Wu Lei (, born December 26, 1999), also known as Leo Wu, is a Chinese actor. He started appearing in commercials at the age of three. In 2007, he made his acting debut as Nezha in the series The Legend and the Hero. He is known for his supporting roles in Nirvana in Fire (2015) and The Whirlwind Girl (2015) and for his starring roles in Fight Breaks Sphere (2018), Tomb of the Sea (2018), The Long Ballad (2021), and Love like The Galaxy (2022). Wu ranked 63rd on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2017, 29th in 2019 and 47th in 2020.
Early life and education Wu Lei was born in Shanghai on December 26, 1999 and was raised in Chengdu, Sichuan. In 2018, Wu entered Beijing Film Academy, placing first on the entrance examination.
Career 2002–2013: Beginnings Wu Lei was scouted when he was 3. Thereafter, he appeared in the commercial of Chinese dietary supplement brand Huang Jin Da Dang in 2002. Subsequently, he was featured in more than fifty commercials and made minor appearances in shows for the next two years.
He took on his first scripted role in the Chinese television drama The Young Warriors (2006). That same year, he began his first professional training in acting. During one of the classes, a director came to scout for young actors. Coincidentally, Wu was in the restroom and almost missed the scouting. Determined to not miss this opportunity, he raced after the leaving crew to have his photo taken. To his surprise, he was chosen, and subsequently made his debut in The Legend and the Hero (2007) where he portrayed Nezha.
Wu gained attention for his roles in the children television dramas Home with Aliens (2009) and Naughty Boy Xiaotiao Ma (2010), for which he won the Outstanding Child Actor award at the Flying Apsaras Awards. He further raised his profile with his role in wuxia drama Little Heroes (2012).
By the age of 10, he has already appeared in twenty to thirty shows.
2014–present: Rising popularity and transition to lead roles In 2014, Wu appeared in the wuxia series Romance of the Condor Heroes produced by Yu Zheng. In 2015, he starred in the web drama Pal Inn and endorsed the video game of the same name. This was followed by a supporting role in youth sports drama The Whirlwind Girl and historical drama Nirvana in Fire. In 2017, Wu took on his first small screen leading role in the fantasy web series Magic Star. He also co-starred in the British-Chinese action thriller S.M.A.R.T. Chase directed by Charles Martin; as well as Chinese-New Zealand production Into the Rainbow.
In 2018, Wu starred in the fantasy epic Asura. Then he appeared in the fantasy adventure series The Tomb of Sea, written by the author of Daomu Biji; and Battle Through the Heavens, a fantasy action drama based on the popular xianxia novel of the same name. The same year, he acted in the historical film Shadow by Zhang Yimou. Forbes China listed Wu under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields. In 2019, Wu was part of the ensemble cast of the romance film Adoring.
In 2020, Wu appeared in the historical fantasy drama Guardians of the Ancient Oath, and esports drama Cross Fire. In 2021, Wu co-starred in the acclaimed historical series The Long Ballad alongside Dilraba Dilmurat; his portrayal received high praise, further boosting his popularity. The same year, he was featured in coming-of-age film Upcoming Summer by Leste Chen, the drama Our Times and war film Windriders directed by Wu Jing as part of the four-part anthology My Country, My Parents. While filming a scene on set in August 2021, a prop malfunctioned and exploded in Wu's face. Only after finishing filming that day did he head to the hospital. There, it was revealed that numerous wounds were left on his face from the shrapnel, some of which almost ended up in his eyes. He has made a recovery since then.
In 2022, he starred in the popular historical romance series Love like The Galaxy alongside Zhao Lusi. Wu Lei was cast in the films Dwelling by the West Lake by Gu Xiaogang and All Ears by Liu Jiayin, and the metropolitan romance drama Nothing but You along with Zhou Yutong. On February 22, 2022, He was named Loewe global brand ambassador. In 2024, he starred in the popular romantic drama Amidst a Snowstorm of Love alongside Zhao Jinmai.
Filmography
Film Year English title Chinese title Role 2006 Legend of Northern Wei Tuo Baxun 2009 Zone of Death Xiao Hu Shun Shun and Yang Yang Yang Yang 2010 Heaven Eternal, Earth Everlasting young Mingyuan 2017 S.M.A.R.T. Chase Dingdong Tang Into the Rainbow Xiao Cheng 2018 Asura Ruyi Shadow Yang Ping 2019 Zhui Ji 坠机 (Short film) Adoring宠爱 Chen Leyun 2021 Upcoming Summer 盛夏未来 Zheng Yuxing2023Papa学爸Xiao WangAll Ears不虚此行Xiao Yin2024Dwelling by the West Lake草木人间He MulianThe Hutong Cowboy爆款好人Zhang Xiaojing2025Dongji Rescue东极岛Ah DangTBADecent Things入型入格Ye HongwangThe Decisive Moment群星闪耀时TBA
Television series Year English title Chinese title Role Network 2006 The Young Warriors young Yang Yanzhao CTV Everlasting Regret Mao Mao Shanghai Channel, Jiangsu Channel The Senior General Chen Geng Zhi Fei CCTV Five Disciples of Master Huang Huang Liwei CTS, Guangzhou TV Hu Jia Han Yue 胡笳汉月 Tuoba Xun 2007 The Legend and the Hero young Nezha Jilin TV Daughter-in-Law's Tears young Minghui Sichuan Channel The Sword and Chess of Death Guan Yunbao Shun Niang Chen Jingshui CTS, Shanghai TV 2008 Pearl Love young Majun Hangzhou TV Fu Gui Zai Tian Cheng Yan CNTV Ning Wei Nu Ren Si Chen Pretty Pearl Wen Jing CCTV, CTS Life and Death Xiao Zhi Zhengzhou TV Mother Married for Me young Wai Kaicheng / Hong Jiahui Chuan Niang Wen Hui Jia Yang Shanghai Channel Xue Zhong Hong young Gu Zhihao / Gu Zhizhong Spring Goes, Spring Comes Shandong TV 2009 Justice Bao Crown Prince Renzong Mysterious House Qiao Wei Qinghai TV Home with Aliens Tang Buku Guangdong TV Nan Wei Nu Er Hong Ding Zhongxing Jiangsu Channel Mother and Wife Gao Yaozong Anhui TV 2010 Who Knows the Female of the Women Fu Xi'er Jiangsu Channel Blood War Gu Daxin Anhui TV Horizon True Heart Xiao Bao 2011 Love is a Little Blue Mao Mao Zhejiang TVMo's Mischief Ma Xiaotiao CCTV Utopia Office Mu Xingnan Youku Family Reunion young Liu Shiwen TVB The Emperor's Harem young Wang Zhi Zhejiang TV 2012 Little Heroes Zhao Yang (Da Zhangfu) Guangdong TV Grandma Loves Me Once Again Huang Yingsheng Anhui TV My Mother is an Angel Jiang Xiaoqiang Jiangxi TV 2013 The Victor young Chengyi Jiangsu Channel The Mother's Heart young Wang Minghui/Wang Tiancheng Jiangxi TV Shuo Hao Bu Liu Lei Ling Tianyou Liaoning Channel Red Sedan Chair young Che Wenxuan Huzhou Channel 2014 Stepmother's Spring young Tiexiong Guangdong Channel The Romance of the Condor Heroes young Yang Guo Hunan TV 2015 Pal Inn Li Xiaoyao / Yi Pin Youku The Whirlwind Girl Hu Yifeng Hunan TV Nirvana in Fire Fei Liu Beijing TV, Dragon TV The Legend of Qin Zi Ying (Voice cast) Hunan TV 2016 The Imperial Doctress Zhu Jianshen Dragon TV, Jiangsu TV Far Away Love Meng Xiang Dongnan TV, Guangdong TV The Classic of Mountains And Seas Shi Peipei Hunan TV The Whirlwind Girl 2 Hu Yifeng 2017 Magic Star Zhan Xiongfei Youku 2018 The Tomb of Sea Li Cu Tencent Battle Through the Heavens Xiao Yan Hunan TV, CCTV 2020 Guardians of the Ancient Oath Baili HongshuoHunan TV Shi Cha Hai 什刹海 Xiang Dong CCTV Cross Fire Lu Xiaobei Tencent 2021 The Long Ballad 长歌行 Ashile Sun Shandong TV, Tencent Our Times 启航当风起时 Xiao ChuangTencent 2022 Love like the Galaxy星汉灿烂 Ling BuyiTencent 2023Nothing But You爱情而已Song SanchuanTencent, CCTV2024Amidst a Snowstorm of Love在暴雪时分Lin YiyangTencent, Dragon TVNorthwest Years西北岁月Xi Zhongxun (young)Tencent, CCTVrowspan=2 Nirvana in Fire Season 3琅琊榜3Uncle Cao Guo (young)The One剑来Chen Ping'anTencent
Variety shows Year English title Chinese title Role 2015 Smart 7 Cast member 2016 Twenty-Four Hours 2017 Twenty-Four Hours Season 2 72 Floors of Mystery 2018Who's the Keyman我是大侦探 2019The Inn 亲爱的·客栈
Discography
Year English title Chinese title Album 2017 "When I was Young" 儿时 "The First Lesson" 第一课 First Class of New Semester OST 2019 "We Are All Dream Chasers" 我们都是追梦人 Performance for CCTV New Year's Gala "Adoring" 宠爱 Adoring OST 2020"Cross Fire" 穿越火线 Cross Fire OST 2024"Love & Shine"Amidst a Snowstorm of Love OST
Accolades Awards and nominations Year Award CategoryNominated work Result 201128th Flying Apsaras Awards Best Young ActorMo's Mischief 20157th China TV Drama Awards Most Promising Actor Leo Wu4th iQIYI All-Star CarnivalMost Popular Newcomer2016 16th Top Chinese Music AwardsMost Popular TV Idol 19th Huading AwardsBest Newcomer Nirvana in Fire 10th Tencent Video Star AwardsRising Artist of the Year Leo WuYouku Young Choice Awards Most Talented Idol 2017Netease Crossover AwardsMost Popular Actor L'Officiel Fashion Night Influence Award Hot Era Reader 11th Tencent Video Star AwardsDoki Influential Artist of the Year 2018 Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony Popular Actor Award L'Officiel Night Generation Breakthrough Award25th Cosmo Beauty Ceremony Beautiful Young Idol 12th Tencent Video Star Awards Rising TV Actor 2019 China Literature Award CeremonySuper IP Actor 2018-2019 Golden Data Entertainment AwardWeb Drama Views Contribution Award (Actor)The Tomb of Sea Next Generation Influencers for Global Philanthropy Young Philanthropy Star Leo Wu Cosmo Glam Night Person of the Year (Dream) 26th Huading AwardsTop Ten Favorite Actors16th Esquire Man At His Best Awards Quality Artist of the Year 2020The 8th Vancouver Chinese Film FestivalBest Popularity Awards2021Weibo Movie NightExpected Actor of the Year20227th China Online Video Academy AwardsBest Actor18th Chinese American TV Festival - Golden Angel AwardsOutstanding Actor of the YearLove Like The Galaxy2023Weibo NightMost Eye-Catching Actor of the Year36th Tokyo International Film FestivalBest ActorDwelling By The West Lake4th New Era International Film FestivalMost Challenging Actor in the New Era All EarsGQ Men of the YearRising Actor of the YearLeo WuTencent Video Star NightOutstanding Artist of the Year2024Weibo NightQuality Actor of the YearLeo WuChina Quality TV Drama Awards Quality Influence Drama Star of the Year2025Tencent Video Star Night 2024Influential TV Drama Actor of the YearLeo WuWeibo Night 2024Quality Actor of the YearCMG 3rd Annual Chinese TV Drama FestivalBreakthrough Actor of The Year
Forbes China Celebrity 100 Year Rank 201763rd201929th 202047th
References
External links