Shawn Dou (; born 15 December 1988) is a Chinese Canadian actor best known for his role Laosan in film Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) and Yan Xun in costume drama Princess Agents (2017). He is married to Laurinda Ho, daughter of Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho.
Life and education Dou was born in Xi'an. His parents migrated to Canada when Dou was ten years old. Dou attended David Lloyd George Elementary School in Vancouver. There, Dou learned Karate and won the championship for two years consecutively. After graduating from DLG in 2001, he attended Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Vancouver, BC, and graduated from there in 2006. He returned to China and was accepted by the Beijing Film Academy in 2008. When Dou was in his second year of studies, he participated in the auditions for Under the Hawthorn Tree and was subsequently picked as the male lead.
In April 2019, Dou was reported dating with Laurinda Ho, daughter of Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho. The couple married in Bali on 18 April 2023.
Career Dou rose to fame for his role in Zhang Yimou's film, Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010). He then starred in the romance drama film, The Seal of Love (2011), directed by Huo Jianqi. Dou starred in films of various genres, most notably, Wolf Totem (2015) and Youth Dinner (2017), which won him the Best Actor award at the 11th Festival Du Cinema Chinois De Paris.
Dou gained mainstream recognition for his role as the antagonistic prince Yan Xun in the highly popular costume drama, Princess Agents. Thereafter, he starred in the fantasy epic drama, Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy.
In 2019, Dou starred in the romance dramas See You Again, alongside Tiffany Tang; as well as Ten Years Late. The same year, he co-starred in the action thriller Breakout: Sky Fire.
In 2020, Dou reunited with Tiffany Tang in the historical drama, The Legend of Xiao Chuo, portraying Han Derang. In 2022, Dou headlined the republican romance drama Love in Flames of War. From 2022 to 2024, Dou portrayed Dai Wei in TV series Ode to Joy season 3 to 5. In 2025, Dou starred in the costume suspense drama, Kill My Sins, alongside Liu Shishi.
Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes/Ref.2010 Under the Hawthorn Tree Jian Xin (Laosan) 2011 The Seal of Love Qu Qiubai Racing Legends Ye Haocheng The Flowers of War Soldier Cameo The Allure of Tears Chen Yi 2012 Nightfall young Wong Yuen-yeung Dangerous Liaisons Dai Wenzhou 2014 Urban Games Zhang Weibai 2015 Wolf Totem Yang Ke The Queens Ma Ke To the Fore Qiu Tian Time to Love 14th Prince Beautiful 2015 Short film2016 Everybody's Fine Guan Quan The Last Race Xu Niu 2017 Youth Dinner Ding Chenggong 2019 Skyfire Zheng Nan 2024A Legend傳奇Huo QubingTBA Saga of Light Houyi
Television series Year English title Chinese title Role Network Notes/Ref.2017 Princess Agents Yan Xun Hunan TV Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy 九州· Muru HanjiangiQiyi, Tencent, Youku 2019 From Survivor to Healer Yan Shuren See You Again Ye Jiacheng Beijing TV Ten Years Late Jin Ran iQiyi, Tencent 2020The Legend of Xiao ChuoHan DerangTencent, BTV2021 New Generation: Bomb Disposal Expert Liu Xishi Dragon TV, BTV Tears in Heaven Lei Yuzheng iQiyi, Tencent, Youku 2022 Love in Flames of War Xiao Beichen Youku, Zhejiang TV Ode to Joy 3 Dai WeiTencent Video, Dragon TV 2023 Ode to Joy 4 Dai WeiTencent Video, CCTV2024 Ode to Joy 5 Dai Wei2025Kill My Sins掌心Yuan ShaochengYoukuThe Litchi Road长安的荔枝Lu HuanTencent Video, CCTVTBA Chao Gan Mi Gong Zhuang MingchengTencent Video City of Burns焰火明城Shen YaniQiyiThe Protagonist主角Liu HongbingTencent Video, CCTV
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultsRef.2010Tencent Video Star AwardsMost Promising Film Actor Under the Hawthorn Tree5th BQ Celebrity Score AwardsFilm Newcomer of the Year2011 Sina Online Award Ceremony Newcomer of the Year China Screen Ranking 1st Harbin Film Festival Most Commercially Valuable New Actor 14th Huabiao Awards Outstanding New Actor (Overseas) 5th FIRST International Film Festival Most Anticipated Newcomer Grand Ceremony of New Forces Most Popular Film Actor Sohu Entertainment Award New Face Award rowspan=4 Baidu Fudian Awards Hottest New Actor China Power Fashion Awards Most Beautiful Dazzling Youth 6th BQ Celebrity Score Awards Rising Actor2012 2nd China Film Director's Guild Awards Best Actor The Seal of Love 12th Chinese Film Media Awards Most Anticipated Actor The Allure of Tears 2016 11th Festival Du Cinema Chinois De Paris Best Actor Youth Dinner 2019 Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival Best ActorFrom Survivor to Healer, See You Again, Ten Years Late
References
External links Shawn Dou on Sina Weibo Shawn Dou on IMDb