Dylan Kuo

Dylan Kuo (Chinese: 郭品超; pinyin: Guō Pǐnchāo; born June 8, 1977) is a Taiwanese actor, model and singer. Besides Taiwan he has worked in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Japan. He is also known as Irons Kwok, his earlier western name, and Kwok Bun-chiu,^[1] his name pronounced in Cantonese. He speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese (with a Mandarin accent) and limited English. He rose to fame in 2004 after playing the lead role in the GTV drama "The Outsiders". ^[2]

Early life

Dylan Kuo was born in Taipei, Taiwan on June 8, 1977, the youngest of a two-child family. He has a brother older than him by 4 years. He has been described by family members and teachers as a shy, quiet and reserved child. His parents divorced when he was very young. He grew up in a single-parent home living with his mother and older brother. His mother worked 2 jobs in order to raise him and his brother, working as a kindergarten teacher by day and at night as a YMCA instructor teaching hairdressing courses. His mother died from breast cancer when he was 14 years old, which Kuo has said was the most unforgettable yet saddest moment in his life.

He then went to live with his father while his older brother moved out on his own. He graduated from Taipei College of Maritime Technology. Originally wanting to be an architect like his older brother, he decided it wasn't the career path he wanted after spending one year in the field.^[3]

Career

Modeling

At age 17 he was scouted by a modeling agency to become a model. Because he was underage at that time, he needed his father's consent when signing the contract, but his father was highly against him becoming a model and told him to concentrate on his studies instead. Being a filial son, he listened to his father's words and gave up on the idea of becoming a model.

A few years later at age 19 and wanting extra spending money, he decided to try modeling secretly without letting his father know. He signed under the well-known Taiwan modeling agency Catwalk Production House and became a highly sought-after model due to his 6' 2" (1.87 cm) height frame and having Eurasian facial features even though he is a full-blooded Chinese. His early modeling success was short-lived as he decided to fulfill his 2-year conscription at age 20. After finishing his military requirements at age 22, he resumed his modeling career with success.

Acting

In 2003, he made his acting debut in small cameo roles, his most notable one for the idol drama "The Rose" playing one of Cecilia Yip's character Han Li's younger boyfriends. He had originally auditioned for the role "Han Jin" which Jerry Huang was eventually cast in. The director was impressed with his audition and decided to bring him back for a cameo role. After being offered more acting roles, Kuo was then signed under Duo Man Ni Productions to manage all his acting activities while Catwalk Production House still managed his advertisement and modeling activities.

In 2004, he got his big break playing the main lead in the drama "The Outsiders", a drama about triad gangs in Taipei. After the success of "The Outsiders" and its sequel "The Outsiders II", Kuo was invited by Hong Kong Director Joe Ma to play the lead in the 2005 Hong Kong film "Embrace Your Shadow" opposite Hong Kong singer-actress Fiona Sit.

For his movie debut in "Embrace Your Shadow", he plays a small-time cat burglar from Taiwan living in Hong Kong who has to deal with love and triads issues. His character "Juchin" was to originally only speak Mandarin, since director Joe Ma was aware that Kuo did not speak any Cantonese, but wanting to look believable as a person living in Hong Kong, Kuo decided to speak his lines as much as possible in Cantonese. In the behind-the-scenes footage of "Embrace Your Shadow", Kuo can be seen asking the director and production crew on how to pronounce his lines in Cantonese. The movie was well-received and he was invited to film another Hong Kong movie, the horror film "Black Night".

In 2008, he signed with Hong Kong entertainment management company Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG) to handle all his activities for the Hong Kong market due to his growing popularity in Hong Kong. After previously playing romantic, tough, cool and reserved characters, Kuo made his first foray into comedy, playing the dorky, nerdy and immature character "Ning Huan Yu" in CTS's 2008 romantic comedy "Prince + Princess 2". The drama started out promising but received low ratings due to production issues and constant changing of the plotline.

After the unsuccessful run of "Prince + Princess 2", Kuo went back to playing serious, romantic, tough guy roles. In 2009, Kuo made his debut in the Mainland China drama market and since then has mainly concentrated in the Mainland China market. Since his first Mainland China drama "Beauty is Not Bad", all his dramas since then has been aired in Mainland China first and then broadcast in Taiwan months later. In 2010, he switched all of his music, advertisements, modelling and acting activities to be managed only by Taiwanese music and entertainment company HIM International Music.

Kuo is no longer active in Hong Kong since his contract with Emperor Entertainment Group ended in 2010. For the past few years he has mainly concentrated in the Mainland China market.^[4]

Music

In 2007, he started his music career signing under record label "Warner Music Taiwan". His first and only album released to date is "Together". Kuo does still occasionally sing the theme songs of the dramas he has acted in.

Personal life

Kuo was previously in a long-term open relationship with a girl simply known as Amy to the public. He and Amy started dating during his early modeling career. It was a long-distance relationship because Amy left Taiwan during the second year of their relationship to study in the United States. Kuo confirmed in 2008 that he and Amy had ended their relationship some time in 2007. Kuo has not been in a steady relationship since his break up with Amy but has been linked by the press to many of his co-stars since.^[5]

He has a mild case of Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), Kuo admitting in an interview that he carries a tooth brush, tooth paste and dental floss with him everywhere, and must brush his teeth after every meal. Also showering three times a day to make sure he doesn't have any body odor as he is terrified of others thinking he smells foul. He baths in the morning when he wakes up, after each of his daily workouts and before going to bed. Being terrified of smelling foul has also led him to having to put on cologne whenever he heads outside his home, even if it is a few minute errand to the local market or bank.^[6]

Good friends with Taiwan-based Hong Kong actor Peter Ho. The two share an interest in body building and often post pictures on their Weibo accounts of their workout sessions.

Television series

Filmography

Discography

Studio Album

Television themes

Music Video Appearances

References

External links

• (Chinese) Dylan Kuo HIM page
• (Chinese) Dylan Kuo Facebook page
• (Chinese) Dylan Kuo Weibo page