Xia Yu was born on 28 October 1976 in
Qingdao,
Shandong Province. His father was once an actor and then became a painter. Xia was initially discovered by
Jiang Wen who cast him in his semi-autobiographical film
In the Heat of the Sun (1994). Despite being chosen partly because of his facial resemblance to a young Jiang, Xia's spirited and moving performance as a renegade youth conquered audiences. Xia wanted to study drama after his first film, he was accepted into the
Central Academy of Drama. After completing his studies there, Xia remained an active force in Chinese
cinema as well as
television, appearing in many films and
television series. His earlier film credits also includes
Roots and Branches (2001) and
Where Have All the Flowers Gone (2002). Like many of today′s actors in China, Xia Yu also has an extensive TV career, appearing on such shows as ''
Records of Kangxi's Travel Incognito, Classical Romance
and Sky Lovers. Most of Xia′s TV roles have been secondary ones until he was cast to star in The Ugliest In the World'', where he played Liu Baoshan, a genius of the Qing Dynasty who gave up the opportunity to become an official in order to become a clown. Aside from local productions, Xia has also starred in two Hollywood films;
China: The Panda Adventure (2001) and
The Painted Veil (2006). Xia also starred alongside
Shilpa Shetty in the Indian-Chinese film
The Desire (2010). In 2016, he took on the role of
Wong Jack-man in the Bruce Lee biopic
Birth of the Dragon, produced by American filmmaker
George Nolfi. In 2017, Xia reunited with
Waiting Alone director
Dayyan Eng in fantasy comedy film
Wished, which became one of the highest-grossing domestic comedy titles for the summer season. In 2019, it was announced that Xia will play
Shen Gongbao in the upcoming fantasy film series
Fengshen Trilogy directed by
Wuershan. The film is based on the novel
Investiture of the Gods. ==Personal life==