Jonathan Kos-Read ("Cao Cao") was born in Los Angeles in 1973. He came to China in 1996 to study film, planning to stay one year — he stayed over 20 and took a bold Chinese name: Cao Cao.
His Chinese astonishes Chinese audiences: no accent, able to speak dialects and tongue twisters. He has acted in 60+ Chinese productions — from Western journalists in historical dramas to "foreigner" roles in war dramas and urban series — a true "professional foreigner" actor.
Fun fact: Kos-Read says his English is now worse than his Chinese: "I came at 23 and have lived in Chinese every day since." With millions of Weibo followers, he shares daily life in China and pushes back against Western media bias.
Married with children in Beijing, he insists, "I'm not a laowai — I'm just an ordinary actor in China." From foreign student to one of the most familiar faces in Chinese entertainment, he proves real cultural integration comes from the heart.
Cao Cao (1998- ), American actor and host, became famous in Chinese TV and film playing "professional foreigner" roles and is affectionately called "Cao Cao" by Chinese audiences - not the Three Kingdoms warlord, but his chosen Chinese stage name.
The name: his real name is Jonathan Kos-Read; "Cao Cao" he chose himself - matching "Cao" with his surname and fitting his cheerful, frank character. Memorable and distinctive, it made him instantly recognisable.
Rise: discovered while studying at the Beijing Film Academy, he appeared in the drama Towards the Republic (playing a historical figure) and later in films like 1911 and The Founding of a Party, plus countless "foreign expert" and "foreign journalist" roles.
His acting style: he is among the few foreign actors who speak fluent Chinese and perform naturally in Chinese contexts. In serious dramas like White Deer Plain and Like a Flowing River, his characters have flesh and blood, far from the stereotyped "foreigner".
Other identities: he also hosts shows and makes videos about his life in China, behind-the-scenes stories and Sino-Western cultural differences - a hugely popular foreign blogger on the Chinese internet.
Lesson for learners: Cao Cao path proves foreigners can build their own careers in the Chinese entertainment industry. His Chinese carries a Beijing flavour, his humour a "Chinese-style self-mockery"; he is the archetype of making China truly home.
Another trait worth learning: he does not dodge his "foreigner" identity but plays with it - his videos joke about "foreigners in China" and use humour to dissolve cultural gaps. Turning "difference" into "fun" is the highest cross-cultural skill.
In recent years Cao Cao has played more serious roles: an American expert in Like a Flowing River, a foreign executive in The Story of Yanxi Place - increasingly diverse. He says: "my greatest luck is that China film industry gives foreign actors real roles, not just background." That openness made his career.
