William Gao

William Gao (born 2003) is an English actor and musician. He gained recognition for his role as Tao Xu in the Netflix series Heartstopper (2022–present), earning a nomination for a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance. In 2019, Gao formed the music duo Wasia Project with his younger sister Olivia Hardy. Born and raised in South Croydon, Gao is the son of an English father and a Chinese mother who immigrated to England. He attended Trinity School, where he completed his A Levels in Chinese, music, and drama in 2022. Gao started playing classical piano at the age of 11 and was a member of Trinity Boys Choir. He joined the National Youth Theatre in May 2019.