Mandy Wei
Mandy Wei (Chinese: 魏蔓; pinyin: Wèi Màn) is a Taiwanese actress, model and host. She started her career as a model and then as a MTV host before starting a career in acting. Wei attended Soochow University and speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese and English.[1]
Mandy Wei | |
|---|---|
Wei in 2017 | |
| Born | 5 September 1984 |
| Nationality | Taiwanese |
| Alma mater | Taipei Municipal Neihu Senior High School Soochow University |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model, host |
| Years active | 2006-present |
| Musical career | |
| Also known as | Wei Man |
Early life edit
Mandy Wei was born on September 5, 1984, in Taipei, Taiwan. She is the older of a two-child family, with a younger brother. She attended Taipei Municipal Neihu Senior High School and later Soochow University, majoring in International Business Trade. She has said she was, and showed images of herself being an overweight teen when growing up, weighing at 65 kg (143 lbs) at her heaviest. Her weight issue caused her to have low self-esteem problems during her teenage years.[2] In her university years she decided to have a change in lifestyle by eating healthy and with daily exercise she was able to slim down to around 50 kg (110 lbs), which is the weight she has maintained.[3][4]
Career edit
Modeling edit
Wei started her career in 2006 as a lingerie and swimwear model. She had modeled for lingerie brand NuBra Taiwan and appeared on spreads for FHM Taiwan and GQ Taiwan magazine.[5] After gaining exposure through her modeling work she was chosen to appear in Jay Chou's 2008 music video Snake Dance (蛇舞).[6]
Hosting edit
In 2008, MTV Taiwan offered Wei a VJ position to host their entertainment news program and music program "MTV FUN Music" (MTV FUN音樂) where she interviewed local musical acts. In 2012, Wei became the host for entertainment gossip news website Apply Daily Taiwan.
Acting edit
Wei got her start in acting as a supporting character in the 2008 idol drama ToGetHer (愛就宅一起), playing "Luo Sha Sha" (羅莎莎), the leader of a university mean girls cliche, who picks on a homely girl played by Rainie Yang and is a huge fan of a celebrity idol Mars, played by Jiro Wang. She spent the next few years playing supporting characters in sometimes forgettable dramas and other times more popular dramas such as 2011 Material Queen (拜金女王).
Her big break came in 2012 when she was cast as "Dr. He Cai Rong" (何采蓉) in SETTV's weekly hit drama Love, Now (真愛趁現在). Originally a minor supporting character, her chemistry with second male lead Bobby Dou (竇智孔) proved to be a winning combination and soon her role was expanded to a main supporting role.
After gaining recognition from Love, Now, Wei was offered her first leading role to star in Sanlih's Sunday night drama Deja Vu (回到愛以前). She played "Xu Hai Lin" (徐海琳), a desperate women on the brink of suicide who gives up the love of the man she loves in order to bring him back to life. The drama started out weak coming in last place during its premiere episode, but soon gained an audience by coming in first place in its time-slot on every episode after that.[7]
With the success of Deja Vu Sanlih offered Wei another leading role in their 2014 Sunday night drama Say Again Yes I Do (再說一次我願意), playing "Shu Xin Kui" (舒芯葵), a woman who marries a man she just met on a whelmed, played by Lin Yo Wei, only to find out she can't stand him and divorces him abruptly only to meet him a few years later and falls in love with him again.[8] For this drama Wei decided to change her look by drastically cutting off her long hair to a near pixie cut.[9] Her appearance was a drastic change from her previous projects, but the drama was another rating success, coming in first place in every episode during its time-slot.
In mid 2015, Wei once again collaborated with Sanlih by starring in a romantic comedy opposite Jasper Liu. Wei played "An Xi" (安希), a caring and independent woman who cannot stand injustice. Since Wei's hair had not grown out since Say Again Yes I Do concluded filming, she had to wear hair extensions to obtain a more youthful appearance since she had flash back scenes when her character was a university student.[10][11]
In 2016, Wei played the lead in Sanlih Friday night drama, Swimming Battle, alongside Kingone Wang. Wei played "He Yu Die" (何雨鰈), a woman who lost her memories.
Filmography edit
Television series edit
| Year | Original title | English title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 愛就宅一起 | ToGetHer | Luo Sha Sha | |
| 十年過後-轉筆高手 | Ten Years Later, Great Writer | Ai Li Si | ||
| 2011 | 拜金女王 | Material Queen | Guo Xiao Qian | |
| 田庄英雄 | Local Hero | Luo Pei Zi | ||
| 萌的或然率 | Meng's Probability | Mandy | ||
| 2012 | PM10-AM03 | PM10-AM03 | Wei Qi | |
| 真愛趁現在 | Love, Now | He Cai Rong | ||
| 2013 | 回到愛以前 | Deja Vu | Xu Hai Lin | |
| 2014 | 真愛配方 | First Kiss | He Tian Tian | |
| 再說一次我願意 | Say Again Yes I Do | Shu Xin Kui | ||
| 2015 | 他看她的第2眼 | When I See You Again | An Xi | |
| 2016 | 飛魚高校生 | Swimming Battle | He Yu Die | |
| 2017 | 櫻桃小丸子 | Maruko TV Drama | Ying Xing Zi | |
| 噗通噗通我愛你 | Memory Love | Jin jia-en | ||
| 2019 | Brave to Love | |||
| 美味滿閣 | Sweet Family | Fang Yi Qian |
Films edit
| Year | Original title | English title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 愛你一萬年 | Love You 10,000 Years | Vivian | |
| 2011 | 燃燒吧！歐吉桑 | War Game 229 | Jolin | |
| 2012 | 女孩壞壞 | Bad Girls | Jessica | |
| 2014 | 極光之愛 | Endless Nights in Aurora | Coco | |
| 2016 | 湄公河行动 | Operation Mekong | Fang Xing Wu's girlfriend | Cameo |
| 2023 | 我的天堂城市 | My Heavenly City | Claire |
As presenter edit
| Year | English title | Original title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | MTV News | ||
| MTV Fun Music | MTV FUN音樂 | ||
| 2009 | MTV 2009 Gongliao Ocean Music Festival | MTV 2009貢寮海洋音樂季 | |
| 2010 | Western Mediterranean Cruise | 發現地中海 | |
| 2012 | Apple Entertainment News | 蘋果娛樂新聞 | |
| I Love The Man | 我愛男子漢 |
Music video appearances edit
| Year | Song title | Details | Video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | So What (當我們開始旅行) |
| Video on YouTube |
| Snake Dance (蛇舞) | Video on YouTube | ||
| 2011 | Noah's Ark (諾亞方舟) |
| Video on YouTube |
| 2012 | Fight For You (為你而戰) |
| Video on YouTube |
| Dad, I Love You (爸, 我愛你) |
| Video on YouTube | |
| 2015 | Fried Rice (炒飯) |
| Video on YouTube |
| Warning (預告) |
| Video on YouTube |
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2013 Sanlih Drama Awards | Viewers Choice Drama Award (with Yao Yuan Hao) | Deja Vu | Nominated |
| Best Actress Award | Nominated | |||
| Best Screen Couple Award (with Yao Yuan Hao) | Nominated | |||
| Best Kiss Award (with Yao Yuan Hao) | Nominated | |||
| Best Crying Award (with Yao Yuan Hao) | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | 2014 Sanlih Drama Awards[14] | Viewers Choice Drama Award (with Lin Yo Wei) | Say Again Yes I Do | Nominated |
| Best Actress Award | Nominated | |||
| Best Kiss Award (with Lin Yo Wei) | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | 2015 Sanlih Drama Awards | Viewers Choice Drama Award (with Jasper Liu) | When I See You Again | Nominated |
| Best Actress Award | Nominated | |||
| Best Screen Couple Award (with Jasper Liu) | Nominated | |||
| Best Kiss Award (with Jasper Liu) | Nominated | |||
| Best Selling S-Pop Magazine Award | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | 2016 Sanlih Drama Awards | Viewers Choice Drama Award (with Kingone Wang) | Swimming Battle | Nominated |
| Best Actress Award | Nominated | |||
| Best Screen Couple Award (with Kingone Wang) | Nominated | |||
| Best Kiss Award (with Kingone Wang) | Nominated | |||
| Best Crying Award (with Kingone Wang) | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ [1] Lady Emperor facebook page. Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ [2] 魏蔓書呆抑鬱猛堆肥 胖妞剷油把帥哥 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ [3] 魏蔓拒见网友：体重飙升担心对方幻灭 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ [4] 女神不好當 魏蔓吞兩個月水煮餐 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ [5] GQ 魏蔓 女主角預告性感最終回 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ [6] 波濤洶湧！安心亞獲今夏最熱比基尼女 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 「回到愛以前」收視2.58再創新高 臉書破十萬 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ [7] PRESS CONFERENCE OF LIN YO WEI & MANDY WEI’S SUNDAY DRAMA, SAY AGAIN YES I DO. Retrieved May 29, 2015
- ^ [8] Mandy Wei Chops Off Long Locks Of Hair For Upcoming Drama, Retrieved May 29, 2015
- ^ [9] 直擊／長得太帥錯了嗎？劉以豪為新劇扮醜 魏蔓：太難了！(in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ [10] 劉以豪為即將上演的華劇 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 28, 2015
- ^ Mandy Wei at douban.com
- ^ Mandy Wei at chinesemov.com
- ^ [11] 2014華劇大賞／燈燈～完整得獎名單在此！. Retrieved May 29, 2015