Ma Tianyu

Ma Tianyu (Chinese: 马天宇; pinyin: Mǎ Tiānyǔ; born 12 July 1986), also known as Ray Ma, is a Chinese singer and actor. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy.

Ma was born to an ethnic Hui family in Wucheng county, Dezhou, Shandong, China. At the age of 5, his mother died of suicide, and subsequently, his father left the family due to debts. Ma, along with his two sisters, went on to live with their elderly grandparents.

To support his family, at the age of 16, Ma relocated to Beijing, where he began working in various capacities. During his time as a bartender in Beijing, he encountered individuals associated with the entertainment industry who recognized his potential. They suggested that he pursue a career as an actor and advised him to undertake the entrance examination for the Beijing Film Academy.

In the absence of a clear career path, Ma followed the suggestion. Grappling with shyness during the auditions, Ma decided to participate in the talent competition My Hero (2006) to bolster his self-confidence.

In 2006, Ma became the regional champion for the Wuhan area and came sixth in the final round of My Hero; he was elected the most popular contestant.

In 2007, Ma released his first album Beautiful Light. The album was well-received, and topped the Asia Music Chart for Chinese albums. Ma won two newcomer awards at the China Billboard Award Ceremony, and Most Popular Singer awards at the 5th Southeast Music Chart Awards and 11th Tencent Star Award Ceremony. "The Death of Gentleness" from the album was also chosen as one of the Top Ten Songs of the Year.

Ma made his acting debut in the film Evening of Roses, based on a novel of the same name by Cai Zhiheng. In 2010, he played the character Jia Baoyu in the historical television series The Legend of Daiyu.

Ma first gained public attention in 2011 when he starred in wuxia drama The Vigilantes in Masks alongside Wallace Huo and Cecilia Liu. He won the Breakthrough Actor award at the 2011 Youku Television Index Awards. He then starred in Hunan TV's family drama Treasure Mother Treasure Girl (2012), which topped viewership ratings. The same year, he had a guest starring role in Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky, which was well received by the audience.