Michael Tao Tai-yu is a Hong Kong television actor. He entered the acting industry in the 1980s, affiliating with TVB. It was during this period that Tao earned the name "Housewife Killer" due to his overwhelming popularity amongst housewives (who arguably constitute a majority of television viewing audiences in Hong Kong), solidifying his position as a first tier television actor in TVB.

Tao later moved over to rival ATV in 1997 after problems over his contract with TVB. His ATV series Flaming Brothers defeated the TVB rival show at the time, a landmark for ATV. Apart from filming ATV series, Tao has also filmed in China and Singapore. He returned to TVB in 2004 and has starred in a number of television series since. Once again, problems with his contract resulted in Tao leaving TVB in 2009 and worked mostly in mainland China and occasionally in Hong Kong.