Lin Gengxin (, born on February 13, 1988), also known as Kenny Lin, is a Chinese actor. Lin rose to fame for his role in Scarlet Heart (2011), and has starred in movies such as Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013), My Old Classmate (2014), The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017) as well as television series Princess Agents (2017) and The Legend of Shen Li (2024).
Lin ranked 77th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2015, 43rd in 2017, and 84th in 2019.
Early life Lin was born in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. He enrolled in the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2007. During his college years, Lin appeared in low-budget films, television shows, short films and advertisements.
Career 2011–2013: Rising popularity In 2011, Lin rose to fame with the hit drama Scarlet Heart, playing the role of 14th Prince Yinti. In 2012, Lin co-starred in xianxia drama Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky, which was extremely popular during its run and raised his profile. In 2013, Lin successfully made his crossover to film with his role in Tsui Hark's Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon. He was nominated for the Best New Actor award at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards.
2014–present: Commercial success In 2014, Lin starred in youth romance film My Old Classmate with Zhou Dongyu. The film was a commercial success, and won the Jury Prize at the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival. The same year, he starred in crime action film Black & White: The Dawn of Justice; and reunited with Tsui Hark in the period action film The Taking of Tiger Mountain. The Taking of Tiger Mountain was a success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time in China with US$150 million.
In 2015, Lin was cast in Chinese historical drama God of War, Zhao Yun, based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He plays General Zhao Yun, who falls in love with a girl named Xiahou Qingyi (played by Girls' Generation's Im Yoona). The drama premiered in April 2016, and reached viewership ratings as high as 2%, and recorded more than 10 billion hits through various Chinese online videos sites. The same year, Lin headlined action comedy For a Few Bullets and martial arts film Sword Master. He also featured in Zhang Yimou's historical fantasy epic The Great Wall.
In 2017, Lin starred in Stephen Chow's Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, playing Sun Wukong. The film grossed $239.5 million, becoming the highest-grossing film among the Journey to the West novel adaptations. The same year, he starred in historical action drama Princess Agents. The drama was a massive hit, and Lin gained renewed recognition for his portrayal of the male lead, Yuwen Yue.
In 2018, Lin reprised his role as Shatuo Zhong in Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings, the third installment of the Detective Dee film series by Tsui Hark.
In 2019, Lin was cast in the crime suspense drama Lost and Love as a policeman.
In 2022, Lin starred in the romance and fantasy drama The Legend of Shen Li, which was aired on March 18, 2024, on Hunan Television, Tencent Video, and Mango TV. This drama was also Lin and Zhao Liying's second collaboration after their first drama Princess Agents in 2017.
Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes Ref. 2009 The Immemorial Magic 玩命魔术 Tong Xing 2011 The Blue Cornflower 蓝色矢车菊 Nan Haitian 2013 Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon 狄仁杰之神都龙王 Shatuo Zhong 2014 Just Another Margin 大话天仙 Lin Chong CameoMy Old Classmate 同桌的你 Lin Yi Black & White: The Dawn of Justice 痞子英雄2 Chen Zhen The Taking of Tiger Mountain 智取威虎山 Shao Jianbo 2015 Jian Bing Man 煎饼侠 Himself Cameo 2016 For a Few Bullets 快手枪手快枪手 Xiao Zhuang Sword Master 三少爺的劍 Hsieh Shaofeng / Ah Chi The Great Wall 長城 General Chen 2017Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back 西游伏妖篇Sun WukongWhat A Day!有完没完Xiao XinCameo2018 Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings 狄仁杰之四大天王 Shatuo Zhong
Television series Year English title Chinese title Role Network Ref. 2011 Scarlet Heart 步步惊心 Yinti Hunan TV 2012 Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky 轩辕剑:天之痕 Zhang Lie Drama Go! Go! Go! 姐姐立正向前走 Tong Shaotian 2013 Dancing Legend 舞乐传奇 Burmese Prince Shu Nanda CCTV 2016 God of War, Zhao Yun 武神赵子龙 Zhao Zilong Hunan TV 2017 Princess Agents 楚乔传 Yuwen Yue 2020 Lost and Love 最初的相遇，最后的别离 Yan Jin Youku 2021 My Bargain Queen 我的砍价女王 Sheng Zhening 2022 Master of My Own 请叫我总监 Lu Jiming YoukuDragon TV 2024 The Legend of Shen Li 与凤行 Xing Zhi / Xing Yun Tencent
Variety show Year English title Chinese title Role Ref. 2015Challenger Alliance 挑戰者聯盟Cast member2017 Baby, Let me go 放开我北鼻第二季 2017 Three Yard 三个院子 2018 Clash Bots 机器人争霸 2022The New Journey新游记2024Mystery in the Box盒子里的猫Natural High现在就出发Recurring member
Discography Year English title Chinese title Album NotesRef.2017"Love In A Life Time" 一生所爱 Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back OSTwith Yao Chen
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultsRef.2011Sohu Internet TV FestivalBest New ActorScarlet Heart2012Sohu TV Drama AwardsBest Newcomer 6th Tencent Video Star AwardsNewcomer of the Year8th Huading AwardsBest New Actor 1st iQiyi Award CeremonyBest NewcomerMost Popular Actor201412th Huading AwardsBest Supporting ActorYoung Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon33rd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Newcomer14th Chinese Film Media AwardsMost Anticipated Performance9th Chinese Young Generation Film Forum Awards Best New ActorMy Old Classmate11th Guangzhou Student Film FestivalMost Popular Actor 201515th Chinese Film Media AwardsMost Anticipated Actor201711th Tencent Video Star AwardsMost Popular ActorPrincess Agents 201810th Macau International Movie FestivalBest Supporting Actor Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings
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