Wang was born in
Luoyang,
Henan, on 24 December 1958, where his parents came to for participating in the construction of key projects. The art enlightenment teacher was his uncle, who taught Wang to play the
flute. In 1971, he forced to take part in the
Down to the Countryside Movement, and he was admitted to the Shiyan Peking Opera Troupe. In the troupe, due to he liked the sound of the
French horn in
Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, he asked to learn to play it, and he was arranged to study in Hubei Song and Dance Troupe. During that time, he was admitted to
Wuhan Conservatory of Music and learned to play the French horn, compose music and other skills. Later, he was accepted to
Shanghai Theatre Academy. After graduating in 1986, Wang pursued advanced studies in the
United States. He applied to study at
Louisiana State University, but was not accepted because of his poor English. For living expenses, he had to do odd jobs to earn money, washing dishes, delivering takeout, weeding, etc. Later, he was admitted to the Department of Drama and Performance,
Boston University, earning a master's degree in 1989. After university, he was recruited by the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. == Acting career ==