Eleven Yao Yi-ti (Chinese: 姚以緹; born 25 February 1986) is a Taiwanese actress best known for her dual roles as Shanny and Hsiao Ching in the black comedy film The Gangs, the Oscars, and the Walking Dead (2019), for which she won Best Supporting Actress in the 22nd Taipei Film Awards. She went on to star in lead roles in the television series Code 2 (2019) and More Than Blue: The Series (2022), the latter earning her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 57th Golden Bell Awards. Yao has also garnered recognition in Asia for her performances in the Japanese crime film Mr. Long (2017) and Korean action film Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (2022).
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Biography
Yao was born on 25 February 1986, in Taitung City, Taiwan. Her father is an Amis native. She attended and graduated from the Department of Ball Sports at Taipei Physical Education College, specializing in handball. Yao was elected as a reserve member of the national team and participated in several Asian tournaments. She was discovered by an agent, who was seeking new actors with a unique vibe, while playing basketball at TPEC in her freshman year. Yao began her acting career in 2006 while continuing her training as a handball player, initially considering acting as a hobby. She landed a major role in the 2007 Chinese Television System television series Daughter of the Sun. She became tired of the monotonous routine of sports training and developed a passion for performance, leading her to quit her athletic career and pursue acting when she was 20.
In 2014, Yao made her feature film debut as Chiao Chien-wei, a coolheaded military pilot, in the war film Dream Flight. She subsequently starred in leading roles in the 2015 television series Leo and the 2016 television movie The Cat in the Closet. Yao was also invited to star in the Japanese crime film Mr. Long alongside Chang Chen in 2016, an experience that deeply impacted her emotionally, as she found it challenging to detach from her character's emotions even two months after filming had ended. In 2018, Yao co-starred with Wu Kang-ren in the mystery film High Flash, and took on a leading role in the 2019 sci-fi thriller series Code 2.
