Luo Yunxi, born Luo Yi (罗弋), was raised in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. At the age of 5, started learning dance from his father, who is a dance teacher. For 11 years, he was trained professionally in ballet. In 2005, he was offered places at Beijing Dance Academy and Shanghai Theater Academy and chose to attend the latter.[6] In 2008, Luo along with his classmates performed the group ballet dance “Tchaikovsky Rhapsody” at the 6th Lotus Award National College Dance Competition. His impromptu dance solo based on the randomly selected prompt "The Burning Flame" helped the group win the gold medal in the competition.[7]
After graduation, he worked as a dance instructor at the School of Dance of Macao Conservatory.[8][3] During this time, he participated in the stage performance as one of the lead dancers in the contemporary ballet “Flying to the Moon”. The dance was selected to be performed during the celebration of 10th anniversary of Macau's transfer of sovereignty in 2009.[9]
Career
2010–2012: Musical career and foray into acting
In 2010, Luo debuted as part of the three-member boy group JBOY3 with the single "Promise of Love".[10] The group released its second single “Gravity” on March 23, 2011,[11] and the third single ”Walking Emoji” on July 26, 2011.[12] JBOY3 disbanded in 2012.
In April 2012, Luo then teamed up with one of the members to form a duo named Double JL (双孖JL), and they released the single "JL",[13] and the 2nd single "Us" in August 2012.[14] While part of Double JL, he participated in various activities including auditioning for the singing reality competition show Asian Wave,[15] and hosting an internet variety show Music ShowShowShow from December 2012 to March 2013.[16] Double JL disbanded in 2013.
In 2012, Luo made his acting debut, when he was cast in the romance film The Spring of My Life opposite Tan Songyun.[17] The film was released in theaters in 2015.[18]
2013-2017: Career progression
Luo Yunxi modeling in 2015
In 2013, he was cast in his first drama Flip in Summer,[19] which was broadcast in 2018.[20]
In 2014, Luo starred in the science fiction campus web drama Hello Aliens.[21] The same year, he signed a contract with the agency Lafeng Entertainment.[22]
In 2015, Luo became known to audiences with his role as the younger counterpart of the male protagonist in the hit romance drama My Sunshine.[23] Following the airing of the drama, Luo experienced a significant rise in popularity.[24]
In 2016, Luo was cast as the protagonist in the crime suspense drama Voice of the Dead, an adaption of one of the books in the Medical Examiner Dr. Qin novel series.[25] The same year, he starred in historical fantasy drama Fox in the Screen as a fox demon in love with a human.[26]
In 2017, Luo co-starred in the fantasy romance drama A Life Time Love where he reunited with My Sunshine co-star Janice Wu.[27] He then played the lead role in the medical drama Children's Hospital Pediatrician.[28] He also voiced the role of Flame in the animated film Dragon Force, which was released in September 2017.[29]
2018–present: Mainstream success
In 2018, Luo began filming the historical romance drama Princess Silver as a kind but distant and misunderstood prince who inherits a deadly poison from his mother before birth. The drama was released in April 2019.[30][31]
Luo also acted in the fantasy romance drama Ashes of Love as "Runyu", the gentle and regal Night Immortal whose innocence and kindness turns to hatred and revenge when he sets out to avenge his mother's unfair death.[32] The drama topped television ratings and online web rankings[33] and Luo's portrayal of a morally ambiguous antagonist was acclaimed by critics.[34][35][36] The same year, he was cast in the modern romance drama Broker alongside Victoria Song as a morally ambiguous corporate spy with a hidden motive. The drama premiered on Zhejiang TV and Jiangsu TV on July 22, 2021.[37][38]
In 2020, Luo was cast in the xianxia drama Immortality as a selfless and fearless grandmaster.[39] The same year, he starred in the wuxia romance drama And The Winner Is Love as the graceful young master of the Yueshang Valley.[40] He also starred as "Yuan Shuai" in the modern romance workplace drama Love is Sweet. The drama was iQiyi's most popular romance drama in 2020, and Luo received positive reviews for his role as an arrogant and charming investment bank executive.[41] The same year, he was cast as a secretive CEO in melo romance Lie to Love.[42]
In 2021, Luo was cast in Light Chaser Rescue as an unscrupulous lawyer who turns over a new leaf after becoming a volunteer rescue worker. The drama premiered on Mango TV and Tencent on October 14, 2022.[43]
The same year, Luo was cast in xianxia drama Till the End of the Moon as "Tantai Jin", a hostage prince who is born with an evil bone and must rebel against his destiny of becoming the havoc-wreaking Devil God.[44] The drama premiered on Youku on April 6, 2023 and was a commercial success. Youku had the highest number of downloads on the App Store since 2018.[45] The drama's first-day market share was 22.76%, making it the most-watched period drama since 2020, and Luo's portrayal of the anti-hero also received positive reviews.[46]
In 2022, Luo was cast in medical romance drama Love is Panacea as a genius neurosurgeon who ends up spearheading research on Huntington's disease to save his love interest.[47] The drama premiered on CCTV-8 on November 2, 2023.[48]
In 2023, Luo was cast in period detective romance drama Follow Your Heart as a prince-turned-detective who suffers from prosopagnosia.[49] The same year, he was cast in fantasy wuxia drama Shui Long Yin as a highly skilled but introverted and even indifferent swordsman.[50][51]
Other activities
Madame Tussauds Shanghai and Beijing installed wax figures of Luo in July 2023.[52] The same month, Luo became the Chinese culture spokesperson for League of Legends.[53] Luo was appointed the China-Thailand Cultural Friendship Ambassador by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in October 2023 due to the popularity of Till the End of the Moon.[54]
