Archie Kao Bio
Archie Kao (Chinese: 高聖遠) is an American actor and producer whose work spans television, film and video games. He is known to American audiences for series-regular roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Chicago P.D., and for his role as Kai Chen, the Blue Ranger, in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. Kao divides his time between Los Angeles and Beijing and has worked across U.S. and international productions since beginning his career in 1994.
Kao’s career includes on-screen acting, voice work for video games and filmmaking behind the camera. He has appeared in studio films and independent projects, written and directed a short film and produced short-form projects, reflecting a range of interests within the entertainment industry.
Early Life and Background
Archie Kao was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in the suburbs of Alexandria, Virginia, where he grew up in a bilingual household; his parents emigrated from Taiwan. He learned Mandarin while growing up and later studied French for several years, giving him facility in more than one language and enabling work that spans English- and Mandarin-speaking markets.
Kao attended George Mason University, where he was an active student leader and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He graduated with a degree in Speech Communication in 1992 and served as Student Government President while also being selected as the university’s Homecoming King; he originally planned to pursue law school and a career in politics before moving into acting.
Path to Celebrity
Kao moved from collegiate activities to professional entertainment during the 1990s, pursuing roles in television and film that showcased his range across drama and action. Early television appearances and supporting film roles provided a foundation that led to recurring and regular work on American network series and occasional roles in international productions. His bilingual background and comfort in both English and Mandarin expanded the scope of roles and markets available to him.
In addition to on-camera acting, Kao has worked in voice roles for video games and has taken creative control of short-form projects, writing, directing and producing. These behind-the-camera efforts allowed him to develop skills beyond acting and to collaborate with peers from his television work in new creative capacities.
Archie Kao Career
Early Career (1994–2002)
Kao began his professional career in 1994 and built a résumé of guest and supporting appearances across network television and genre film. During this period he took roles that spanned mainstream network drama and action-oriented projects, gradually establishing a presence in Hollywood as a reliable character actor with range in both dramatic and genre material.
Across the late 1990s and early 2000s Kao appeared in feature films in supporting parts and took on television work that increased his visibility. His role as Kai Chen, the Blue Ranger, in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy introduced him to a wide audience among younger viewers and expanded his recognition in genre television.
Breakthrough (2003–2015)
Kao gained broader recognition with a recurring and later series-regular role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, where he played Archie Johnson. The long-running procedural reached broad U.S. audiences and provided Kao with sustained exposure on a high-profile network series. His television work during this period also included guest roles on several established dramas, reinforcing his presence across prime-time television.
He expanded his film work through roles in both independent and studio projects. Kao appeared in Quentin Lee’s The People I’ve Slept With as the romantic lead and took parts in Wayne Wang’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and other international productions. In Michael Mann’s Blackhat (2015) he played the character Shum, marking a notable supporting role in a major studio film with an international scope.
In 2013 Kao joined the cast of the NBC series Chicago P.D. as Detective Sheldon Jin, a series-regular role in the franchise’s police drama that furthered his profile on American network television. His ongoing television roles across multiple series established him as a familiar face in procedural and ensemble dramas.
Notable Works and Milestones
Kao’s signature television credits include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Chicago P.D., and he is widely recognized for his role as Kai Chen in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. His film work ranges from independent romantic leads to supporting roles in larger studio films such as Blackhat. He has also provided the voice of Kenji in the video game Need for Speed: Carbon and has taken creative roles behind the camera, writing and directing the short film Initiation and producing short projects including Fast Money.
Family
Kao grew up in a family of Taiwanese immigrants; his parents moved to the United States from Taiwan and raised him in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He was raised with younger siblings, and the bilingual household influenced his language skills and cultural perspective, which later informed opportunities in both U.S. and Chinese-language projects.
Personal Life
Archie Kao’s personal life has been public in part through his relationship with Chinese actress Zhou Xun. The couple announced their relationship publicly in 2014 and were married that year after a charity event in Hangzhou, China. In December 2020 Zhou Xun announced their divorce; Kao acknowledged that announcement in public comments at that time.
Kao continues to split his time between Los Angeles and Beijing as his work spans multiple markets. He maintains a professional focus on acting and producing across television, film and voice work, and he continues to take roles that reflect his bilingual background and cross-cultural experience.