FATED TO LOVE YOU (2008)

This small-screen idol romantic comedy, about the consequences of an unintended one-night stand, broke Ethan Juan into the big time after six years in entertainment. His pairing with actress Joe Chen turned the show into one of the most successful Taiwanese dramas of all time, with record ratings of 7.44 per cent an episode on average. It won Best Television Series at the Golden Bell Awards and was recently remade into a Korean hit starring Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk.

QUEEN OF NO MARRIAGE (2009)

Cougar dreams are made of these - Juan played the desirable younger man to Cheryl Yang's older, single career woman, another pairing so successful that Queen reigned as No. 1 in its time slot for 21 weeks. With the back-to-back success of Fated and Queen, he cemented his position as a top draw on television. It was remade by the Koreans as Witch's Romance (2014), starring Uhm Jung Hwa and Park Seo Joon.

MONGA (2010)

As the macho and tragic hoodlum Monk, who is caught in a power struggle for control of the streets, Juan cut an arresting figure with his buzz cut, easy swagger and some serious emoting. This was his first big-screen collaboration with director Doze Niu, and it proved to be a winning one as he was named Best Leading Actor at the Golden Horse Awards. Juan also contributed to the soundtrack by singing on two songs.

LOVE (2012)

In this big-screen ensemble comedy-drama about love, with a star-studded cast including Mark Chao, Eddie Peng and Zhao Wei, Juan stood out with his turn as sweet, stuttering mechanic Kuan. His romance with a jaded socialite played by Shu Qi was improbable, but he made viewers root for the character. It was a role which also spoke volumes of his versatility as an actor.

Boon Chan