Ziyi Zhang (Chinese: 章子怡, pinyin: Zhāng Zǐyí; born February 9, 1979) is a Chinese film actress and singer. Zhang is considered one of the Four Young Dan actresses in China, along with Zhao Wei, Xu Jinglei, and Zhou Xun. With a string of Chinese and international hits to her name, she has worked with renowned directors such as Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, Wong Kar-Wai, Chen Kaige, Jackie Chan, Seijun Suzuki and Rob Marshall.
Career
At the age of 19, Zhang was offered her first role in Zhang Yimou's The Road Home, which won the Silver Bear award in the 2000 Berlin Film Festival.
Zhang further rose to fame due to her role as the headstrong Jen (Chinese version: Xia Long) in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she won several awards in the West, such as Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. Zhang's first appearance in an American movie was in Rush Hour 2, but because she didn't speak English at the time, Jackie Chan had to interpret everything the director said to her. In the movie, her character's name, "Hu Li," is translated from Mandarin Chinese to "Fox".
Zhang then appeared in Hero, with her early mentor Zhang Yimou, which was a huge success in the English-speaking world and nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe award. Her next film was the avant-garde drama Purple Butterfly by Lou Ye, which competed at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Zhang went back to the martial arts genre with House of Flying Daggers , which earned her a Best Actress nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
In 2046, directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring many of the best-known Chinese actors and actresses, Zhang was the female lead and won the Hong Kong Film Critics' Best Actress Award and the Hong Kong Film Academy's Best Actress Award.
Showing her whimsical musical tap-dancing side, Zhang starred in Princess Raccoon, directed by Japanese legend Seijun Suzuki, who was honored at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2005, Zhang landed the lead role of Sayuri in the film adaptation of the international bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha. There was a slight controversy in Japan about a Chinese woman portraying a Japanese Geisha. For the film, she reunited with her 2046 co-star Gong Li and with her Crouching Tiger co-star Michelle Yeoh. For the role, Zhang received a 2006 Golden Globe Award nomination, a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination.
Zhang has also been known to sing, and was featured on the House of Flying Daggers soundtrack with her own musical rendition of the ancient Chinese poem, Jia Rén Qu ( The Beauty Song). The song was also featured in two scenes in the film.
On June 27, 2005, it was announced that Zhang had accepted an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), placing her among the ranks of those able to vote on the Academy Awards.
In May 2006, Zhang became the youngest member to sit on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. In the fall of 2006, Zhang played Empress Wan in The Banquet (Yè Yàn), a film set in the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang provided the voice of Karai in the TMNT movie that was released on March 23, 2007. She later starred in Forever Enthralled (Mei Lanfang) (2008) and will appear in The Horsemen (2009) with Dennis Quaid.
Filmography
Career
At the age of 19, Zhang was offered her first role in Zhang Yimou's The Road Home, which won the Silver Bear award in the 2000 Berlin Film Festival.
Zhang further rose to fame due to her role as the headstrong Jen (Chinese version: Xia Long) in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she won several awards in the West, such as Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. Zhang's first appearance in an American movie was in Rush Hour 2, but because she didn't speak English at the time, Jackie Chan had to interpret everything the director said to her. In the movie, her character's name, "Hu Li," is translated from Mandarin Chinese to "Fox".
Zhang then appeared in Hero, with her early mentor Zhang Yimou, which was a huge success in the English-speaking world and nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe award. Her next film was the avant-garde drama Purple Butterfly by Lou Ye, which competed at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Zhang went back to the martial arts genre with House of Flying Daggers , which earned her a Best Actress nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
In 2046, directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring many of the best-known Chinese actors and actresses, Zhang was the female lead and won the Hong Kong Film Critics' Best Actress Award and the Hong Kong Film Academy's Best Actress Award.
Showing her whimsical musical tap-dancing side, Zhang starred in Princess Raccoon, directed by Japanese legend Seijun Suzuki, who was honored at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2005, Zhang landed the lead role of Sayuri in the film adaptation of the international bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha. There was a slight controversy in Japan about a Chinese woman portraying a Japanese Geisha. For the film, she reunited with her 2046 co-star Gong Li and with her Crouching Tiger co-star Michelle Yeoh. For the role, Zhang received a 2006 Golden Globe Award nomination, a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination.
Zhang has also been known to sing, and was featured on the House of Flying Daggers soundtrack with her own musical rendition of the ancient Chinese poem, Jia Rén Qu ( The Beauty Song). The song was also featured in two scenes in the film.
On June 27, 2005, it was announced that Zhang had accepted an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), placing her among the ranks of those able to vote on the Academy Awards.
In May 2006, Zhang became the youngest member to sit on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. In the fall of 2006, Zhang played Empress Wan in The Banquet (Yè Yàn), a film set in the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang provided the voice of Karai in the TMNT movie that was released on March 23, 2007. She later starred in Forever Enthralled (Mei Lanfang) (2008) and will appear in The Horsemen (2009) with Dennis Quaid.
Filmography
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Touching Starlight | 星星點燈 | Chen Wei | Sun Wenxue |
| 1999 | The Road Home | 我的父親母親 | Young Zhao Di | Zhang Yimou |
| 2000 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | 臥虎藏龍 | Jen Yu | Ang Lee |
| 2001 | Rush Hour 2 | 尖峰时刻2 | Hu Li | Brett Ratner |
| The Legend of Zu | 蜀山傳 | Joy | Tsui Hark | |
| Musa | 武士 | Princess Bu-yong | Kim Sung-su | |
| 2002 | Hero | 英雄 | Moon | Zhang Yimou |
| 2003 | Purple Butterfly | 紫蝴蝶 | Cynthia/Ding Hui | Lou Ye |
| My Wife is a Gangster 2 | 我老婆是大佬2 | Gangster boss | Jeong Heung-sun | |
| 2004 | 2046 | 2046 | Bai Ling | Wong Kar-wai |
| House of Flying Daggers | 十面埋伏 | Mei | Zhang Yimou | |
| Jasmine Women | 茉莉花開開 | Young Mo/Young Li/Young Hua | Hou Yong | |
| 2005 | Princess Raccoon | 貍御殿 | Princess Tanuki | Seijun Suzuki |
| Memoirs of a Geisha | 艺伎回忆录 | Sayuri Nitta/Chiyo Sakamoto | Rob Marshall | |
| 2006 | The Banquet | 夜宴 | Wan | Feng Xiaogang |
| 2007 | TMNT | - | Karai | Kevin Munroe |
| 2008 | Forever Enthralled | 梅蘭芳 | Meng Xiaodong | Chen Kaige |
| 2009 | The Horsemen | 骑士 | Kristen | Jonas Åkerlund |
| Sophie's Revenge | - | Sophie | Yimeng Jin | |
| Lost for Words | - | Lin Zhen | Susanne Bier | |
| 2010 | Waiting | - | Wu Manna | Peter Chan |
Awards won
Hundred Flowers Awards
- 2000 - Best Actress for The Road Home
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
- 2001 - Most Promising Actress
Golden Bauhinia Awards
- 2001 - Best Supporting Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Golden Rooster Awards
- 2004 - Best Actress for Mo li hua kai (Jasmine Women)
Hong Kong Film Awards
- 2005 - Best Actress for 2046
Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
- 2005 - Best Actress for 2046
Independent Spirit Awards
- 2001 - Best Supporting Female for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
MTV Movie Awards
- 2001 - Best Fight for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Versus entire bar)
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
- 2000 - Best Supporting Performance, Female for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Young Artist Awards
- 2001 - Best Young Actress in an International Film for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
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