Hsueh Shih-ling

Hsueh Shih-ling (born June 10, 1983), also known as 40 or MC40, is a Taiwanese actor, singer, rapper, songwriter and television presenter.

Hsueh was known as MC40 from award-winning hip-hop band Da Mouth, with DJ Chung Hua, Harry Chang, and Aisa, before embarking on a career in acting. He writes most of Da Mouth's song lyrics and is considered one of the best and fastest rappers in Taiwan with his multi-language rapping ability.

At the 56th Golden Bell Awards in 2021, he took both best actor in a TV series for “Born Into Loving Hands”and best supporting actor in a miniseris for HBO Asia’s “Workers”. In 2023, he also took best supporting actor in ACA&GOTT Awards organized by Busan International Film Festival, and best actor in 58th Golden Bell Awards for“Taiwan Crime Stories”.

Early life
Hsueh was born on June 10, 1983, in Sanmin District, Kaohsiung and was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He attended Fu Jen Catholic University Department of English, in New Taipei City, Taiwan. He speaks English, Mandarin and Taiwanese fluently, he also performed in Japanese and Hakka.

2007–2016: Music Career
HSUEH signed with Universal Music Taiwan and formed the hip-hop band, Da Mouth, in 2007. The group released their debut self-titled album, "Da Mouth," on November 26, 2007. From 2007 to 2016, they released a total of 5 studio albums and 2 special albums. Most of the song lyrics were written by HSUEH.

Da Mouth won the Best Singing Group at the 19th Golden Melody Awards in 2008 and the 22nd Golden Melody Awards in 2011.

Due to health considerations and future planning, all four members of Da Mouth chose not to renew their contracts after the release of the 5th studio album, "What The…".

2010–2016: Program hosting & acting
HSUEH began hosting the TV program in 2010. By 2016, he had hosted 6 TV programs, including the long-running entertainment news program "Showbiz."

In 2011, HSUEH appeared in his first TV series, "Pearls of Love." Subsequently, he concurrently and consecutively developed his singing, acting, and hosting career until the disbandment of Da Mouth.

2016–present: Focusing on acting career
HSUEH currently focuses on acting. “I think being an actor is to become the medium of the audience and cinematic storytelling. To connect the best of the both worlds and make the audiences feel relatable to the emotions of what’s going on inside the movie. For example if you were to shoot lasers from your arms or have spider silk coming out from your arms. Does it hurt? Does it burn? Does it sting? Can you control it? I mean that is a lot of fun. And through acting and film magic, we can actually make the audience feel relatable”, says HSUEH.

From 2021 to 2023, HSUEH received 7 nominations and 4 awards for his acting:

In 2021, HSUEH won the Best Actor – TV Series for “Born into Loving Hands” and the Best Supporting Actor – Miniseries/TV Film for “Workers” at the 56th Golden Bell Awards, establishing himself as an actor known to audiences.

In 2022, HSUEH was nominated for Best Supporting Actor – TV Series for “Gold Leaf” and Best Supporting Actor – Miniseries/TV Film for “You Have to Kill Me” at the 57th Golden Bell Awards.

In 2023, he also won the Best Supporting Actor in the ACA&GOTT Awards organized by the Busan International Film Festival, and the Best Actor at the 58th Golden Bell Awards for “Taiwan Crime Stories”. His performance in “Eye of the Storm” earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2023 Taipei Film Awards.

HSUEH fearlessly tackles different roles and delivers multifaceted performances. He portrayed a construction worker, a 50s gay painter, and an infatuated yet scheming businessman, among others. Having recently completed the grand productions "Born for the Spotlight”, "The World Between Us II" and "Agent from Above”. He is set to take the lead in "Malice”, a Taiwan-Indonesia-Czech Republic co-production.

Personal life
In an interview in December 2021, Hsueh acknowledged that he has been in a relationship with a non-celebrity for 8 years and counting.