Leo Wu

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.

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. 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 Adoring宠爱 Chen Leyun The Hutong Cowboy爆款好人Zhang Xiaojing 2025Dongji Rescue东极岛Ah Dang TBADecent Things入型入格Ye Hongwang The Decisive Moment群星闪耀时TBA

Television series

Variety shows

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

Forbes China Celebrity 100 Year Rank 201763rd 201929th 202047th