Blackie Chen
| "Blackie" Chen Chien-chou | |
|---|---|
 Chen at the 5th Taipei Supau Cup Mini-Marathon in 2007 | |
| Chinese name | 陳建州 (traditional) |
| Chinese name | 陈建州 (simplified) |
| Pinyin | Chén Jiànzhōu (Mandarin) |
| Born |
May 2, 1977 Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| Other name(s) | Charles Chen |
| Occupation | Show host, actor, producer, occasional singer, co-founder/CEO of artist agency |
| Voice type(s) | baritone |
| Years active | 2000-present |
| Spouse(s) | Christine Fan (m. 2011) |
| Children | 2 (twins, born January 15, 2015) |
| Alma mater | Chinese Culture University |
Chen Chien-chou (born May 2, 1977), also known as Blackie Chen, is a Taiwanese TV presenter, actor, filmmaker, singer, philanthropist, basketball manager and a former basketball player.
Basketball career
In 1994, when Chen Chien-chou was 17, his father was killed in the China Airlines Flight 140 crash. He got into a brawl and was detained by the police. In order to secure his release, his aging grandfather tearfully begged the police officers. Chen Chien-chou felt so ashamed that he was determined to turn himself around. He practiced basketball very seriously. He made the Chinese Taipei junior national team and played in the 1995 ABC Under-18 Championship where they finished 5th.
Although only 190cm (short for even Taiwanese standards), Chen played in the paint. He modelled his game after Charles Barkley, also an undersized big man (hence his English name of "Charles Chen"). In 1999, after missing the cut for the Chinese Taipei national basketball team, he played for the B national team at the William Jones Cup.
Later, playing for a club in the Singaporean league (where he led the league in scoring and rebounding), he tore his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in an accident. His basketball career ended prematurely as a result.
Entertainment career
Chen became a performing artist, and a host of numerous variety shows.[1][2] Because of his dark skin, he has come to be known by the nickname "Blackie", it is also because the name rhymes with Jackie Chan, in which they both are trained in judo, which Blackie obtained a blue belt. He has been in a relationship with Christine Fan for 10 years, before finally getting engaged in 2010.[3] They were married in Taipei on May 7, 2011.
Currently the team leader and head of marketing for the Taiwan Beer Basketball Team, Chen directed a 2008 documentary entitled Attitude (態度) on the team's quest to become Super Basketball League champion. The documentary was well received and earned him widespread acclaim and accolades from the Taiwanese film industry. Many consider it the high-water mark of Taiwanese sports related documentary films.
Blackie is also a successful, popular, and well-known television personality and host for several television shows. He is slated to play Peng Dehuai in the highly anticipated miniseries Untold Stories of 1949, to be produced for HBO Asia.
He, along with his wife Christine Fan, are also the co-founder and spokespeople for the Love Life campaign, after becoming a Christian, as influenced by her mother-in-law while Christine was recovering from severe depression and mild anorexia.[4]
TV shows hosted
- Channel [V] Pai Pai Zou (Chinese: 拍拍走; pinyin: Pāi Pāi Zǒu)
- asia+ Trivia Party
- Channel [V] Hei Se Hui Mei Mei(Chinese: 我愛黑澀會; pinyin: Wǒ Ài Hēi Sè Huì)
- Channel [V] - 青春全员集合
- Sanlih E-Television - 超級接班人
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Expect a Miracle (蘋果咬一口) | ||
| 2005 | Perfect Match (天生絕配) | Charlie | |
| 2007 | I Wish (奇妙的旅程) | Lee Bing | |
| 2008 | Attitude (態度) | himself | documentary, also producer |
| 2009 | Love Life | himself | documentary, also producer |
| The Wedding Game (大囍事) | Tom | ||
| 2010 | Future X-Cops (未來警察) | Misfortune | |
| 2013 | Amazing (神奇) | Blackie |
TV Dramas
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Six Friends (青春六人行) | ||
| 2002 | Purple Corner (紫色角落) | Chang Shih-chuan | |
| Meteor Garden II (流星花園II) | Hsin | ||
| 2004 | Love Bird (候鳥E人) | Wang Li-hsin | |
| 2005 | A Story of Soldiers (再見，忠貞二村) | Shao Chan-sheng | |
| The Sour Pack (醋溜族) | |||
| 2006 | Mico, Go! (米可，GO！) | Peter | |
| 2007 | The Teen Age (18禁不禁) | ||
| 2010 | Summer's Desire (泡沫之夏) | cameo | |
| 2015 | Lonely Gourmet (孤獨的美食家) | Charles |
See also
References
- ↑ "Horsing around at the Golden Horse Awards show". The Star (Malaysia). 10 December 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ "Here comes Taiwan's very own donation scandal". People's Daily. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ "Blackie Chen Chien Chou will Mary Christine Fan Fan". TVB. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ Lofe Life's Baidu page (Chinese)