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Godfrey Gao

In this Chinese name, the family name is Gao.
Godfrey Gao
高以翔
Gao in 2017
Born
Tsao Chih-hsiang (曹志翔)

(1984-09-22)22 September 1984
Taipei, Taiwan
Died27 November 2019(2019-11-27) (aged 35)
Ningbo, China
Cause of deathCardiac arrest
Resting placeChin Pao San, Jinshan District, New Taipei City
Nationality
  • Taiwanese
  • Canadian
Other namesGodfrey Tsao
Gao Yixiang
Kao Yi-hsiang
Alma materCapilano University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • model
Years active2004–2019
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Chinese name
Chinese高以翔
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGāo Yǐxiáng
IPA[kǎʊ ì.ɕjǎŋ]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJKo Í-siông
Birth name
Chinese曹志翔
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinCáo Zhìxiáng
Wade–GilesTsʻao2 Chih4-hsiang2
IPA[tsʰǎʊ ʈʂî.ɕjǎŋ]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJChô Chì-siông

Godfrey Gao (Chinese: 高以翔; pinyin: Gāo Yǐxiáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ko Í-siông; 22 September 1984 – 27 November 2019) was a Taiwanese-Canadian model and actor. Described as Asia's first male supermodel,[2][3] Gao was the first male Asian model to appear in a campaign for Louis Vuitton. As an actor, he was known for his roles as Magnus Bane in the 2013 film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and for his leading role in the Chinese television series Remembering Lichuan (遇見王瀝川).

Early life

Gao was born Tsao Chih-hsiang in Taipei on 22 September 1984.[4][5][6] Gao's father is a Taiwanese of Shanghainese descent,[7] and worked as a general manager at Michelin Taiwan; his mother is a Malaysian of Peranakan Chinese descent from George Town who won the Miss Penang beauty pageant in 1970.[8] The youngest of three boys,[9] Gao was moved with his brothers to North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where his parents raised their boys during his childhood.[9] He attended Queensbury Elementary School and Argyle Secondary School,[10] and later studied at Capilano University[11] where the 6'4" (1.93m) Gao played basketball for the school's team.[9]

Career

Gao returned to Taiwan to work as a model in 2004, and was managed by JetStar Entertainment.[12][13] Gao and fellow male models Sphinx Ting, Victor Chen, and Lan Chun-tien were collectively nicknamed the "Fashion F4", and jointly released a book in 2009.[9] In 2011, he became the first Asian model for the fashion brand Louis Vuitton.[11][14]

Gao began appearing in minor roles in Chinese television dramas in 2006, and had his first starring role in the 2010 television drama Volleyball Lover.[9] In 2013, he made his American film debut as Magnus Bane in the film adaption of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.[15] His starring role in the 2016 drama Remembering Lichuan (alongside Jiao Junyan, and others) was widely acclaimed, and earned him the nickname of the "nation's husband" in Chinese media.[9][14] Gao's other notable credits include the 2015 film Wedding Bible alongside Korean actress Yoo In-na,[16] and the 2017 romantic comedy film Love is a Broadway Hit, alongside Wang Likun, Wang Chuanjun, Yuan Li and Naren Weiss.[17]

Death

On 27 November 2019 at about 1:45 am China Standard Time, Gao collapsed in Ningbo while filming Chase Me, a sports reality television series broadcast on Zhejiang Television.[11][18] He was taken to a hospital, where after attempts at resuscitation for nearly three hours, he was pronounced dead.[19][20] Gao's death was confirmed in a statement on the social media site Sina Weibo by his agency JetStar Entertainment.[21][14][20]

The producers of Chase Me said in a statement that Gao died from cardiac arrest.[22][23][24] Gao's death prompted increased scrutiny of the series, which involves contestants competing in physically strenuous challenges late at night,[25] and of the safety standards of Chinese reality television productions more broadly.[26] Gao had reportedly been filming for 17 hours at the time of his collapse;[27] actor and director Xu Zheng stated that the series' producers "must be held responsible" for what he claimed were poor health and safety conditions.[28] In a statement on Sina Weibo, Zhejiang Television stated that they were "deeply regretful and sorry for the irreparable and serious consequences that this incident has caused, and are willing to take up responsibility."[29]

Gao's body was moved to a funeral home in Ningbo on 28 November 2019,[11][30][31] and returned to Taiwan on 2 December 2019.[32][33] Gao's funeral, a Buddhist ceremony per the request of Gao's mother,[34] was held in Taiwan on 15 December 2019.[35][36][37] His remains are interred at Chin Pao San.[38]

Filmography

Film

Title Year Role Notes Ref.
All About Women 2008 X [39]
Toy Story 3 2010 Ken[a] Mandarin version, Voice [40]
101 Proposals 2013 Xu Zhuo Main Role [41]
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones 2013 Magnus Bane Supporting Role [42]
Wedding Bible 2015 Chikai Main Role [43]
Min & Max 2016 Zhang Xiao Main Role [44]
My Other Home 2017 Yang Xi Ya Supporting Role [45]
Love is a Broadway Hit 2017 Song Wei Dong Main Role [17]
The Jade Pendant 2017 Tom Main Role [46]
Legend of the Ancient Sword 2018 Xia Yize Main Role [47]
Shanghai Fortress 2019 Yang Jiannan Supporting Role [48]
Lost in Russia 2020 Michael Cameo

Television series

Title Year Role Notes Ref.
The Kid from Heaven 2006 Luo Yixiang Second Lead [49]
Chao Ji Pai Tang Super 2006 Big Mac Cameo [49]
Love Queen 2006 Wang Zhixun Second Lead [49]
The Magicians of Love 2006 Xiao Ling's boyfriend Cameo [49]
I Want To Become A Hard Persimmon 2007 Luo Xin Hu/Tiger Supporting Role [50]
Bull Fighting 2007 Tank Supporting Role [51]
Momo Love 2009 Chen He Supporting Role [52]
Volleyball Lover 2010 Bai Qian Rui Main Role [53]
Odd Perfect Match 2010 Ying Kai Tai Main Role [citation needed]
The Queen of SOP 2012 Gao Zi Qi Main Role (Doesn't appear in ep. 16, 18–23 & 29) [51]
Hello Gorgeous 2013 Li Zhen Main Role [54]
Never Give Up Dodo 2013 Xiu Fei Main Role [55]
Only If I Love You 2014 Yan Jun Special Guest Ep. 1, 4, 5, 10–12 & 20
God of War, Zhao Yun 2015 Lü Bu Supporting Role Ep. 1, 2, 4, 7–11, 16, 19, 25, 30, 31 & 36 [56]
Remembering Lichuan 2016 Wang Lichuan Main Role [57]
The Gravity of a Rainbow 2019 Ji Huang Main Role [58]
We Are All Alone 2020 Mo Bei Main Role [59]
We Are All Alone: Special 2020 Mo Bei Main Role

Awards

Year Nominated work Category Award Result Notes Ref.
2017 The Jade Pendant Most Popular Actor Golden Angel Awards Won [60]

Notes

  1. ^ Mandarin voice-over for Taiwan release.

References

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  3. ^ Coonan, Clifford (25 June 2011). "Model citizen: Meet Godfrey Gao, Asia's first male supermodel". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  4. ^ Kwon, Crystal (13 April 2011). "Interview With Godfrey Gao. Louis Vuitton Model From Vancouver". Vancitybuzz.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  5. ^ Ap, Tiffany (27 November 2019). "Model-Actor Godfrey Gao Dies on Game Show Set". WWD. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Canadian model the new face of Louis Vuitton | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
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  8. ^ 高以翔逝世享年35歲 中國錄影昏倒搶救無效. Apple Daily (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Lee, Jan (27 November 2019). "Godfrey Gao dies while filming: A look back on his rise to fame from Fashion F4 to 'nation's husband'". The Straits Times. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  10. ^ Li, Wanyee (27 November 2019). "'He was one of us': Actor Godfrey Gao mourned by Vancouver's Asian acting community where he blazed a trail". Toronto Star. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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  30. ^ 高以翔遗体已移送到殡仪馆 拟火化后再运返台湾. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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