Gao Yuanyuan

Gao Yuanyuan
Gao Yuanyuan at China the art of life,11 December 2013
Background information
Chinese name	高圓圓 (traditional)
Chinese name	高圆圆 (simplified)
Pinyin	Gāo Yuányuán (Mandarin)
Born	(1979-10-05) 5 October 1979 Beijing, China
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Mark Chao (m. 2014)

Gao Yuanyuan (born 5 October 1979 ^[1] simplified Chinese: 高圆圆; traditional Chinese: 高圓圓; pinyin: Gāo yuányuán) is a Chinese actress.

Career

Gao was born in Beijing on 5 October 1979 and entered the entertainment industry in 1996. Gao, unlike other mainland Chinese actresses, did not graduate from any drama academic institutions. Rather, she started acting in a television commercial for Meadow Gold ice-cream after being spotted on the street at Beijing's Wangfujing shopping district.

She appeared as a minor role in the 1997 comedy film Spicy Love Soup, directed by Zhang Yang. In 2000, she starred in an advertisement for Qing Zui (fresh mouth) mint during CCTV's broadcast of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Gao rose to fame in 2002 when she played the leading role of Zhou Zhiruo in television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. The series was broadcast in Taiwan and Mainland China, achieving high ratings, making her well known in Asia.

Gao has also made inroads into the international market. In 2005, she walked the red carpet at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, where her film Shanghai Dreams, directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, won the Prix de Jury prize. Jackie Chan has described her as "having the freshest look and chaste spirit that no Hong Kong actress could approach". The same year, she was crowned "Miss Bai He" in Mainland China for her "pure and innocent looks".

Gao was then picked by Jackie Chan to star in the action comedy movie Rob-B-Hood, which won her a Best Actress nomination at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

In 2007, she starred in romance film Love in the City opposite Shawn Yue, in which she plays a deaf-mute kindergarten teacher. Her performance won her the Newcomer Award at the 11th China Film Society Of Performing Art Award.

Gao was then selected in 2008 to be a torch bearer in the Nanjing leg of the torch relay for the 2008 Summer Olympics on 27 May.

The following year, she starred in the critically acclaimed historical movie City of Life and Death, a fictional account of events during the Nanjing Massacre. The film won the top prize at the 2009 San Sebastian Film Festival. Her role in the film as a female teacher who returns to China after the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was a turning point in her career. Gao, who faced pressure starring in a movie with an oppressive and sensitive theme, developed depression. After recovery, Gao felt that her views in life were being changed due to the movie.

In 2011, Gao reunited with Rob-B-Hood co-star Louis Koo in Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Following that, she was chosen as the Most Anticipated Actress at the Chinese Film Media Awards. Moreover, Gao became FIYTA's Brand Ambassador and took a series of street snaps in Milan Fashion Week by wearing FIYTA watches.

Gao then starred in Chen Kaige's social drama Caught in the Web. She plays a young woman who commits suicide after she becomes embroiled in controversy after a cell phone video of her being disrespectful on a public bus to an elderly person goes viral.

In 2013, Gao plays a "leftover" unmarried woman who gets entangled with a man who has a phobia of marriage in the drama Let's Get Married. The series was a commercial hit, achieving the highest ratings in 2013 and online views of more 400 million. For her performance, Gao won the Best Actress Award at the 18th Beijing Chunyan Awards.

Gao then collaborated with Nicholas Tse in the romantic film But Always. The film was relatively successful at the box office, grossing 207 million yuan. She was nominated for the Best Actress Award at the 2014 Macau International Movie and TV Festival. She then starred in Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2, the sequel to the 2011 film.

In 2015, Gao starred in the movie version of her 2013 hit drama Lets Get Married. The film was also successful, grossing US$45 million at the box office. On November 20, she won the Best Foreign Actress Award at the 52nd Grand Bell Awards.

Personal life

Gao started dating Mark Chao in in 2012. The two met on the set of Caught in the Web.

In 2014, the couple got married in Beijing.

Filmography

^[2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gao Yuanyuan.

References

• Gao Yuanyuan on news.baidu.com
• Jackie Chan picks Gao Yuanyuan for new film, China Daily
• (Chinese) 高圆圆:我不是大花瓶 拍戏中从成龙身上学会敬业
• (Chinese) Gao Yuanyuan fansite

External links

• Gao Yuanyuan at the Internet Movie Database
• Gao Yuanyuan's profile on spcnet.tv