Hu Bing (born February 14, 1971) is a Chinese actor, model, singer, designer and producer. He started as a fashion model in 1990 and been a top male model in China for over 20 years. He won the "Top Chinese Male Model" title in 1991 and was the first Chinese male model to walk the international fashion runway. Since then, Hu has been the image for many top international fashion names such as Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, etc.
Hu started his transition from the fashion runway to the TV screen in 1996 and became a household name after the success of the TV drama Love Talks (1999), in which he played the male leading role. Continuously from 2000 to 2005, Hu was voted one of the four most popular young actors in China (Hu left China to further strengthen his performing aptitude in an American institute in 2005). Hu is known for his on-screen portrayals in both China and Japan as an actor, and as a fashion icon all across East Asia.
Early life
Hu was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. His parents are from military backgrounds and he has an older brother Hu Dong (胡东), who's also an acclaimed Chinese actor, model and singer. After high school, Hu attended the Zhejiang Provincial Athletic Institute, where he majored in health education and sports psychology.
Hu started training to become a professional athlete at the age of 11. He became a member of the Zhejiang Provincial team at the age of 14 and won the Chinese National Rowing Championship in the men's single scull event at the age of 16 (the youngest national champion for the event). At age 17, he was drafted into the Chinese National Rowing Team. He was also a member of the Chinese Olympics Team during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Hu's professional athletic career came to an end when he suffered a back injury due to overtraining in 1990 at the age of 19, and became a fashion model soon after.
Career
In 1991, Hu was invited by the Zhejiang Silk Trading Company to be the model for their men's catalog. In 1991, sponsored also by the Zhejiang Silk Trading Company, he entered the Chinese National Young Models Competition representing the province of Zhejiang and won first place. In 1992, Hu joined the Chinese Fashion Models Association and became a professional runway model. In 1993, filling in last minute for Valentino's Beijing World Trade Centre Show, Hu's outstanding performance won worldwide recognition.
With the success of his modeling career, Hu frequented major magazine covers and became the spokesperson for international luxury name brands such as Valentino, Louis Vuitton, and Toshiba in TV, billboard, and magazine ads. In late 1994, he was signed by the Hong Kong United Artists Entertainment Company who helped him publish his first album and gave him his first acting roles in the TV dramas The New York Storm (1996) and The Everlasting Dream (1997).
Hu became a Chinese household name after he starred in the hit Chinese TV drama Love Talks (1999). Hu's status was further solidified with the back-to-back successes of the TV dramas Pink Girls (2001) and Saying Goodbye (2002). Between 1997 and 2004, Hu starred in over ten TV dramas and numerous films, making him one of the highest in productivity among Chinese actors at the time.
2005 marked the peak of Hu's acting career. His honors included the "Ten Most Popular TV Stars" at the China Television Arts Festival for "Top Ten Best"; and the Best Idol Singer and Top 10 Songs at the Southeast Music Chart Awards. In late 2005 he moved to the United States and studied under a renowned American performance arts mentor who is also a mentor to many A-list Hollywood stars.
Hu's foothold in the Japanese entertainment world was planted in early 2005 as the host of a Japanese traveler's TV show. He strengthened his reputation in Japan over the years as a TV show host (also co-hosted talk show "Chinese Angel" with Japan's top female celebrity Norika Fujiwara in 2011) and the star in a series of Japanese TV dramas and films, eventually becoming a household name in Japan as well. In 2011, Hu was selected by the Oscar-winning Japanese producer Toshiaki Nakazawa to co-star alongside the world-renowned Japanese mega-star Naoto Takenaka in the film Ken and Mary (2011).
In 2008, he returned to the East Asian entertainment scene after accepting the leading role in the French-Hong Kong co-production, The Back (2010), produced by the Oscar-winning French director/producer Luc Besson and directed by the internationally renowned Chinese 6th generation director, Liu Bingjian. The film obtained critical success as it won a "Best Picture" nomination and a "Best Actor" nomination for Hu during the 2010 International Rome Film Festival.
Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes1997 婚礼定在回归日 1998 Spring Cactus真情狂爱Ming Dao 2001 Stowaway惊天大逃亡 Chi Ming 2005Kesennuma Legend 气仙沼传说 It Had to Be You 后备甜心Wei Zhian2010The Back背面 Hong Tao2012Harpoon惊魂游戏 Zheng Ming 2013Pink Lady粉红女郎·爱人快跑 Wang YongchengKen and Mary雨后的夜空 Mei LiMy Boyfriends 我的男男男男朋友 Wang Yongcheng 2014 You Are The One恋者多喜欢 Lin Hao Who Moved My Dream 谁动了我的梦想Steven2016 Papa 洛杉矶捣蛋计划Lin Jieming2017 Legend of the Naga Pearls 鲛珠传Emperor2018 Air Strike 大轰炸 Hospital Dean Special appearance 2019 The Bugle from Gutian 古田军号
Television series Year English title Chinese title Role Notes1996New York Tempest纽约风暴 Sun Lijun 1997 Bonds of Blood千秋家国梦 Xu Yixian 无花的夹竹桃 1999Love Talks真情告白Gao Jian 2000Home缘来一家人 Xu Jun 2001 锵锵儿女到江湖Shi Dawei 2003Pink Ladies粉红女郎Wang HaoDouble Sounding Cannon 双响炮 Ying Xiong 2004Ultimate Plan绝对计划 Shen Cong Special 24 Hours非常24小时 Meng ShaojieFate in Tears and Laughter 啼笑因缘 Fan Jiashu2005City Lady摇摆女郎Yu Genbao 2006 Adeiu 真情告别 An Chen Women Gang女人行 My House Never Closes 我家不打烊 Guo WenqiangIf the Moon has Eyes 如果月亮有眼睛Di Chengxun2007Super Boys & Girls超级男女 Jin Long 2008OL JapanOL日本 Li Dalong 2009 遥远的羁绊Liu Cheng 2010Unbeatable无懈可击之美女如云 Teacher He 2012Come Home亲爱的，回家 Zhu XiaoBandit of the Brothers东北往事之江湖儿女 Fang Zhenyu Drama Go! Go! Go! 姐姐立正向前走Fu Yunkai 2013Women's Weapon女人的武器 Ma Jian 2014If I Love You如果我爱你 Shi Ying 2015Mom Go Go Go妈妈向前冲 Zhou Kaiwen Famous Detective Di Renjie名侦探狄仁杰 Li Yao Love Yunge from the Desert 大汉情缘之云中歌 Emperor Han The Dream Come True美梦成真 Hou Shaoyang 2016 Ice Fantasy 幻城Fire King Mom Go Go Go 2妈妈向前冲冲冲 Jiang Kaiwen 2017 Princess Agents 楚乔传Ma Daoya Game of Hunting 猎场Che XiufengStairway to Stardom 逆袭之星途璀璨Wang Siqin 2018 Legend of Yunxi 芸汐传Tian WeiSwords of Legends 2古剑奇谭2Yue Shaocheng Mr. Swimmer游泳先生Coach 2020 Love Advanced Customization 爱情高级定制 Su Yushan New Horizon 壮志高飞Ren Yuan Legend of Fei 有翡 Li Zheng 2021 Love Scenery 良辰美景好时光 Ding Jiayun
Discography Year English title Chinese title Notes1999True Colors真本色 2001"Treasure Relationships"重感情 2005 青叶城恋呗 2006"All New"2006全新胡兵 2008"You're With Me""Unknowingly"不知不觉
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