Godfrey Gao (Chinese: 高以翔; pinyin: Gāo Yǐxiáng; 22 September 1984 – 27 November 2019) was a Taiwanese-Canadian model and actor, noted as the first Asian model to appear in a campaign for Louis Vuitton.

He was known for his roles as Magnus Bane in the 2013 film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and for his leading role in Chinese television series Remembering Lichuan.

Early life

Gao was born Tsao Chih-Hsiang in Taipei, on 22 September 1984 Gao's father is Shanghainese but raised in Taiwan, and worked as a general manager at Michelin Taiwan, while his mother is a Peranakan Chinese from George Town who won the Miss Penang beauty pageant in 1970. The youngest of three brothers, Gao moved with his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, during his childhood. 

He later studied at Capilano University in North Vancouver, where the 6'4" Gao played basketball for the school's team.

Career

Gao returned to Taiwan to work as a model in 2004, and was managed by JetStar Entertainment. Gao and fellow male models Sphinx Ting, Victor Chen, and Lan Chun-tien were collectively referred to as the "Fashion 4" (F4), and would jointly release a book in 2009. In 2011, he became the first Asian model for the fashion brand Louis Vuitton.

Gao began appearing in minor roles in Chinese television dramas in 2006, and had his first starring role in the 2010 television drama Volleyball Lover. In 2013, he made his American film debut as Magnus Bane in the film adaption of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. His starring role in the 2016 drama Remembering Lichuan was widely acclaimed, and earned him the nickname of the "nation's husband" in Chinese media. Gao's other notable credits include the 2015 film Wedding Bible alongside Korean actress Yoo In-na; and the 2017 romantic comedy film Love is a Broadway Hit, alongside Wang Likun, Wang Chuanjun, Yuan Li and Naren Weiss.

Death

On 27 November 2019 at about 1:45 am, Gao collapsed in Ningbo while filming Chase Me, a sports reality television series broadcast on Zhejiang Television. He was taken to a hospital, where after attempts at resuscitation for nearly three hours, he was pronounced dead. Gao's death was confirmed on the social media site Sina Weibo by his agency JetStar Entertainment, which said in a statement that "in the early hours of Nov. 27, our beloved Godfrey collapsed while filming on set. Following three hours of rescue efforts, he unfortunately left us. We are very shocked and saddened and even until now find it impossible to accept."

The producers of Chase Me said in a statement that Gao died from cardiac arrest. Gao's death prompted increased scrutiny and criticism of the series, which involves contestants competing in physical challenges to the point of exhaustion, with actor Xu Sheng stating that the series "must be held responsible" for what he claimed were poor safety conditions. Gao's body was transported to Taipei, Taiwan on 27 November 2019.