Eleven Yao

Yao was born on 25 February 1986, in Taitung City, Taiwan.^[1] Her father is an Amis native.^[2] She attended and graduated from the Department of Ball Sports at Taipei Physical Education College, specializing in handball.^[3][4] Yao was elected as a reserve member of the national team and participated in several Asian tournaments.^[3][1] She was discovered by an agent, who was seeking new actors with a unique vibe, while playing basketball at TPEC in her freshman year.^[3] Yao began her acting career in 2006 while continuing her training as a handball player, initially considering acting as a hobby.^[3] She landed a major role in the 2007 Chinese Television System television series Daughter of the Sun [zh].^[5] She became tired of the monotonous routine of sports training and developed a passion for performance, leading her to quit her athletic career and pursue acting when she was 20.^[1][4]

In 2014, Yao made her feature film debut as Chiao Chien-wei, a coolheaded military pilot, in the war film Dream Flight [zh].^[6] She subsequently starred in leading roles in the 2015 television series Leo [zh] and the 2016 television movie The Cat in the Closet [zh].^[7][8] Yao was also invited to star in the Japanese crime film Mr. Long alongside Chang Chen in 2016,^[9] an experience that deeply impacted her emotionally, as she found it challenging to detach from her character's emotions even two months after filming had ended.^[3] In 2018, Yao co-starred with Wu Kang-ren in the mystery film High Flash [zh],^[10] and took on a leading role in the 2019 sci-fi thriller series Code 2 [zh].^[11]

In 2019, Yao garnered recognition for her performance in dual roles as Shanny, the spouse of a crime lord, and Hsiao Ching, an eccentric drag queen, in the black comedy film The Gangs, the Oscars, and the Walking Dead [zh].^[12][13] She won Best Supporting Actress in the 22nd Taipei Film Awards,^[14] and received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 56th Golden Horse Awards with her roles.^[15] She also appeared in the 2019 drama series Yong-Jiu Grocery Store,^[16] and took on a leading role in the 2020 drama series Amensalism [zh].^[17] In 2021, Yao starred as Cindy Yu, a photographer engaged in a romantic relationship with a dentist played by Figaro Tseng, in the Netflix romance series More Than Blue: The Series.^[18] Her performance earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film in the 57th Golden Bell Awards.^[19] In 2022, Yao portrayed a Shenyang-based crime lord in the Korean action film Yaksha: Ruthless Operations.^[20] She also starred in the sci-fi film S–Girl [zh], playing dual roles as a deceased mother and her AI clone,^[21] and took on triple roles in the anthology drama series Twisted Strings [zh].^[22] Yao landed a main role in the 2023 drama series Trick or Love [zh].^[23] In 2024, Yao starred in a lead role as Jessica, an underworld ghost diva alongside Sandrine Pinna, in the horror comedy film Dead Talents Society.^[24]