Edison Chen Koon Hei is a Hong Kong-based Canadian Chinese film actor, singer, producer and fashion designer.
Chen is also the founder of urban lifestyle and fashion business Clot.
He speaks English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese.
Last year, he announced that he wanted to step away indefinitely from the Hong Kong entertainment industry due to a sex photo scandal, and devote his time to business and charity.
Chen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
His father is businessman Edward Chen, and he is of part Portuguese descent.
In 1999, Chen starred in the Japanese film Dead Or Alive 2: Birds and a year later he made his Hong Kong film debut in Generation Y Cops.
He later starred in the Infernal Affairs film trilogy and The Dark Knight with Heath Ledger and Christian Bale.
In 2000, Chen also became a singer and to date he has released more than 10 albums.
In 2003, Chen co-founded Clot with Kevin Poon.
In 2007, Clot formed its own media division which produces films and advertisements.
In the same year, Chen released a Mandarin album with tracks produced by Kanye West.
Chen has been a strong supporter of homosexuals and promotes environmentalism.
In early 2008, Chen was involved in a sex scandal when sexually explicit nude photographs of himself became widely circulated on the Internet.
Celebrities implicated in the scandal included Gillian Chung and Cecilia Cheung.
As a result, Chen expressed remorse and announced his indefinite departure from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.
