Jerry Yan (Chinese: 言承旭; Liao Yang-Zhen, born January 1, 1977), born Liao Yang-zhen (Chinese: 廖洋震), is a Taiwanese actor, model and singer. He rose to fame with his role in the TV series Meteor Garden (2001), after which he formed the boyband F4 with his co-stars. His other notable TV series include Loving, Never Forgetting (2014) and Count Your Lucky Stars (2020).
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Early life
Jerry Yan was born in Taoyuan, Taiwan on 1 January 1977. He is of Atayal and Hakka descent.
Career
1998-2001: Early modeling
Yan became a model after winning both the 1998 TVBS Modelling Competition and Men's UNO modeling competition. He filmed advertisements and starred in various music videos. His acting career began in 2000 with a supporting role in Spicy Teacher.
2001-2004: F4
Yan's breakthrough came in the 2001 Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden and its sequel Meteor Garden II. Yan starred as the leader of four rich, popular boys who terrorize their school (known collectively as the Flower 4, or F4). The drama was a massive success, credited with the establishment of the idol drama genre. Yan, along with the rest of the cast of Meteor Garden, became famous across Asia for their work in the series.
After the series' conclusion, Yan and the other F4 actors Vic Chou, Vanness Wu, and Ken Chu continued to perform together and officially formed the quartet boy band F4. F4 signed a record deal with Sony Music Taiwan and released their debut album, Meteor Rain, in 2001. The following year, they released their second album, Fantasy 4ever.
2004-2009: Solo music career and film debut
By the mid-2000s, the members of F4, including Yan, wanted to pursue solo music. In 2004, the members of F4 went on an unannounced hiatus, and Yan released his debut solo album, Jerry for You. The album was awarded one of the "Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year" at the IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of IFPI. He also won the "Best Album" and "Best Newcomer" (for the Hong Kong/Taiwan region) awards at the China Top Music Awards. The same year, he starred in the Hong Kong romantic comedy Magic Kitchen alongside Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, marking his film debut. In 2006, Yan starred in the critically acclaimed Taiwanese medical drama The Hospital. It was the first Taiwanese series to be imported by Japan's NHK for broadcast. In 2008, Yan starred in the sports comedy Hot Shot alongside Wu Chun of Fahrenheit and Show Lo.
F4 (officially renamed JVKV due to a copyright challenge) released what would be their third and final album, Waiting For You, on 28 December 2007. Yan joined F4 on a Japanese tour for the album, making them the first foreign artists to host seven consecutive concerts in the country. In 2009, F4 officially announced they were disbanding.
2009-present: Continued success in music and acting
In 2009, Yan starred in Starlit, co-produced by China's China Central Television, Taiwan's Jam Entertainment and Japan's Geneon Entertainment. Broadcasting rights to the show were sold to 15 countries. The series also won "Best Overseas Drama" at the Sky Perfect TV Award.
The same year, Yan released his second solo album, Freedom. According to Taiwan's G-Music chart, the album is the ninth best selling album in Taiwan in 2009. The Japanese version ranked No. 2 on the daily chart and No. 8 on the weekly chart in Japan's Oricon Chart. He then held a solo concert in Japan; Due to high demand, two additional shows were added. Yan became the only Taiwanese artist to win "Best International Artist" at the Best Jeanist Awards. He also won "Asia's Most Popular Singer" at the Southeast Music Chart Awards. He also won Best Actor at The Best International Foreign Drama Awards. In 2010, Yan starred in the China-Taiwan co-production Down with Love alongside Ella Chen of S.H.E. Despite having its episodes leaked in Taiwan, the series still reached the first place spot on TV show ratings. He then released his third album, My Secret Lover, which included soundtracks of The Hospital and Hot Shot sung by Yan. At the Yahoo! Asia Buzz Awards, Yan was chosen as "Most Popular Taiwan Singer in Korea". He was also named as one of the "Top 10 Singers" in Singapore and Taiwan. He placed 6th on Channel V's Fresh Asia Charts, being the highest ranking for Taiwanese singers.
In 2011, Yan starred in My Splendid Life, a remake of the 2009 Korean hit drama Brilliant Legacy. The series reached 100 million views on Youku, and topped the ratings charts for numerous weeks. The same year, he won Best Asian Star at the Asia Model Awards held in Seoul. In 2012, Yan starred in Taiwan's costume film Ripples of Desire, directed by Zero Chou. In 2014, Yan starred in the romance melodrama Loving, Never Forgetting opposite Chinese actress Tong Liya, playing a single father. The same year, he starred in the Japanese heist film Lupin III: Necklace of Cleopatra based on the manga of the same name alongside Shun Oguri, the lead actor of the Japanese version of Meteor Garden, and Kim Joon, one of the lead actors of the Korean version of Meteor Garden. In 2015, Yan made a special appearance in the highly popular youth movie Our Times as the adult version of the male protagonist, Xu Taiyu. He then starred in the Chinese television series My Best Ex-Boyfriend. In 2019, Yan was cast in the romance film Matchmaking Battle. In 2020, Yan starred in the romantic comedy drama Count Your Lucky Stars alongside Shen Yue. In 2021, he joined the cast of Call Me By Fire as a contestant. In 2023, Yan starred in the romantic drama The Forbidden Flower with Xu Ruohan.
Personal life
Yan was in an on and off relationship with model Lin Chi-ling for many years. Yan admitted to reuniting with Lin on 10 November 2017. This was neither confirmed nor denied by Lin.
A year later, however, Yan refused to comment and Lin denied dating.
Filmography
Discography
F4 albums
Meteor Rain (2001)
Fantasy 4ever (2002)
Waiting For You (2007)