Ma Nien-hsien

Ma was born in 1973 in Taipei, Taiwan.^[1][2] His father, Ma Jing-xian [zh], is a children's literature writer and a music lover who often played classic songs at home, influencing Ma's musical taste.^[3][4] Ma was mischievous during his school days and was once expelled from high school.^[5] He developed an interest in music after purchasing a guitar and eventually became the chairman of the western music club in high school.^[3] He then attended Tamkang University to study mass communications and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.^[6] He actively participated in bands and music performances from his first year.^[3]

In 1994, Ma and three university friends formed a funk rock band called Sticky Rice [zh] and began performing in pubs.^[5] They wrote an original song and applied for a competition hosted by PolyGram. PolyGram signed them on the spot, and Sticky Rice released their debut song "Star's Dream" and their first album, also titled Sticky Rice, in 1997.^[5] The band also sang the theme song for the 1997 romance film Love Go Go [zh],^[7] earning a nomination for Best Original Film Song in the 34th Golden Horse Awards.^[8] In 2000, they released another album called The Bird King [zh], featuring "Paris Strawberry" and "Taekwondo", which became popular in Taiwan and Hong Kong.^[7] In 2004, due to the outbreak of SARS and a lack of job offers, the other members of the band decided to leave the entertainment industry and pursue stable careers.^[9] However, Ma chose to remain in the music industry and started composing music for advertisements.^[7]

In 2008, director Wei Te-sheng approached Ma to join his new film project Cape No. 7.^[9] Ma initially thought Wei wanted him to compose the film score, but to his surprise, Wei offered him a supporting lead role.^[9] Ma accepted the offer and starred as Malasun, a Hakka alcohol salesman,^[10][11] which brought him widespread recognition in Taiwan due to his iconic performance and the film's popularity.^[5][7] Ma subsequently received numerous film role offers and made his television debut in the same year, portraying Feng Pai-hsiung in Time Story [zh].^[3][9] In 2011, Ma was approached by his high school classmate and assistant director, Lishu Lin, to star in a leading role in The Killer Who Never Kills [zh].^[12] He also composed music for the 2013 comedy film Zone Pro Site, which earned him a nomination for Best Original Film Song in the 50th Golden Horse Awards.^[13] Ma continued to star in various films and television series in recurring roles,^[10] including the 2013 comedy film David Loman, the 2014 romantic musical series Rock N' Road, and the 2017 romantic comedy series Jojo's World.^[14][15][16] He also took on a leading role in the 2015 romantic comedy film All You Need Is Love.^[17] In 2020, Ma appeared as police detective Chen Yao-hui in The Victims' Game,^[18] and took on a recurring role as Mr. Chi in the 2021 romance series More Than Blue: The Series.^[19] That same year, he released his first individual music album, Mama Jeans and Daddy Shoes, and received a nomination for Best Male Mandarin Singer in the 33rd Golden Melody Awards.^[9][20] In 2023, Ma starred in the lead role as police captain Chang Yung-kang, who is mistakenly perceived as a mole, in the supernatural comedy film Marry My Dead Body.^[19] His performance was positively received, and he reprised the role in the spin-off series GG Precinct.^[21]