Biography
Who is Kris Wu?
Early life and real name
Kris Wu was born Li Jiaheng on November 6, 1990, in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Shortly after his birth, he lived with his grandparents in Baiyin, Gansu, until he returned to Guangzhou for primary school at age five. His parents divorced when he was ten years old, and he adopted his mother's surname, Wu, in his Chinese name. That same year, he and his mother immigrated to Vancouver, Canada.
During his school years in Guangzhou, he captained the basketball team at Guangzhou No. 7 Middle School. He later attended schools in Vancouver, including Point Grey Secondary School, and worked as a server at an Asian karaoke parlour to help ease financial pressures on his family.
Career with Exo
In 2007, Kris attended global auditions held by SM Entertainment in Vancouver. He traveled to Seoul, South Korea, that winter and trained for four years before debuting. On February 17, 2012, he was introduced as the eleventh member of the K-pop group Exo.
Exo achieved big international success with their studio album XOXO and the hit song Growl in 2013. The album became a historic bestseller in South Korea. Kris also featured on Exo's album Overdose before leaving the group in 2014.
Solo career and films
Beginning in 2014, Kris pursued a solo career primarily based in China. He released solo tracks and made his film debut in Somewhere Only We Know, directed by Xu Jinglei. He also starred in the box office hit Mr. Six, which closed at the Venice Film Festival.
His international film appearances included roles in XXX: Return of Xander Cage and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets in 2017. He also released music internationally, including his debut album Antares in 2018, featuring the singles Like That and Freedom.
Legal issues
In 2021, Kris was arrested by Beijing police and subsequently sentenced to thirteen years in prison by the Chaoyang District Court for rape and group sex. He was also fined six hundred million Chinese yuan for tax evasion.
After losing his appeal in November 2023, he began serving his prison sentence in China, with plans for deportation following the completion of his sentence.
Birthday and age
Kris Wu was born on November 6, 1990, which makes Kris 35 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Kris shares the date with 25 other famous people.
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