Han Geng

Biography

Han Geng (born February 9, 1984) is a Chinese singer and actor. He became a trainee under S.M. Entertainment in 2001, debuted in 2005 as a member of the K-pop boy band Super Junior, and became the leader of its subunit Super Junior-M in 2008. In 2009, he filed a lawsuit to terminate his contract with S.M. Entertainment and returned to China; the dispute was settled in 2011. After his popularity in China peaked in the early 2010s, Han transitioned toward an acting career from 2015 onward, appearing in films such as So Young (2013), Ex-Files (2014), and Ex-Files 3 (2017).

== Early life == Han is of ethnic Nanai descent from Northeast China, and was born in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China. He attended Guang Hua Elementary School from 1990 to 1996. At age 12, Han was accepted into the dance department at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing, and left his family and his hometown in the Northeastern part of China to pursue studies in dance. During his years at the university, he mastered all 56 types of traditional dances from China's 56 ethnic groups, received training in ballet and martial arts, and performed in many countries including the United States and Russia. In 1999, as a representative of the Nanai ethnic group, Han participated in China's anniversary parade.

== Career ==

=== Pre-debut === In December 2001, Han signed up for the H.O.T. CHINA Audition Casting, a casting audition that was hosted by S.M. Entertainment. After the audition, Han began to work briefly as a cameo actor in short low-budget Chinese films to earn a salary before entering college. In late August 2002, Han was notified that he had been accepted into S.M. Entertainment. After Han's graduation at the Central University for Nationalities, he was sent to Korea and received private lessons in singing, dancing, and acting, as well as learning the Korean language.

=== 2005–09: Super Junior, Super Junior-M and activities in China ===

On February 6, 2005, Han was officially announced to be part of the all-boy rotational musical group Super Junior as a member of its first generation, Super Junior 05. On March 20, 2008, Han was announced to be one of the torch bearers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also sung the Beijing Olympic theme song "Beijing Welcomes You". On April 8, 2008, Super Junior's third subgroup Super Junior-M made its debut in China, with Han as the leader of the group. The subgroup released their first Chinese-language studio album, Me, on May 2, 2008. In 2009, Han starred in CCTV's 12-episode drama Stage of Youth. This marks his acting debut. On December 21, 2009, Han filed for contract termination from SM Entertainment and ceased activities with both Super Junior and Super Junior-M.

=== 2010–12: Solo debut === On July 27, 2010, Han launched his first album The Heart of Geng. The album contained ten tracks, including the title song "My Logo", which was produced by American producer Craig Williams and Dutch producer Rene Van Verseveld. Travis Payne and Stacey Walker, along with Michael Jackson's "This Is It" dancers participated in creating the choreography for the song. The Heart of Geng topped various major music charts throughout Asia, and sold more than 350,000 copies within only 2 months after its release. A special celebratory version of the album was released on October 1 with a limited number of 20,000 copies. Han also held his first two solo concerts in Beijing on July 17 and 18. Han made his debut on the big screen in the US-Chinese collaboration action film My Kingdom. The film is directed by Gao Xiaosong, produced by Andre Morgan and features action directing by Sammo Hung. Han also played Deng Xiaoping in the government-funded film The Founding of a Party and starred in the film The First President as Hu Han Min, the secretary of Sun Yat-Sen. On July 19, 2012, Han released his second album Hope in the Darkness which contained singles "Wild Cursive", "Clown Mask" and "Betrayal of the Soul". Han also kicked off his "Hope in the Darkness World Tour" on July 28, 2012, at Beijing MasterCard Center.

=== 2013–present: International recognition and acting === On November 11, 2012, Han was announced as the winner of the MTV European Music Awards' Best Worldwide Act, earning him his first major international award. On March 24, 2013, Han attended Nickelodeon's 2013 Kids' Choice Awards at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, where he won the Favorite Asian Act award. Han was then cast in Zhao Wei's directorial debut So Young. The film was released on April 26, 2013, and became a major success at the Chinese box office, grossing over 700 million yuan (US$115 million). The same year, he was cast in Chinese-French film Seek McCartney, about a romance that centers on a relationship between two gay men. The film is China's first gay film and premiered in Cannes in 2014. In 2014, Han starred in romantic comedy film Ex-Files, which went on to become one of the most successful romantic comedy series. Han was praised for his comedic timing and acting performance. The same year, he made a cameo appearance in the Hollywood blockbuster Transformers: Age of Extinction. On May 27, 2014, Han won the World's Best Male Artist award at the World Music Awards' World's Best Male Artist. He was also the first Chinese singer to be invited to perform for the World Music Awards. In 2015, Han starred alongside Fan Bingbing in the erotic romance film Ever Since We Love, adapted from the novel Everything Grows by Feng Tang. In 2016, Han starred in the South Korean-Chinese co-production film Sweet Sixteen, a bitter coming-of-age romance. The same year, he starred in fantasy comedy film A Chinese Odyssey Part Three directed by Jeffery Lau, playing the titular role of Sun Wukong. Han also competed on and won the 2nd season of The Amazing Race with teammate Wu Xin. On November 30, 2015, Han released his third album San Geng. He announced that this would be his final album release, and he will focus on acting in the future. In 2016, Han announced that he will be starring in the science fiction drama Hard Memory. He also acts as the executive producer of the series. In 2017, Han was cast in the fantasy suspense film The Great Detective. In July, he featured in the documentary film The Founding of an Army, playing the role of Zhang Xueliang. The same month, he was cast in the film adaptation of popular video game Dynasty Warriors, playing the role of Guan Yu. In December, Han reprised his role as Meng Yun in the third installment of the Ex-file franchise. In 2018, Han starred in hacker-themed thriller Reborn. He also participated as a captain on the first season of the hip hop show, Street Dance of China. In 2019, he returned as a captain for Street Dance of China 2. In 2020, Han starred in modern romance drama Still Not Enough. Han participated in the period drama series "Legacy" which will premiere exclusively on WarnerMedia's regional streaming service HBO Go at an unspecified date later in 2021. "Legacy" is a 1920s-set drama that chronicles the lives of the wealthy Yi family and three sisters who vie to inherit their father's shopping mall business. In a time of upheaval and uncertainty, the three sisters set aside their differences to keep the business afloat and save their family. That same year he was a captain for Street Dance of China 4. In 2022, he returned for his 4th season of Street Dance of China as a captain once again in Street Dance of China 5.