chang. From 2006 to 2007, Juan dated Joanna Shao, a wealthy woman four years his senior who he met at a nightclub. In 2008, Shao revealed Juan's sexual preferences to a gossip magazine and claimed that he had been seeing her and Tiffany Hsu at the same time for nearly a month.[16][17]
In 2007, the relationship between Juan and Tiffany Hsu was made public by paparazzi photographs of them on a beach date in Kenting. In 2010, Juan was caught in a hotel with another woman. After the news broke, Hsu changed her relationship status on Facebook from "in a stable relationship" to "complicated". In March 2015, Juan was rumored to be in a relationship with Zhou Dongyu. He denied the rumors but admitted to temporarily separating from Hsu. Zhou responded to the rumor on Weibo, "Fake."[18] In October, Apple Daily reported that Juan and Hsu had ended their eight-year relationship due to Juan's affair with a married Chinese actress with children. Juan denied the affair.[19]
Juan was rumored to be in a relationship with Song Zu'er in 2019 and broke up at the end of 2020, although both parties denied it.[20] In February 2022, Juan posted a photo with a woman on his Instagram story and admitted to dating an office worker. They broke up five months later.[21]
^"阮經天、陳意涵台灣影評人協會獎稱帝后 《老狐狸》橫掃4獎" [Ethan Juan and Chen Yihan won the Taiwan Film Critics Association Awards and "Old Fox" swept 4 awards]. Yahoo News Taiwan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). April 23, 2024. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024.
^"2024台北電影獎得獎名單！阮經天《周處除三害》奪下影帝" [2024 Taipei Film Awards winners list! Ethan Ruan won the Best Actor Award for "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils"]. Marie Claire Taiwan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). July 7, 2024. Archived from the original on July 7, 2024.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ethan Ruan.
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