Gao Yuanyuan (simplified Chinese: 高圆圆; traditional Chinese: 高圓圓; pinyin: Gāo yuányuán, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and model.[2][3] She first gained widespread attention for her role in the television series The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (2003). Her notable works include the films Shanghai Dreams (2005), City of Life and Death (2009), Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011), Caught in the Web (2012), But Always (2014), as well as the television series We Get Married (2013).
Gao Yuanyuan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
高圆圆 | |||||||
.jpg) Gao in 2016 | |||||||
| Born | 5 October 1979[1] Beijing, China | ||||||
| Alma mater | China Institute of Industrial Relations | ||||||
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Model | ||||||
| Years active | 1997–present | ||||||
| Spouse | |||||||
| Children | Rhea Chao (daughter) | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 高圓圓 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 高圆圆 | ||||||
| |||||||
She ranked 64th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013,[4] 40th in 2014,[5] 76th in 2015,[6] and 86th in 2017.[7]
Career edit
Gao Yuanyuan was born in Beijing and graduated from China Institute of Industrial Relations. Gao 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.[8]
Gao made her debut in the 1997 film Spicy Love Soup. Thereafter, she starred in Beijing Bicycle (2001), which won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and romance film Spring Subway (2002).[9] She rose to fame in 2003 for her role as Zhou Zhiruo in the television adaptation of Louis Cha's The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.[10]
Gao made inroads into the international market with the film Shanghai Dreams (2005), directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, which won the Prix de Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.[11] She was then picked by Jackie Chan to star in the action comedy movie Rob-B-Hood (2006).[12][9] Chan has characterized Gao as having the "freshest look and chaste spirit no Hong Kong actress could approach".[13]
Gao next starred in the romance film Love in the City (2007) opposite Shawn Yue, where she plays a deaf-mute kindergarten teacher.[14] Her performance won her the Newcomer Award at the 11th Golden Phoenix Awards.
Gao was then cast in City of Life and Death (2009), directed by Lu Chuan and based on the events of the Nanjing Massacre. Departing from her "girl-next-door" image, Gao played a middle-aged teacher who helped Nanjing people survive the horrors of the Japanese atrocities in 1937. Gao called the role a "turning point" in her career, stating that she had never started taking acting seriously until she worked on the film.[15][16][17][18] City of Life and Death won the top prize at the 2009 San Sebastian Film Festival.[19]
In 2010, Gao starred alongside Korean actor Jung Woo-sung in the romantic film A Season of Good Rain directed by Hur Jin-ho,[20] as well as the omnibus romance drama film Driverless.[21] The following year, she starred in Johnnie To's romantic comedy Don't Go Breaking My Heart alongside Daniel Wu.[22][23]
In 2012, Gao starred in Chen Kaige's Caught in the Web where she plays a young woman who commits suicide after she becomes embroiled in a social media controversy.[24] The film was especially popular among young viewers, drawing more than six million viewers and praise from critics.[25]
Gao returned to television in 2013 with the television series We Get Married,[26] playing a "leftover" unmarried woman who gets entangled with a man who has a phobia of marriage.[27] The series was a commercial hit, and was the highest rated drama of 2013. For her performance, Gao won the Best Actress Award at the 18th Beijing Chunyan Awards.[28] Gao reprised her role in the film adaptation of the drama.[29]
Gao then starred alongside Nicholas Tse in the romantic film But Always (2014).[30] She won the Best Foreign Actress Award at the 52nd Grand Bell Awards.[31]
In 2017, Gao ranked 86th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.[32]
After a two-year hiatus, Gao confirmed her return to the screen with Juno Mak's gangster epic Sons of the Neon Night.[33]
Other activities edit
Gao was a torch-bearer in the Nanjing leg of the torch relay for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.[34]
In 2012, Gao became the first Chinese brand ambassador for French luxury house Longchamp.[35]
Gao was appointed as California's tourism ambassador to China in 2013. She was picked as she "embodies the California brand and spirit and will share her authentic passion for California with the Chinese public, inspiring their California dreams".[34]
In 2020, Gao became the brand ambassador for Michael Kors.[36][37]
Since 2021, Gao became the brand spokesperson for French high-end jeweller Chaumet.[38][39]
Personal life edit
Gao married Taiwanese actor Mark Chao in 2014. The two met on the set of Caught in the Web[40] and welcomed a daughter - Rhea Chao in June 2019[41] one month after announcing that Gao was pregnant.[42] Yuanyuan has been a vegetarian since 2009.[43]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Spicy Love Soup | 爱情麻辣烫 | He Ling | |
| 2001 | Beijing Bicycle | 十七岁的单车 | Xiaoxiao | |
| 2002 | Spring Subway | 开往春天的地铁 | Tian'ai | |
| 2005 | Shanghai Dreams | 青红 | Wu Qinghong | |
| 2006 | Rob-B-Hood | 宝贝计划 | Melody | |
| 2007 | Love in the City | 男才女貌 | Qin Xiaoyou | |
| Unfinished Girl | 第三个人 | Xiao Ke | [44] | |
| 2008 | In Love We Trust | 左右 | School teacher | Cameo[45] |
| xXx:A Forbidden Love Story | xXx：被禁锢的爱 | Short film[46] | ||
| 2009 | City of Life and Death | 南京！南京！ | Jiang Shuyun | |
| 2010 | A Season of Good Rain | 好雨时节 | Wu Yue (May) | |
| The Love of Three Smile | 三笑之才子佳人 | Top Female Scholar | Cameo[47] | |
| Ocean Heaven | 海洋天堂 | Da Fu's mother | Cameo[48] | |
| Driverless | 无人驾驶 | Xiao Yun | ||
| Color Me Love | 爱出色 | Herself | Cameo[49] | |
| 2011 | Don't Go Breaking My Heart | 单身男女 | Cheng Zixin | |
| 2012 | Romancing in Thin Air | 高海拔之恋II | Ding Yuanyuan | [50] |
| Caught in the Web | 搜索 | Ye Lanqiu | ||
| 2013 | Blind Detective | 盲探 | Ting Ting | [51] |
| 2014 | But Always | 一生一世 | An Ran | |
| Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 | 单身男女2 | Cheng Zixin | [52] | |
| 2015 | Let's Get Married | 咱们结婚吧 | Ye Wenwen | |
| TBA | Sons of the Neon Night | 风林火山 | A retired therapist | Unreleased |
Television series edit
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 实习生的故事 | Gao Fei | ||
| 找不着北 | Jiang Xin | [53] | ||
| 1999 | 咱老百姓 | Yu Qian | ||
| 2003 | The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber | 倚天屠龙记 | Zhou Zhiruo | |
| The Adventures of Di Renjie | 护国良相狄仁杰 | Pan Yu | [54] | |
| 准点出击 | Huang Li | |||
| 2004 | 你在微笑我却哭了 | Shen Xiao | [55] | |
| 海的誓言 | Ye Yu | |||
| 烟花三月 | Shen Wan | [56] | ||
| 爱与梦飞翔 | Hongjie | Cameo | ||
| Miracle Healers | 神医侠侣 | Qinzi | [57] | |
| 2005 | The Royal Swordsmen | 天下第一 | Liusheng Piaoxu | [58] |
| The Prince of Qin, Li Shimin | 秦王李世民 | Yang Ruoxi | [59] | |
| 2007 | Love No Regrets | 爱无悔 | Gao Mingyue | [60] |
| 2009 | The Qin Empire | 大秦帝国 | Bai Xue | [61] |
| 2013 | We Get Married | 咱们结婚吧 | Yang Tao | |
| The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils | 天龙八部 | Li Biyun | [62] | |
| 2021 | Dreams and Glory | 光荣与梦想 | Soong Mei-ling | [63] |
| 2022 | Perfect Couple | 完美伴侣 | Chen Shan | [64] |
Theater edit
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Glamorous Encounter | 艳遇 | Lin Momo | [65] |
| 2008 | Hamlet 1990 | 哈姆雷特1990 | Ophelia | [46] |
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Love in the City | 11th Golden Phoenix Awards | Newcomer Award | Won | [66] |
| 2008 | Rob-B-Hood | 29th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Don't Go Breaking My Heart | 31st Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 12th Chinese Film Media Awards | Most Anticipated Actress | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Caught in the Web | 4th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Let's Get Married | 20th Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| But Always | 6th Macau International Movie Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Let's Get Married | 18th Chunyan Awards | Best Actress | Won | [67] |
| — | 52nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Won | [68] |
References edit
- ^ 41岁高圆圆晒一抹红写真照片，因未忘落难搭档被赞人美心善！. new.qq.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- ^ Wang Shuangxing (王双兴) (2022). 高圆圆：女神无我 [Gao Yuanyuan: the Goddess]. Nothing but Storytelling (in Chinese). 396. Beijing: People's Publishing House: 99–103. ISSN 1001-6635.
- ^ Li Yuehan (李悦涵) (2022). 高圆圆：四十不惑 [Gao Yuanyuan: no confusion at forty]. Culture and History Vision (in Chinese). 628. Yuhua District, Changsha, Hunan: Integrated Media Center of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference: 70–71. ISSN 1672-8653.
- ^ "2013 Forbes China Celebrity 100 List: Fan Bingbing in Top Spot". JayneStars. April 24, 2013.
- ^ "2014 Forbes China Celebrity List (Full List)". Forbes. May 6, 2014.
- ^ "2015 Forbes China Celebrity List (Full List)". Forbes. May 13, 2015.
- ^ "2017 Forbes China Celebrity List (Full List)". Forbes. September 22, 2017.
- ^ "5 questions with Gao Yuan Yuan". Today Online. November 22, 2013.
- ^ a b "Golden Gao". China Daily. August 24, 2007.
- ^ "Almond-eyed actress". China Daily. October 27, 2009.
- ^ ""Shanghai Dreams" Honored Jury Prize at Cannes". China Radio International. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007.
- ^ "Gao Yuanyuan in "Rob-B-Hood"". China Daily. September 7, 2009.
- ^ "Jackie Chan Picks Gao Yuanyuan for New Film". China.org.cn. December 30, 2005.
- ^ ""Love in the City" to premiere in Beijing". CCTV.com. October 1, 2007.
- ^ "How the girl next door moved away and grew up". China.org.cn. December 23, 2008.
- ^ ""Nanking!" Actress Gao Yuanyuan in Fright". China Radio International. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009.
- ^ "Be More Versatile in Acting: Gao Yuanyuan". China Radio International. March 2, 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2008.
- ^ "Hell of a story". China Daily. April 27, 2009.
- ^ "'City of Life and Death' wins Spanish film award". The San Diego Union Tribute. September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Chengdu film ready for release". China.org.cn. December 23, 2009.
- ^ "《无人驾驶》爆激情照 高圆圆挑战大尺度床戏". Mtime (in Chinese). May 21, 2010.
- ^ "In the mood for love". China Daily. April 11, 2011.
- ^ "Johnnie To's drama to open HK Int'l Film Festival". February 28, 2011.
- ^ "Gao Yuanyuan Portrays Annoying White Collar in "Caught in the Web"". Chinese Films. May 11, 2012.
- ^ "China, Framed by the Cinema and the Web". New York Times. September 14, 2012.
- ^ "Singles movie season gets under way". China Daily. November 4, 2013.
- ^ "Gao Yuanyuan and Huang Haibo star in new TV series". Sina. November 4, 2013.
- ^ "高圆圆回归电视剧 "咱们结婚吧"首播获好评". Mtime (in Chinese). November 8, 2013.
- ^ "专访《咱们结婚吧》主演高圆圆". Mtime (in Chinese). April 2, 2015.
- ^ "Gao Yuanyuan, Nicholas Tse Play Lovers in New Film". China Radio International. July 9, 2014. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017.
- ^ "Trier's 'Louder' wins Stockholm Film Fest's Bronze Horse – 'Ode' takes ten trophies at Grand Bell Awards". Arab Times. November 22, 2015.
- ^ "Actress Fan Bingbing Tops New Forbes China Celebrity List". Forbes. September 22, 2017.
- ^ "A look at Juno Mak's gangster flick 'Sons of the Neon Night'". City of Fire. September 29, 2017.
- ^ a b "China cast in role of tourism hero". China Daily. April 15, 2013.
- ^ "2012 fashion watch in China". China Daily. July 16, 2012.
- ^ "Michael Kors Announces New Brand Ambassador: Gao Yuanyuan". SSI. September 22, 2020.
- ^ "Introducing Gao Yuanyuan for Michael Kors - Fall 2020 - Michael Kors is pleased to announce that award-winning Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan is its newest Brand Ambassador". Michael Kors on YouTube. September 29, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
- ^ "高圆圆chaumet尚美巴黎回收价格不是完全固定的". tyule. 2021-05-15.
- ^ "#GaoYuanyuan for Chaumet. Perfectly embodying Chaumet's spirit of #GraceandCharacter, Chinese actress and longtime friend of the Maison Gao Yuanyuan joins as Chaumet ambassador". Chaumet Official on Twitter. 2021-03-26.
- ^ ""National Godess [sic]" Gao Yuanyuan married to Taiwanese Actor Mark Zhao". Sina. June 6, 2016.
- ^ "Mark Chao, Gao Yuanyuan named daughter Rhea". sg.style.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
- ^ Auto, Hermes (2019-05-22). "Actor Mark Chao confirms birth of daughter one month after disclosing wife's pregnancy | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
- ^ "Vegetables and fruits turned into fashion". china.org.cn. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "A good man's evil secret". China Daily. October 26, 2007.
- ^ "《 左右 》 明日开机高圆圆演老师". Sina (in Chinese). November 21, 2006.
- ^ a b "Mainland Actress Gao Yuanyuan Looking ahead". CRI English. October 30, 2008. Archived from the original on November 2, 2008.
- ^ "郭德纲演新版唐伯虎 《三笑之才子佳人》将亮相". Sina (in Chinese). March 3, 2010.
- ^ "《海洋天堂》高圆圆扮文章母亲 银幕上投海自尽". Tencent (in Chinese). June 3, 2010.
- ^ "《爱出色》拍摄完成 高圆圆王喜等大牌绿叶加盟". Sina (in Chinese). June 10, 2010.
- ^ ""高海拔之恋II"剧照 高圆圆遭王宝强当众抢婚". Mtime (in Chinese). January 11, 2012.
- ^ "Gao stars again in To film". China Daily. May 30, 2013.
- ^ ""单身男女2"曝高圆圆婚纱造型 吴彦祖客串现身". Mtime (in Chinese). September 10, 2013.
- ^ "访《找不着北》里漂亮的"江欣"--高圆圆". Sina (in Chinese). April 3, 2000.
- ^ "张博情迷高圆圆 出演《护国良相狄仁杰》". Sina (in Chinese). November 10, 2003.
- ^ "《你在微笑我却哭了》高圆圆拒绝装嫩(图)". Sohu (in Chinese). July 5, 2004.
- ^ "陈浩民高圆圆《烟花三月》演绎诗人容若(图)". Sina (in Chinese). July 27, 2004.
- ^ "高圆圆贾静雯《神医侠侣》再续"倚天"情仇". Sina (in Chinese). July 18, 2003.
- ^ "《天下第一》无锡开拍 李亚鹏情牵高圆圆(组图)". Sina (in Chinese). April 4, 2004.
- ^ "组图：何润东高圆圆《秦王李世民》北京热播". Sina (in Chinese). March 21, 2005.
- ^ "高圆圆再变苦情女强人 《爱无悔》凄苦迷离(图)". Sina (in Chinese). March 18, 2008.
- ^ "《大秦帝国》将播出 黄健中：高圆圆就是白雪". Sina (in Chinese). December 17, 2009.
- ^ "苏有朋、贾静雯、高圆圆客串新《天龙八部》". People's Daily (in Chinese). January 16, 2013.
- ^ "《光荣与梦想》首发剧照 高圆圆饰演宋美龄气质端庄". sina (in Chinese). 2021-06-05.
- ^ "高圆圆、张鲁一主演电视剧《完美伴侣》正在热播，都市情感作品向熟龄倾斜". xinhua (in Chinese). Wen Wei Po. 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Glamorous Encounter". China Daily. April 5, 2007.
- ^ "电影表演艺术学会奖揭晓". Sou (in Chinese). August 8, 2007.
- ^ "第十八届春燕奖 高圆圆获最佳女主角奖". Sina (in Chinese). August 9, 2015.
- ^ "第52届韩国大钟电影节完整获奖名单". Sina (in Chinese). November 20, 2015.
External links edit
- Gao Yuanyuan at IMDb