Luo Yunxi, also known by his English name Leo Luo, is a Chinese actor and singer. He graduated from the Shanghai Theater Academy, majoring in ballet. Luo became known for his role as the younger counterpart of the male protagonist He Yichen in the hit romance dramaMy Sunshine. He achieved breakthrough with the fantasy romance drama Ashes of Love, where his role as an ambiguous antagonist received predominantly positive reviews.
Early life and education
Luo Yunxi was born Luo Yi and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. When he was three, his father, who was a dance teacher, discovered his talent and started to teach him dancing. Luo was trained professionally in ballet for 11 years. In 2005, Luo was admitted to both Beijing Dance Academy and Shanghai Theater Academy, and chose to enter the latter. In 2008, Luo and his classmates participated in the sixth Lotus Award National College Dance Competition in China and performed the group ballet dance “Tchaikovsky Rhapsody”. As a part of the competition, Luo also performed a single impromptu solo “The Burning Flame”. The “Tchaikovsky Rhapsody” group ballet dance received the golden medal of the competition. After graduation, he worked as an instructor at the School of Dance of Macao Conservatory. During this time, he participated in the stage performance of the contemporary ballet “Flying to the Moon” and served as one of the lead dancers. The dancing drama was selected to be performed during the celebration of 10th anniversary of Macau's transfer of sovereignty in 2009.
Career
2010–2013: Singing and acting debut
In 2010, Luo debuted as part of the three-member boy group JBOY3 with the single "Promise of Love". The group released its second single “Gravity” on March 23, 2011, and the third single ”Walking Emoji” on July 26, 2011. JBOY3 disbanded in 2012. Luo then teamed up with one of the members Fu Longfei to form a duo named Double JL, and they released the single "JL" in April 2012 and the second single "Us" in August 2012. As a group, Double JL participated in various activities; including auditioning for the singing reality competition show Asian Wave, and hosting an internet variety showMusic ShowShowShow from December 2012 to March 2013. They also participated in a few television gala events, such as 2013 Sichuan TV New Year Gala Concert and Shanghai Dragon TV New Year Gala Concert. Double JL disbanded in 2013. Luo made his acting debut in 2012, when he was cast in the romance film The Spring of My Life opposite Tan Songyun. The film was released in theaters in 2015. In 2013, he was cast in his first drama Flip in Summer, which was broadcast in 2018.
2014–2017: Solo activities and Rising popularity
In 2014, Luo starred in the science fiction campus web drama Hello Aliens. The same year, he signed a contract with the agency :zh:拉风娱乐|Lafeng Entertainment. In 2015, Luo became known to audiences with his role as the younger counterpart of the male protagonist He Yichen in the hit romance drama My Sunshine. Following the airing of the drama, Luo experienced a significant rise in popularity. In 2016, Luo was cast as the protagonist Qin Ming in the crime suspense drama Voice of the Dead, an adaption of one of the books in the Medical Examiner Dr. Qin novel series. The same year, he starred in historical fantasy drama Fox in the Screen as a fox demon in love with a human. In 2017, Luo co-starred in the fantasy romance drama A Life Time Love where he reunited with My Sunshine co-star Janice Wu. He then played the lead role in the medical drama Children's Hospital Pediatrician. He also voiced the role of Flame in the animated filmDragon Force, which was released in September 2017.
2018–present: Breakthrough
In 2018, Luo starred in the hit fantasy romance drama Ashes of Love as Runyu, an ambitious immortal who sets out to avenge his mother's unfair death. The drama topped television ratings and was one of the most watched dramas online, and Luo's portrayal of a morally ambiguous antagonist received critical acclaim and led to increased recognition for him. The same year, he was cast in the modern romance drama Broker along side Victoria Song as a mysterious hacker with a hidden motive. In 2019, Luo starred in the historical romance drama Princess Silver as a gentle but distant prince who suffers from a poisoned illness. The same year he was cast in the romance workplace drama Love is Sweet alongside Bai Lu. He plays the arrogant but charming male lead Yuan Shuai. The series is set to air in the fall of 2020. In 2020, Luo was cast in the xianxia drama Immortality alongside Chen Feiyu, based on the novel The Husky and His White Cat Shizun. The same year, he starred in the wuxia romance drama And The Winner Is Love alongside Chen Yuqi. He plays Shangguan Tou, a graceful yet imposing young master. Leo also sung the soundtrack of the drama, titled "Fate Begins".
