| Marcus Chang | |||||||||||||||
| Native Name: | 張立昂 | ||||||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Chang Wen-chien (張文謙) | ||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 1983 5, df=y | ||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Taipei, Taiwan | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality: | Taiwanese | ||||||||||||||
| Alma Mater: | University of Auckland | ||||||||||||||
| Years Active: | 2014–present | ||||||||||||||
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Marcus Chang (; born 28 May 1983) is a Taiwanese actor and singer-songwriter. He made his acting debut in the film Café. Waiting. Love (2014) and rose to prominence with the television series Back to 1989 (2016). He gained international recognition for his dual-role performance in the romantic fantasy series Lost Romance (2020), for which he won the Asian Star Prize at the 16th Seoul International Drama Awards. His other notable roles include the television series Behind Your Smile (2016-2017), Between (2018), and Trick or Love (2023).
Chang was born on 28 May 1983, in Taipei, Taiwan. He has a younger brother named Jarvis (born 1986). After completing elementary school in Taiwan, Chang was sent to a boarding school. He enrolled at St Peter's College in Auckland, New Zealand. At a young age, he experienced loneliness while living in a foreign country and had to learn independence.[1] He learned to play the piano and guitar at an early age and wrote his first song at the age of 15.[2]
By the age of 17, Chang aspired to become a professional singer-songwriter. Despite his family’s expectations for him to take over the family business, Chang chose to study music academically. In 2005, he graduated from the University of Auckland with a bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts,[3] specializing in popular music, and also studied jazz piano. Additionally, he studied audio engineering at the SAE Institute in Auckland.
After graduation in 2006, Chang returned to Taiwan to help with the family business as his father faced health issues.[4]
In 2007, Chang participated in One Million Star, a Taiwanese televised singing competition.[5]
After completing his one-year mandatory military service in 2009 and following his father’s recovery, Chang decided to leave home due to his family’s opposition to his pursuit of a music career. To support himself, he took on various jobs, including working at Taipei Children’s Amusement Park and Taipei Zoo, where he wore a mascot costume. He also composed songs for children’s theater productions, advertisements, and other projects.
Chang is bilingual, fluent in both Mandarin and English.
In 2012, Chang appeared in commercials for CPC Corporation and Asia-Pacific Interactive Service,[6] which eventually led to his discovery by producer Angie Chai. He was subsequently signed by her management company, Star Ritz International Entertainment.
In 2014, he made his acting debut in Giddens Ko’s film Café. Waiting. Love, portraying the mysterious crush of Vivian Sung’s lead character.[7] In 2015, he was cast in the television series To the Dearest Intruder.
Chang’s breakthrough came in 2016 with his first lead role in the television series Back to 1989, where he played Chen Che, a man from 2016 who accidentally time travels to 1989. His performance brought him widespread recognition, earning him a Best Actor nomination and the Best Potential Award at the 5th Sanlih Drama Awards.[8] [9]
Chang later starred in the television series Behind Your Smile (2016-2017) as Zhao Yi-ting, a businessman motivated by revenge. In 2018, he took on the role of Luo Cheng-kai, an ambitious executive, in the television series Between.
In 2019, Chang appeared in the film Nina Wu and made a cameo appearance in the television series Let's Go Crazy on Live!.
In 2020, Chang reunited with Vivian Sung in the romantic-fantasy series Lost Romance, where he played dual roles: He Tian-xing, a calm and reserved CEO in the real world, and Situ Ao-ran, a tsundere and domineering CEO in a fictional romance novel world. He was highly praised for his ability to convincingly portray two contrasting characters.[10] Lost Romance was named the "Most Popular Taiwanese Drama of the Year" by DailyView.[11] Chang and Sung were lauded for their on-screen chemistry, which greatly contributed to the series’ popularity.[12] [13] Chang’s performance in Lost Romance further expanded his fanbase, particularly among international audiences, and earned him the Asian Star Prize at the 16th Seoul International Drama Awards in 2021.[14]
In 2021, Chang made a surprise cameo appearance in Giddens Ko’s film Till We Meet Again, playing the college boyfriend of Vivian Sung’s character.
In 2022, Chang was hospitalized for 11 days due to a collapsed lung, requiring emergency treatment and an extended recovery period.[15] [16] After regaining his health, he made his return to acting in 2023 with the television series Trick or Love. However, he soon took another hiatus, revealing that he had been struggling with a recurring collapsed lung, which led to pneumothorax.[17]
After making a full recovery in 2024, Chang attended a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, for his upcoming black comedy miniseries A Controversial Entertainer, set for release in 2026.[18] [19]
Chang's debut extended play (EP) Zero (±1) was released by Sony Music Taiwan on 31 August 2018. The EP reflects his dual identity as both an actor and a musician.[20] Following its success, he released his second EP, Oxymoron, on 26 December 2019.
He also held two solo concerts at Legacy Taipei.[21]
Chang also contributed to the soundtrack of television series Lost Romance (2020) with the songs "Lose to You," "Tonight I’m Here," and "Talk To Me."
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | To the Dearest Intruder | Zhang Zen Lun | ||
| 2016 | Back to 1989[22] | Chen Che | ||
| 2016-2017 | Behind Your Smile | Zhao Yi Ting | ||
| 2018 | Between | Luo Cheng Kai | ||
| 2019 | Let’s Go Crazy on LIVE! | Roy | Cameo | |
| 2020 | Lost Romance | He Tianxing Situ Aoran | ||
| 2022 | Fairy in the House | Celestial Star | Cameo | |
| 2023 | Trick or Love | Guan Hengwei | ||
| 2025 | Impression of Youth | Fine Arts Professor | Cameo | |
| TBA | Tony | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Café. Waiting. Love | Yang Ze Yu | Official debut |
| 2017 | Therapist | Xu De | |
| 2018 | Nana's Game | Fang Cheng Wei | |
| How to Train Our Dragon | Imaginary man | Cameo | |
| 2019 | Nina Wu | Dong Fu | |
| 2021 | Till We Meet Again | Xiao Mi's college boyfriend |
| Year | Artist | Song title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Maggie Chiang | "Treasure"[23] | |
| 2025 | Song of Crane | "Glow" |
| EP # | Title | Details | Track listing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Zero (±1) |
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| |
| 2nd | Oxymoron |
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| Year | Song title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Still Love You" | Between OST | |
| "You & I" | |||
| 2019 | "Highway Lover" | ||
| "Tonight I’m Here" | Released in Marcourageous 1st Anniversary Special on 15 October 2019 Lost Romance OST | ||
| 2020 | "Lose to You" | Launched on all digital music platforms on 5 June 2020Official music video launched on 18 October 2020 Lost Romance OST | |
| 2023 | "Can’t Wait to See You" | Trick or Love OSTft. Eugenie Liu |
Music and lyrics written by Chang.
| Year | Song Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "When it Comes to You" | |
| "I'll Be There" | ||
| 2012 | "Don't Let Me Know" | |
| "Chain Reaction" | ||
| 2014 | "Pure Love" | Track by Wu Yong-bin |
| 2018 | "Sandwich Girl" | Track by Maggie Chiang Lyrics by Tian Le |
| "Still Love You" | Between OST | |
| "You & I" | ||
| "Between Us" | Duet with Sam LinBetween OST | |
| "Anti-single Singles Club" | ||
| 2019 | "Highway Lover" | Music co-written with Andrew Page |
| "Tonight I'm Here" | Lost Romance OST | |
| "Talk to Me" | ||
| "1440 minutes" | ||
| 2020 | "Lose to You" | Lost Romance OST |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sanlih Drama Awards | Best Screen Couple Award | Back to 1989 | ||
| Best Potential Award | |||||
| Best Actor Award | |||||
| 2021 | Vidol Drama Awards | Best Kiss Award (with Vivian Sung) | Lost Romance | ||
| Best Love Scene Award (with Vivian Sung) | |||||
| Best Actor Award | |||||
| Seoul International Drama Awards | Asian Star Prize | [26] |
