Daniel Wu Yin-cho (simplified Chinese: 吴彦祖; traditional Chinese: 吳彥祖; pinyin: Wú Yànzǔ; jyutping: ng4 jin6zou2) (born September 30, 1974) is a Hong Kong based American actor, director and producer, currently starring as Sunny in the AMC martial arts drama series Into the Badlands. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 60 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.

Early life

Wu was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in Orinda, California. His parents were immigrants from Shanghai, China. Wu developed an interest in martial arts when he saw Jet Li in The Shaolin Temple and Donnie Yen in Iron Monkey, and consequently began studying wushu at age 11. His childhood role model was Jackie Chan, a man who now considers Wu "like a son." Wu attended the Head-Royce School in Oakland, California and later majored in architecture with Tony Salas at the University of Oregon. While there, he founded the University of Oregon Wushu Club in 1994 and served as the team's first coach. During this time, Wu also took film classes and frequented local theaters, and came to enjoy the works of filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Luc Besson, whom he describes as "men of vision." Following graduation, Wu traveled in 1997 to Hong Kong to witness the handover of Hong Kong, with no intention of taking on a movie career. At the suggestion of his sister, Wu began modeling. Four months later, film director Yonfan, after seeing Wu featured in a clothing ad at a railway station, approached Wu about starring in an upcoming movie.