Richie Jen Hsien-chi (Chinese: 任賢齊; pinyin: Rén Xiánqí; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Jîm Hiân-chê, born 23 June 1966),[1] also known as Richie Ren, is a Taiwanese singer and actor. Jen debuted in December 1990 with the studio album Ask Again (再問一次). In 1996, he signed with Rock Records and released the album I Feel Good!. His breakthrough came at the end of 1996 with his fifth studio album, Too Softhearted, which sold over 1,000,000 copies in China and over 2,300,000 copies across Asia. His seventh album, Love Like Pacific Ocean (1998), became one of the best-selling albums of all time in Taiwan with over 1,200,000 copies sold. The record spawned the single "Hey Girl Look Over Here" (對面的女孩看過來), which was named the most popular song of 1998 by Hit FM in Taiwan.
Richie Jen | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 任賢齊 | |||||||||||||||||||
 Jen in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 June 1966 Tianzhong, Changhua, Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Chinese Culture University (BA) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Awards |
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 任賢齊 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 任贤齐 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Musical career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Genres | Mandopop | ||||||||||||||||||
| Instruments |
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| Labels | Rock Records, Warner Music | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | blog | ||||||||||||||||||
Early life
editJen was born and grew up in Tianzhong Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. He attended Changhua County Tianzhong Senior High School[2] and at the age of 21 he entered Chinese Culture University, majoring in physical education.[3] He also started to work at a musical instrument store while learning how to play guitar.[4]
Career
editIn 1990, while a senior at CCU, Richie Jen signed a contract with Synco Cultural Corporation and released a compilation album named Towards the Rainbow (奔向彩虹).[5] In December of that year, he released his first solo album Ask Again (再問一次). He released two more albums in 1991, Cold & Tender (冷漠與温柔), and Fly to My Own Sky (飛向自己的天空),[6] before enlisting in the military.
In 1996, he joined Rock Records, and released the album I Feel Good! (依靠), which sold 160,000 copies in Taiwan and was multi-platinum certified.[7][8] His breakthrough came when the album Too Softhearted (心太軟) was released in December of that year, which sold over 1,000,000 copies in mainland China and 600,000 copies in Taiwan. The title track became largely popular in China and Taiwan.[8][9][10]
In August 1998, Jen's album Love Like Pacific Ocean (愛像太平洋) was released. The tracks "Unknown Pleasures" (任逍遥) "The Sad Pacific" (傷心太平洋) from the album were the opening and closing theme songs of the 1998 series The Return of the Condor Heroes, respectively.[11] The record peaked at number one on the IFPI Taiwan album chart and sold over 1,200,000 copies in Taiwan, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time in the country.[12] Jen also starred in the Condor Heroes, playing Yang Guo.[13] In 2005, Jen joined EMI, and his first album from EMI Old Place (老地方) was released a year later.[14] In 2008, Jen signed a contract with East Asia Records (東亞唱片).[15]
Philanthropy
editIn July 2001, prior to his concert in Shenyang, Jen donated ¥30,000 to a family who was unable to afford heart surgery for their one-year old daughter after learning about their situation through a news report. In May 2023, the same girl and her mother attended Jen's concert in Shenyang and publicly thanked him for his life-saving donation. The woman's expression of gratitude was captured on video and quickly became viral on Weibo.[16]
Personal life
editDiscography
edit- Ask Again (1990)
- Cold & Tender (1991)
- Fly to My Own Sky (1991)
- I Feel Good! (1996)
- Too Softhearted (1996)
- Hurt Badly (1997)
- Love Like Pacific Ocean (1998)
- Desperate With Love (2000)
- Angel Brother and Hunk (2000)
- A Flying Bird (2001)
- One Richie (2002)
- So Far So Close (2004)
- Old Place (2006)
- If Life's Goin' Without You (2007)
- R.S.V.P (2009)
- Daredevil Spirit (2011)
- On My Way (2023)
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Cops & Robbers | 官兵捉強盜 | ||
| 1993 | Top Cool | 傲空神鷹-想飛 | ||
| 1994 | No Sir 3 | 報告班長3 | Oi Tak Wah | |
| 1999 | Gorgeous | 玻璃樽 | Long Yi | |
| A Beautiful New World | 美麗新世界 | Xiaobai | ||
| Fly Me to Polaris | 星願 | Onion | ||
| 2000 | Summer Holiday | 夏日的麽麽茶 | Mo Mo Cha | |
| 2001 | Life Express | 生死速遞 | ||
| 2002 | Marry a Rich Man | 嫁個有錢人 | Christmas Yan | |
| Summer I Love You | 好心相愛 | Lek | ||
| 2003 | Honesty | 絕種好男人 | Moses Tang | |
| 6th Floor Rear Flat | 六樓後座 | Policeman | ||
| 2004 | Silver Hawk | 飛鷹 | Rich Man | |
| Elixir of Love | 花好月圓 | Kai | ||
| 20 30 40 | 20 30 40 | Wang | ||
| Breaking News | 大事件 | Chan Yat Yuen | ||
| 2005 | Seoul Raiders | 韓城攻略 | Owen Lee | |
| 2006 | 2 Become 1 | 天生一對 | Dr. Vincent Cheung | |
| Exiled | 放-逐 | Sergeant Chen | ||
| 2007 | Happy Birthday | 生日快樂 | Himself | |
| Contract Lover | 合約情人 | Fok Kai Fat | ||
| 2008 | Lady Cop & Papa Crook | 大搜查 | Gogo | |
| 2009 | The Sniper | 神槍手 | Hartman Fong / Ming | |
| Accident | 意外 | Fong Chau | ||
| 2010 | Fire of Conscience | 火龍對決 | Inspector Kee | |
| Flirting Scholar 2 | 唐伯虎點秋香2 | |||
| Adventure of the King | 龍鳳店 | Zhengde Emperor | ||
| 2011 | Punished | 報應 | Chor | |
| Mayday 3DNA | 五月天追夢3DNA | |||
| Life Without Principle | 奪命金 | Inspector Cheung | ||
| Legendary Amazons | 楊門女將之軍令如山 | Yang Zongbao | ||
| The Allure Of Tears | 傾城之淚 | |||
| 2012 | Scheme With Me | 雙城計中計 | ||
| 2013 | Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? | 明天記得愛上我 | Weichung | |
| 2015 | The Wonderful Wedding | 大囍臨門 | Cameo | |
| First of May | 五月一号 | Lin Ke Ming | ||
| All You Need Is Love | 落跑吧愛情 | Wu | ||
| 2016 | Trivisa | 树大招风 | Yip Kwok Foon | |
| 2019 | Bodies at Rest | 沉默的證人 | Santa | |
| Fagara | 花椒之味 | Choi Ho-shan | ||
| Where All Roads End | 殊途衕歸 | |||
| 2022 | Man on the Edge | 邊緣行者 | Lok Chi-ming | |
| 2024 | Rob N Roll | 臨時劫案 | Mo Yung Fai | |
| Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In | 九龍城寨之圍城 | Chau | ||
| TBA | 11th Day and One Night | 十一天零一夜 |
Television series
edit- Midnight Diner 深夜食堂 (2017)
- Infernal Affairs 无间道 (2016)
- Top Gear China 巅峰拍档 (2014–2015)
- Chinese Idol 中国梦之声 (2013–2014)
- Supreme Fate 富豪海灣至尊家緣 (2004)
- The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 新楚留香 (2001)
- State of Divinity 笑傲江湖 (2000)
- The Return of the Condor Heroes 神雕俠侶 (1998)
- Taipei Love Story 台北愛情故事 (1996)
- Master Huang 黃飛鴻與十三姨 (1994)
- Dreams Awakening 夢醒時分 (1994)
- Hard To Forget 意難忘 (1992)
- The Orphans 人海孤鴻 (1989)
Variety and reality show
edit- Call Me by Fire (season 2) 披荊斬棘 (2022)
References
edit- ↑ "youtube – Richie Jen". YouTube. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ↑ 軟體兄弟. "任賢齊田中老家 :: 軟體兄弟". softwarebrother.com (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ↑ 任贤齐《心太软》 翻红飙男儿泪 拍戏枯坐一天没人理 上桌吃饭遭痛骂 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ↑ "台湾"歌侠"任贤齐重现江湖 推出新作《飞鸟》". 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ↑ "奔向彩虹(1990年任賢齊音樂合輯):基本資料,專輯簡介,曲目,_中文百科全書". www.newton.com.tw. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ "任贤齐个人资料简介-任贤齐出场费多少-任贤齐经纪人_星灿文化". www.gzmxjj.com. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ "对话|任贤齐想办音乐老友会：请给歌手更多时间讲故事" [Dialogue | Ren Xianqi wants to organize a music old friends meeting: please give singers more time to tell stories]. Cultural China (in Chinese). 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- 1 2 "30歲成名，送100萬錢給恩師，任賢齊的故事比你想像的更精彩". twgreatdaily.com (in Traditional Chinese). 14 October 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ "任賢齊《心太軟》創作靈感竟跟失戀無關 名製作人豪賭輸光錢生出百萬單曲". tw.news.yahoo.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ Staff, Music Press Asia (4 January 2023). "Richie Jen 任賢齊 Celebrates 26 Years of 'Too Softhearted'". Music Press Asia. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ↑ "傷心太平洋是什麼電視劇的歌曲，任賢齊那個傷心太平洋的MV是什麼電影". www.jipai.cc. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ↑ "任贤齐" [Richie Jen] (in Chinese). Qujiang Media & Culture Development. 5 July 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ↑ "神鵰俠侶[1998年台灣台視版任賢齊、吳倩蓮主演電視劇]:《神鵰俠侶》是 -百科知識中文網". www.easyatm.com.tw. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ↑ "任贤齐加盟EMI首发片 爆女儿两个月大就喊爸-搜狐音乐". music.yule.sohu.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ↑ "任贤齐加盟东亚唱片 成为刘德华等人师弟(附图)_影音娱乐_新浪网". ent.sina.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ↑ Lim, Ruey Yan (30 May 2023). "Taiwanese singer Richie Jen's fan thanks him for saving her life 22 years ago". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ↑ "Richie Jen posts rare photo of daughter". 8days. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ↑ "Richie Jen at hkmdb.com". Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ↑ Richie Jen at chinesemov.com
External links
edit
- Richie Jen at IMDb
- Richie Ren at LoveHKFilm.com
- (in Chinese) Richie Jen official website
- Richie Ren's Lyrics