Kai Ko
Birth nameKo Chia-kai (柯家凱)
Birth date18 June 1991 (age 35)
Birth placePenghu County, Taiwan
EducationChinese Culture University
OccupationActor, singer, film director
Years active2011–present
AwardsFull list
Kai Ko
AliasKe Zhendong
OriginTaiwan
GenreMandopop
LabelSony Music
Kai Ko
T柯震東
S柯震东
PojKoa Chìn-tong
PKē Zhèndōng
JO1 Zan3 Dung1

Kai Ko Chen-tung (traditional Chinese: 柯震東; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koa Chìn-tong; born Ko Chia-kai on 18 June 1991) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and film director.

Career

Ko rose to fame with You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011), for which he won Best New Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Awards[1] and 12th Chinese Film Media Awards. He released his debut studio album, Be Yourself, the same year.[2]

Following the success of the Tiny Times film series, his career was disrupted in 2014 when he was arrested in Beijing for marijuana possession, along with Jaycee Chan, leading to their blacklisting in mainland China. Ko's scenes in the Chinese films Monster Hunt and Tiny Times 4 were removed.[3] His advertisement deals and his variety show engagements were also cancelled.[3]

Ko returned to acting with The Road to Mandalay (2016) in Taiwan. In 2020, A Choo, a film he had acted in before the 2014 arrest, was released in Taiwan after he acquired the distribution rights from the Chinese copyright holder.[3][4]

In 2021, Ko worked with Giddens Ko again in Till We Meet Again. In 2022, Ko won Best Actor at the 24th Taipei Film Awards for his role in the film.[5]

Personal life

Relationships

Ko dated Cherry (黃慶宜), a TV showgirl, before he became famous for You Are the Apple of My Eye. He made headlines when his romance with pop singer Elva Hsiao, who is 12 years senior to him and a bigger star, broke in 2012. They split in 2014. Ko then has an on-and-off relationship with singer Tia Lee since 2014.[6][7]

Drug use

Ko had appeared in a 2012 anti-drug advertisement in Taiwan in which he and other celebrities declared, "I don't use drugs".[8][9]

On 18 August 2014, Ko was arrested along with Jaycee Chan by the Beijing Police for drug use, amid a broad anti-drug crackdown on the Chinese celebrities. Police said both actors tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug. Ko was placed in administrative detention for 14 days.[3] He was released on 28 August and faced another round of interrogations by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office after returning to Taiwan.[10]

On 29 June 2018, NARS invited Ko to a promotional event in Taipei. After backlash on Weibo, NARS China issued a statement on 1 July expressing regret over the Taiwan team’s decision and apologizing; Ko deleted his social media posts of the event the same day.[11]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011You Are the Apple of My EyeKo Ching-tengGolden Horse Awards for Best New Actor
Chinese Film Media Awards for Best New Actor
2012When a Wolf Falls in Love with a SheepTung / Wolf
2013Machi ActionFace (stand-in)Cameo
TogetherA-tzu
Tiny TimesGu Yuan
Tiny Times 2Gu Yuan
Dive in 2013Ke DongShort film
2014Dive in 2014Ke DongShort film
Tiny Times 3Gu Yuan
2015Monster HuntScenes edited out due to drug use conviction[3]
Tiny Times 4Gu YuanScenes edited out due to drug use conviction[3]
2016The Road to MandalayAh Guo
2017Mon Mon Mon MonstersStudent on busCameo
2020A ChooWang Yi-zhi[4]
2021MoneyboysFei
Till We Meet AgainAh LunTaipei Film Awards for Best Actor
GritCroc / Xiao Yu
2022Mama BoyHsiao Hung
Bad EducationDirectorial debut
2023Miss ShampooLong Legs
2026We WishChi-hua
Kung Fu

Television series

YearTitleRoleNotes
2022The Exorcist
2024Let's Talk About ChuChou Ping-ke
Imperfect UsYu Xiang-li
2026Agent from AboveHan Jie[12]

Discography

TitleAlbum detailsTrack listing
Be Yourself
有話直說[13][14]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
201148th Golden Horse AwardsBest New PerformerYou Are the Apple of My Eye
201212th Chinese Film Media AwardsBest New Performer
6th Asian Film AwardsBest Newcomer
Changchun Film FestivalBest Actor
201653rd Golden Horse AwardsBest Leading ActorThe Road to Mandalay
2017Youth Film Handbook AwardsMale Actor of the Year
8th To Ten Chinese Films FestivalBest Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
58th Asia-Pacific Film FestivalBest Actor
202158th Golden Horse AwardsBest Leading ActorMoneyboys
202224th Taipei Film AwardsBest ActorTill We Meet Again[5]
59th Golden Horse AwardsBest New DirectorBad Education
202426th Taipei Film Awards[15]Best Supporting ActorMiss Shampoo
6th Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards[16]Best Supporting ActorImperfect Us
59th Golden Bell Awards[17][18]Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film

References

  1. ^ "zh:柯震東獲金馬獎最佳新演員" [Kai Ko wins Golden Horse for Best New Actor] (in Chinese). Yahoo HK! News. 2011-11-26. Archived 17 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  2. ^ "zh:Be yourself (有話直說) by 柯震東" [Be yourself (有話直說) by Kai Ko] (in Chinese). KKBOX. 2011-11-21. Archived 11 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  3. ^ Davis, Rebecca (2021-07-16). "‘Moneyboys’ Taiwanese Star Kai Ko Dismisses Comeback Talk: ‘I Never Left’". Variety. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  4. ^ "A Choo". The Asian Cinema Critic. 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  5. ^ "台北電影獎完整得獎名單！柯震東、陳湘琪封帝后 《月老》連拿3大獎". Ettoday. 2022-07-09. Archived 2022-07-10 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ "與李毓芬3年情變！那些年柯震東曾經追的女孩原來有這些". ELLE HK. Archived 2 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  7. ^ 娛樂組 (2018-11-20). "【斷開戀姐癖】柯震東二度分合李毓芬 最終破局原因曝光" (in Traditional Chinese). 鏡週刊 Mirror Media. Archived 2 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  8. ^ "China's anti-drug crackdown ensnares Jackie Chan's son, Taiwanese actor Ko Kai". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  9. ^ "Taiwanese actor apologizes for drug offenses". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  10. ^ "【獨家】不只柯震東吸毒？ 藝人染毒風暴恐擴大". Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  11. ^ "NARS彩妆邀请柯震东代言遭痛批 为何网友不买账？". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
  12. ^ Allie Hsieh (November 25, 2022). "Netflix《乩身》7大看點！史上最貴台劇、柯震東為「三太子」王柏傑賣命降妖，宛如東方版「驅魔神探」！" (in Chinese). Cosmopolitan. Archived February 9, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "‎有話直說 by Kai Ko on Apple Music". Apple Music. 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  14. ^ "有話直說 - 台灣索尼音樂娛樂股份有限公司". Sony Music Taiwan. 2011-11-11. Archived 9 April 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  15. ^ "台北電影獎／《周處除三害》入圍13項大贏家 阮經天、周渝民搶影帝". Yahoo News. May 15, 2024. Archived May 15, 2024 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ Naman Ramachandran (August 30, 2024). "Wong Kar-wai's 'Blossoms Shanghai,' Netflix's 'Cigarette Girl' Among Busan Streaming Awards Nominees – Global Bulletin". Variety. Archived 6 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  17. ^ Charlie Lee (September 11, 2024). "【2024金鐘獎】金鐘59完整入圍名單" (in zh-TW). Harper's Bazaar Taiwan. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Guo Yuru (October 19, 2024). "金鐘59迷你劇集男配角獎 柯震東奪得" (in zh-TW). Central News Agency (Taiwan). Archived October 20, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 20, 2024.