Doze Niu is a Taiwanese actor, film director, show host, screenwriter, and producer. As a film director, he is best known for the Taiwanese filmMonga.
Early life
Niu was born in Taipei, Taiwan on June 22, 1966. He grew up in the military dependents' village in Gongguan, Taipei. His father's family is from the Manchu Niohuru clan and his mother's family has military background. His grandfather was a general, so he would often accompany him to visit Chiang Kai-shek. When he was 12, his father was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and became bed-ridden for 25 years until his death. His love for Hong Kong cinema may have influenced his later works.
Career
Niu started his acting at the age of 9. He was 17 when he was nominated for his first Golden Horse Award in 1983 for Growing Up. These early successes did not help his career as he grew older. At the age of 19, Niu could not find any roles in films, so he started hanging out with his so-called "corner brothers" and improved his Taiwanese tremendously. By speaking fluent Taiwanese, he was able to get along with the Taiwanese people even though his family originated from Beijing. Niu is the founder of the production company Red Bean Production Co, which was created in August 2002. He participated in all three movies that he directed but vowed to not appear in any more movies so that he can focus entirely on directing. As of 2018, Niu is shooting his new film Pao Ma.
Controversies
Carrier intrusion
In June 2013, he brought Chinese cinematographer Cao Yu into the Navy base in Zhuoying under a false name. The incident was revealed by their photo together on an aircraft carrier. These actions violated certain laws of the Ministry of National Defense. The Navy command investigated it as possible intrusion, which can carry a five-year sentence. On July 16, 2013, Niu admitted his wrongdoing in the court in Kaoshiong and paid NT$ 200,000 for bail. He told the media that he didn't know he broke the law. On March 26, 2014, Niu pled guilty.
Sexual assault allegations
On 5 December 2018, a female crew member on the set of Pao Ma filed a police report accusing Niu of sexually assaulting her the previous month. He was subsequently questioned by police officers of the Da'an Precinct and the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, and was indicted in January 2019.
Features
''What on Earth Have I Done Wrong?!''
What on Earth Have I Done Wrong is the first dramatic film that Niu directed. He was also the main actor. Although the movie is not an autobiography, there are a lot of resemblances between him and the character. The character in the movie is also a director attempting to gather enough money to produce a mockumentory film. The film was initially about the politics in Taiwan; however, Niu took a completely different turn with the film and focused the film on the character. A lot of media commented that this film is a half-biography or a documentary. The film was nominated for the best picture award at the Golden Horse Film Festival and it won the FIPRESCI Prize.
''Monga''
Monga is a gangster movie that takes place in the Wanhua District of Taipei and has a cast of mainly young actors like Mark Chao and Ethan Juan. Niu also participated in the movie as the head of the gang from the Chinese mainland. The movie was a box office success, grossing more than US$ 1.8 million in Taiwan. The film was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Niu directed music videos for Richie Ren Xian-QI's "wu ni jiu wu wo" and Jasmine Leong's "di san zhe".
