Godfrey Gao (September 22, 1984 – November 27, 2019) was a Taiwanese-Canadian model and actor. He has acted in several Taiwanese and Chinese productions, and his most known for his role as Magnus Bane in the film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, he moved to Vancouver, Canada with his family as a child. He would then return to Taiwan as an adult and started working as a model. From there his profile grew: He would become the first Asian man to star in a Louis Vuitton campaign in 2011, was featured in The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones and landed the starring role in Chinese television drama Remembering Lichuan in 2016.
On November 27, 2019, he collapsed while participating in a Chinese reality television show, Chase Me. Reportedly, he had been filming for 17 hours straight, and performing highly physical sports competitions for the program. He was rushed to the hospital, where three hours of resuscitation attempts failed and was pronounced dead. He was 35 years old. He leaves behind his parents, two older brothers, and his girfriend, model Bella Su.
Selected Filmography
Film
- All About Women (2008) - X
- Toy Story 3 (2010) - Ken, voice (Mandarin)
- 101 Proposals (2013) - Xu Zhuo
- The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) - Magnus Bane
- Wedding Bible (2015) - Chikai
- Min & Max (2016) - Zhang Xiao
- My Other Home (2017) - Yang Xi Ya
- Love is a Broadway Hit (2017) - Song Wei Dong
- The Jade Pendant (2017) - Tom
- Legend of the Ancient Sword (2018) - Xia Yize
- Shanghai Fortress (2019) - Yang Jiannan
Television
- The Kid from Heaven (2006) - Luo Yixiang
- Chao Ji Pai Tang Super (2006) - Big Mac (cameo)
- Love Queen (2006) - Wang Zhixun
- Wanna Be A Tough Guy (2007) - Tiger
- Bull Fighting (2007) - Tank
- Momo Love (2009) - Chen He
- Volleyball Lover (2010) - Bai Qianrui
- Odd Perfect Match (2010) - Ying Kaitai
- The Queen of SOP (2012) - Gao Ziqi
- Hello Gorgeous (2013) - Li Zhen
- Never Give Up Dodo (2013) - Xiu Fei
- God of War, Zhao Yun (2015) - Lü Bu
- Remembering Lichuan (2016) - Wang Lichuan
- The Gravity of a Rainbow (2019) - Ji Huang
- We Are All Alone (2020) - Mo Bei
