---
name: "Winston Chao"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/winston-chao"
fi1m_id: "winston-chao"
imdb_id: "nm0152061"
tmdb_id: 57054
wikidata_id: "Q710548"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "9 June 1960"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-10-05T14:34:56.066966+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Winston Chao

## Identity

Winston Chao

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/winston-chao
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** winston-chao
- **IMDb ID:** nm0152061
- **TMDB ID:** 57054
- **Wikidata ID:** Q710548
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Chao, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q710548, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152061/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57054

Actor. Born 9 June 1960 in Taiwan.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 9 June 1960, Taiwan
- **Active:** 1993–2018
- **Also known as:** Winston Chao Wen-Hsuan, 趙文瑄, 赵文瑄, Zhao Wenxuan
- **Frequently works with:** [Ang Lee](https://film.one/person/ang-lee.md), [James Schamus](https://film.one/person/james-schamus.md), [Sihung Lung](https://film.one/person/lung-sihung.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 82 (2), 2010s 49 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 71 to 68 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 2, Drama 2, Romance 2, Action 1, Horror 1, Science Fiction 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $578m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Chao, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q710548, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152061/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57054

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Eat Drink Man Woman*](https://film.one/film/eat-drink-man-woman.md) (82), [*The Wedding Banquet*](https://film.one/film/the-wedding-banquet.md) (81)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Meg*](https://film.one/film/the-meg.md) (49)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Winston Chao

> Winston Chao came to acting from the cabin crew of an airline with no training at all, and his gift is the one that job rewards: looking composed while something is wrong. Ang Lee saw it twice. Later casting mostly asked for the composure and forgot the strain.

Watch Gao Wai-Tung being congratulated. In *The Wedding Banquet* (1993) Winston Chao plays a gay Taiwanese man who agrees to a marriage arranged to keep his parents happy, and for most of the film he is required to look pleased about it. The performance is a matter of holding a face while things go wrong behind it. What Chao does, and what Gua Ah-leh and Lung Sihung do around him as the parents, is show how much work the pleased face costs. His discomfort is always readable. He never reaches past it for a bigger gesture, and the film does not need him to.

He had never acted before. He had studied mechanical engineering, spent eight years as a China Airlines flight attendant, and was preparing to study Western literature when he answered Ang Lee's casting call. Lee coached him through the lead, then brought him back the following year as Li Kai in *Eat Drink Man Woman* (1994), a smaller part in a busier film; his scenes with Wu are the most adult thing in it. Stanley Kwan cast him as Tong Zhen-bao in *Red Rose White Rose* (1994). After that the career moved to Hong Kong and the mainland, and into history: he has played Sun Yat-sen five times on film and television, from *The Soong Sisters* (1997) to *1911* (2011).

Some who saw the debut in 1993 found it adequate and no more, a man doing what the script required. We think that is exactly what the script required. Wai-Tung is a character whose whole predicament is that he cannot afford a visible feeling, and an actor who supplied one would have broken the film. We spent most of *The Wedding Banquet* wanting someone to let him stop smiling, and we never once believed the smile, which is the point. It is the most useful thing a former flight attendant could have brought to the part.

The later casting mostly wanted the composure and not the strain under it. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father, is a role for poise and gravitas, and the authoritative supporting parts in Chinese productions since ask much the same. He has turned up in English as well, in *Skiptrace* (2016) and as Dr Minway Zhang in *The Meg* (2018), and as the villain Tony Lee opposite Rajinikanth in the Tamil film *Kabali* (2016), and he has made his stage debut in *Crocodile*. We have not seen enough of that work to judge it. A man who began by hiding his life from his parents has spent much of his career being the father of a nation. The two Ang Lee films remain the ones to see, and the first of them is where you can watch what he is for.

## Biography

Winston Chao Wen-hsuan (born 9 June 1960) is a Taiwanese actor. He came to international attention for his performance in the 1993 film *The Wedding Banquet*, in which he played Gao Wai-Tung. Before acting, he worked for seven years as an airline steward and had no formal training; director Ang Lee cast him in the lead role and provided coaching.

Chao is also known for his roles in *Eat Drink Man Woman* (1994) and *Red Rose White Rose* (1994). He has portrayed Sun Yat-sen five times on screen, notably in *The Soong Sisters* (1997), *Road to Dawn* (2007) and *1911* (2011). His later film credits include *Kabali* (2016), *Skiptrace* (2016) and *The Meg* (2018). He has received a Lily Award for Best Actor (2006) and a SIFF Award for Most Popular Actor (2007).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *The Meg* (2018), Fi1m 49, as Zhang — [page](https://film.one/film/the-meg.md)
- *Eat Drink Man Woman* (1994), Fi1m 82, as Li Kai — [page](https://film.one/film/eat-drink-man-woman.md)
- *The Wedding Banquet* (1993), Fi1m 81, as Gao Wai-Tung — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wedding-banquet.md)

## Complete filmography (76)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *活色生香* (2026), Actor
- *Bloody Smart* (2026), series, Actor
- *Daughter's Daughter* (2024), as Old Johnny
- *廉石传说* (2023), series, Actor
- *Lost in Baimu* (2023), series, as Lin Yong
- *Be Somebody* (2021), Actor
- *I Dreamed A Dream* (2021), Actor
- *Palace of Devotion* (2021), series, as Zhao Ting Mei
- *Dear Designer* (2020), series, Actor
- *Pegasus* (2019), as Wan Heping
- *金牌律师之生死劫* (2018), as Ye Xun
- *Piano Lesson* (2018), as A.I.
- *The Meg* (2018), as Zhang — Fi1m 49, [page](https://film.one/film/the-meg.md)
- *Lost in 1949* (2018), series, as Qiao Mogeng
- *钢琴课* (2018), Actor
- *The Legend of Kaifeng* (2017), series, as 宋真宗
- *Kabali* (2016), as Tony Lee
- *Skiptrace* (2016), as Victor Wong
- *Xuan Zang* (2016), as Emperor Taizong of Tang
- *Chinese Wine* (2016), as 华老板
- *Surprise* (2015), as Murong Hao
- *Legend of Mi Yue* (2015), series, as Mi Shang / King Wei of Chu
- *Da Shun* (2015), series, as 唐尧
- *Lonely Gourmet: Taipei* (2015), series, as Wu Lang
- *情战* (2015), Actor
- *Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal* (2015), as Zhang Daoxian
- *The Last Emperor* (2014), series, Actor
- *往日情怀* (2014), series, as Ichiro Miura
- *Legend of SouthWest Dance and Music* (2013), series, as 异牟寻
- *Return of the Heiress* (2013), series, as Pan Weisen
- *The Palace* (2013), as Kangxi Emperor
- *Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties* (2012), series, as Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of Sui
- *Great Rescue* (2012), Actor
- *Stand By Me* (2012), series, Actor
- *Solitary Gourmet* (2012), series, as 伍郎
- *The Legend of Wu Zetian* (2011), series, as Li Zhi (Middle-aged)
- *Defend Army Soul* (2011), series, Actor
- *1911* (2011), as Sun Yat-sen
- *Tian Xing Jian* (2011), series, as Zhou Zixuan
- *潇湘路一号* (2010), series, Actor
- *Confucius* (2010), series, Actor
- *Archrivals* (2009), series, as 文为均
- *大国医* (2009), series, Actor
- *Cold Nights* (2009), series, as Wang Wen Xuan
- *Archrivals* (2008), series, as 文为均
- *Tang Paradise* (2007), series, as 李隆基
- *Road to Dawn* (2007), Actor
- *大爆炸* (2006), series, Actor
- *Those were the Days* (2005), as Hu Weichen
- *国宝* (2004), series, Actor
- *Harmony* (2004), series, as 王鸿图
- *钱王* (2002), series, Actor
- *The Touch* (2002), as Yin's Father
- *孙中山* (2001), series, as 孙中山
- *Palace of Desire* (2000), series, as 薛绍/张易之
- *家园* (1999), series, as 林怀中
- *A Little Life-Opera* (1998), as Sanpeng
- *Burning Harbor* (1998), as Sato
- *Island of Greed* (1997), as Minister Feng
- *Intimates* (1997), as Wah
- *Destination: 9th Heaven* (1997), as Chin Ching
- *The Soong Sisters* (1997), as Sun Yat Sen
- *千秋家国梦* (1997), series, as 许拜庭/许崇智
- *Tonight Nobody Goes Home* (1996), as Chen Siming
- *In a Strange City* (1996), Actor
- *Thunder Cop* (1996), Actor
- *Lei Yu* (1996), series, Actor
- *Crazy Little Thing Called Love* (1995), Actor
- *Xiu Xiu* (1995), as Li Zhao
- *I Want to Go on Living* (1995), Actor
- *Red Rose White Rose* (1994), as Tung Zhenbao
- *Eat Drink Man Woman* (1994), as Li Kai — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/eat-drink-man-woman.md)
- *In Between* (1994), as Wong Man Fai
- *The Wedding Banquet* (1993), as Gao Wai-Tung — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wedding-banquet.md)
- *Top Cool* (1993), Actor
- *The Legend of Nezha*, as Master Tai Yi

## Gallery

- ![Winston Chao](https://film.one/media/person/83356/gallery-1f206d8e3301.jpg) Winston Chao — Image via TMDB
- ![Winston Chao](https://film.one/media/person/83356/gallery-d07e4d637ff1.jpg) Winston Chao — Image via TMDB

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/winston-chao