Thanawat Rattanakitpaisan

Thanawat was born and raised in Lamphun Province, Thailand.^[2] He has a younger sister. His father died when he was seven years old. He completed his secondary education at Monfort College.^[3] In 2017, he enrolled at Chiang Mai University under the Faculty of Medical Technology before transferring to Kasetsart University to study Environmental Engineering in 2018.^[4]

In 2018, at the age of 19, Thanawat was signed as an artist under the production and talent agency GMMTV after a casting manager saw his photos on social media and asked him to audition for the company. Shortly after, he made his acting television debut as a supporting character in the series 'Cause You're My Boy.^[5][6] He followed this by supporting roles in The Charming Step Mom,^[7] Blacklist^[8] and 2gether.^[9]

In 2020, Thanawat landed his first leading role as the titular character in the BL series Tonhon Chonlatee alongside Suphakorn Sriphothong.^[10][11]

In 2021, Thanawat played Longtae, the village chief's son, in A Tale of Thousand Stars.^[12] Later in the year, Khaotung ventured into music, releasing his first single, "Never Too Late", which served as the opening theme song for the series 55:15 Never Too Late,^[13] in which he also starred in a main role as Paul, a closeted 55-year-old man who wakes up in the body of his 15-year-old self.^[14]

In 2022, Thanawat starred as Ayan in the series The Eclipse alongside real-life best friend Kanaphan Puitrakul (First).^[15][16] The Eclipse won Best BL Series at the Thai Digital Awards 2022^[17] and the Bronze Award for Best LGBTQ+ Programme Made in Asia at the Content Asia Awards 2023.^[18] He also earned an Asia Television Awards nomination for Best Theme Song for "Over The Moon (คลาด)" which Khaotung provided lead vocals.^[19][20] The two would later reprise their roles as Akk and Ayan in the 2023 anthology series Our Skyy 2.^[21]

In 2023, he had a supporting role in the Moonlight Chicken.^[22] For his portrayal of Gaipa he won the award for Best Supporting Actor at the Y Universe Awards,^[23][24] as well as a nomination for Best Actor in A Supporting Role at the Asia Television Awards.^[19][20] In August, Thanawat played Ray, a wealthy university student suffering from alcohol addiction, in the ensemble cast series Only Friends.^[25] The role earned him a Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination at the Y Universe Awards.^[24]

In 2024, Thanawat became one of the new hosts of the long-running variety show School Rangers.^[26][27] Later in the year, he worked again with Only Friends director Tichakorn Phukhaotong and on-screen partner Kanaphan Puitrakul (First), playing an assassin in The Heart Killers.^[28][29]