The Most Famous

ACTORS from Taiwan

Icon of occuation in country

This page contains a list of the greatest Taiwanese Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 28 of which were born in Taiwan. This makes Taiwan the birth place of the 33rd most number of Actors behind Hungary, and Iran.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Taiwanese Actors of all time. This list of famous Taiwanese Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Taiwanese Actors.

Photo of Joan Lin

1. Joan Lin (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 64.46, Joan Lin is the most famous Taiwanese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Joan Lin Feng-jiao (born 30 June 1952) is a Taiwanese former actress. She is married to Hong Kong actor and martial artist Jackie Chan.

Photo of Shu Qi

2. Shu Qi (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 61.29, Shu Qi is the 2nd most famous Taiwanese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Lin Li-hui (born 16 April 1976) (Chinese: 林立慧), better known by her stage name Shu Qi (Chinese: 舒淇), is a Hong Kong–Taiwanese actress and model. Widely regarded as one of the most successful Taiwanese actresses of all time, Shu has received three Hong Kong Film Awards and two Golden Horse Awards among many other awards. Shu first gained recognition in Viva Erotica (1996). Since then, she has collaborated with director Hou Hsiao-hsien on three films: Millennium Mambo (2001), Three Times (2005), and The Assassin (2015). She has also played leading roles in arthouse films and box-office hits, including If You Are the One (2008), A Beautiful Life (2011), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013), and Gone with the Bullets (2014). Shu ranked 18th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 23rd in 2014, 32nd in 2015, 48th in 2017, and 90th in 2019.

Photo of Brigitte Lin

3. Brigitte Lin (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 60.89, Brigitte Lin is the 3rd most famous Taiwanese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia (Chinese: 林青霞; pinyin: Lín Qīngxiá; born 3 November 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. Regarded as a screen icon, Lin played a key role in boosting Taiwan’s film production with her romantic heroine roles in the 1970s before transitioning to Hong Kong, where she achieved great success with her androgynous roles in wuxia films. Following her marriage in 1994, she retired from acting and transitioned to writing in the 2000s, publishing four essay collections. In 2023, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 60th Golden Horse Awards.

Photo of Sylvia Chang

4. Sylvia Chang (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 57.85, Sylvia Chang is the 4th most famous Taiwanese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Sylvia Chang (born 21 July 1953) is a Taiwanese actress, singer, director, screenwriter, and producer.

Photo of Barbie Hsu

5. Barbie Hsu (1976 - 2025)

With an HPI of 57.79, Barbie Hsu is the 5th most famous Taiwanese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Shi-yuan "Barbie" Hsu (Chinese: 徐熙媛; pinyin: Xú Xīyuán; 6 October 1976 – 2 February 2025), also known by her stage name Big S (大S; Dà S), was a Taiwanese actress, singer, and television host. She debuted alongside her younger sister Dee Hsu (小S; Xiǎo S) in 1994 as part of the musical duo S.O.S (Sisters of Shiu), which was later rebranded as A.S.O.S (Adult Sisters of Shiu) and transitioned into television hosting. The sisters co-hosted variety shows such as Guess (1996–2000) and 100% Entertainment (1998–2005) before Barbie shifted her focus to acting. As an actor, Hsu rose to pan-Asian fame with her leading role in the television drama Meteor Garden (2001–2002), which is credited with ushering in the idol drama genre and the golden era of Taiwanese television. She went on to star in dramas such as Mars (2004), Corner with Love (2007), Summer's Desire (2010), as well as in the films Connected (2008) and Reign of Assassins (2010). After her first marriage in 2010, she largely stepped back from her career. Hsu ranked 33rd on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 in 2010, 16th in 2011, and 45th in 2012.

Photo of Vivian Hsu

6. Vivian Hsu (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 53.69, Vivian Hsu is the 6th most famous Taiwanese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Vivian Hsu (Atayal: Bidai Syulan; Chinese: 徐若瑄; born March 19, 1975) is a Taiwanese actress, model, and singer. In 1990, at 15, she won first place in a talent show in Taiwan and formed Girl's Team (1991–1993). At 19, she moved her career to Japan, where she became active on variety shows and formed the band Black Biscuits. In 1998, she performed on Japan's NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Since 2003, she has refocused her career in Greater China.

Photo of Ruby Lin

7. Ruby Lin (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 53.63, Ruby Lin is the 7th most famous Taiwanese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Ruby Lin Xin-ru (Chinese: 林心如; pinyin: Lín Xīnrú; born January 27, 1976) is a Taiwanese actress, television and film producer, and singer. Lin began her career as a commercial model in 1993 and gained pan-Asian prominence for her role as Xia Ziwei in the megahit TV series My Fair Princess (1998-1999). She followed the success with TV series such as The Duke of Mount Deer (2000), Romance in the Rain (2001), Boy & Girl (2003), Affair of Half a Lifetime (2004), Beauty's Rival in Palace (2010), The Glamorous Imperial Concubine (2011) and The Way We Were (2014). While focusing mostly on TV, she also starred in films such as The House That Never Dies (2014), The Devotion of Suspect X (2017) and Miss Andy (2020). As a singer, she released six albums, beginning with Heartbeat (1999). Since Lin started her own studio in 2009, she has been producing TV dramas and TV films starring herself, both in mainland China and Taiwan. Her production debut The Glamorous Imperial Concubine (2011) won her Best Producer at the 2012 TV Drama Awards Made in China, and her first Taiwanese drama production The Way We Were (2014) won three out of seven nominations, including Best Television Series at the 50th Golden Bell Awards. According to Apple Daily, Lin was the third highest-earning Taiwanese drama actress in 2011, and the top-earner in 2012 and 2013. Lin ranked 30th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 36th in 2014, 82nd in 2015, and 68th in 2017.

Photo of Chang Chen

8. Chang Chen (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 53.13, Chang Chen is the 8th most famous Taiwanese Actor.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Chang Chen (born 14 October 1976) is a Taiwanese actor. He is best known for his roles in A Brighter Summer Day (1991), Happy Together (1997), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Three Times (2005), Brotherhood of Blades (2014), The Assassin (2015) and The Soul (2021). For his performance in The Soul, he won Best Leading Actor prize at the 58th Golden Horse Awards.

Photo of Richie Jen

9. Richie Jen (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 53.08, Richie Jen is the 9th most famous Taiwanese Actor.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Richie Jen Hsien-chi (Chinese: 任賢齊; pinyin: Rén Xiánqí; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Jîm Hiân-chê, born 23 June 1966), also known as Richie Ren, is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He graduated from the Chinese Culture University's physical education department. Jen debuted in December 1990 with the studio album Ask Again under Synco Cultural Corporation. In 1996, he signed a contract with Rock Records and released the album I Feel Good!, which sold over 160,000 copies in Taiwan. His breakthrough came at the end of 1996 with his fifth studio album, Too Softhearted, which sold over 1,000,000 copies in China and over 2,300,000 copies across Asia. His seventh album, Love Like Pacific Ocean (1998), became one of the best-selling albums of all time in Taiwan with over 1,200,000 copies sold. The record spawned the single "Hey Girl Look Over Here" (對面的女孩看過來), which was named the most popular song of 1998 by Hit FM in Taiwan.

Photo of Jerry Yan

10. Jerry Yan (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 52.75, Jerry Yan is the 10th most famous Taiwanese Actor.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Jerry Yan (Chinese: 言承旭; pinyin: Yán Chéngxù; born Liao Yang-zhen, January 1, 1977) is a Taiwanese actor, model and singer. A former member of boy band group F4, Yan is known for his lead role as Daoming Si in the Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden and its sequel.

People

Pantheon has 28 people classified as Taiwanese actors born between 1953 and 1985. Of these 28, 27 (96.43%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Taiwanese actors include Joan Lin, Shu Qi, and Brigitte Lin. The most famous deceased Taiwanese actors include Barbie Hsu. As of April 2024, 28 new Taiwanese actors have been added to Pantheon including Joan Lin, Shu Qi, and Brigitte Lin.

Living Taiwanese Actors

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Deceased Taiwanese Actors

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Newly Added Taiwanese Actors (2024)

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous