William Gao (Chinese: 高鑫; pinyin: Gāo Xīn; born 20 February 2003) is an English actor and musician. He is known for his debut role as Tao Xu in the Netflix series Heartstopper (2022–present), for which he was nominated for a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance.[2]
William Gao | |||||||||
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高鑫 | |||||||||
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| Born | 20 February 2003[1] | ||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2016–present | ||||||||
| Musical career | |||||||||
| Instruments |
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| Member of | Wasia Project | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 高鑫 | ||||||||
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Gao and his younger sister Olivia Hardy formed a music duo called Wasia Project in 2019.[3][4]
Early life edit
Gao was born on 20 February 2003 and is from South Croydon.[5][6] He is the son of an English father and a Chinese mother who moved to England in her 20s.[7] He attended the Trinity School,[8] where he completed A Levels in Chinese, music and drama in 2022. He took up classical piano at the age of 11[9] and was a member of Trinity Boys Choir.[10][11] He joined the National Youth Theatre in May 2019.[12]
Filmography edit
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–present | Heartstopper | Tao Xu | Main role |
Theatre edit
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Shakespeare at 400 | Puck | Royal Festival Hall | [13] |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Cobweb | Glyndebourne | ||
| 2022 | The Trials | Xander | Donmar Warehouse | [14] |
Accolades edit
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Heartstopper | Nominated | [15] |
| Gay Times Honours | 2022 | On Screen Trailblazer | Heartstopper | Won | [16] |
References edit
- ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/C3meCTUu4Tm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- ^ Schneider, Michael (November 2022). "Netflix Leads First-Ever Children's & Family Emmy Nominations Tally". Variety. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "The Wasia Project". Hotvox. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ Bhutani, Pankhuri (1 June 2022). "William Gao". Revamp. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Rising Stars: William Gao". The Media Eye. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ O'Connor, Tara (22 June 2021). "Netflix drama Heartstopper to feature Croydon teenager". My London. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Palmer, Hayley (7 May 2022). "Mixed Asian Media–William Gao on Heartstopper, Fusion Music, and Newfound Fame". Mixed Asian Media. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Trinity sixth-former lands role in Netflix's latest teen series". Inside Croydon. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Carpio, Aurora Rose Dawn (11 June 2022). "Artist Spotlight: Netflix Heartstopper actor Will Gao and sister Olivia Hardy on their band Wasia Project". EnVi. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "Trinity Boys Choir enjoy busy festive season". Trinity. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Trinity Steinway Scholar Announced". Trinity. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Sixth Form student performs on live session with National Youth Theatre members". Trinity. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Miraglia, Vanessa (22 April 2022). "Will Gao" (PDF). Viewties. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ Millward, Tom (29 June 2022). "Heartstopper's Joe Locke and William Gao among the cast of The Trials at Donmar Warehouse". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Matt Webb, Mitovich (1 November 2022). "Emmys: Mysterious Benedict Society, Sneakerella, Heartstopper, Sweet Tooth Lead Children's & Family Nominees". TVLine. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Clark, Conor (25 November 2022). "GAY TIMES HONOURS 2022: Here are all your winners". Gay Times. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
External links edit
- William Gao at IMDb
