Zhang Ziyi Biography

Born	February 9, 1979 (age 27) Beijing, China
Height	1.65 m (5' 5")
Notable roles	Jen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Mei House of Flying Daggers Hu Li Rush Hour 2 Sayuri Memoirs of a Geisha

Zhang Ziyi (born February 9, 1979 in Beijing, China) is one of the most well-known Chinese actresses working today, 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, and Rob Marshall.

Of the characters making up her name, Zhāng (章) is her surname (not to be confused with the more common Zhāng 张 which is a homonym but written with a different character), and can be literally translated as an essay or a chapter of a book, Zǐ (子) means child or esteemed person, and Yí (怡) means joy or happiness. Her name is sometimes represented in the Western order (Ziyi Zhang).

Biography

Early life

Born in Beijing, China, Zhang joined the Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 11, and at 15 she entered China's prestigious Central Academy of Drama (regarded as the top acting college in China).

Career

At the age of 19, she was offered her first role in world renowned director 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 in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she won the Independent Spirit's Best Supporting Actress Award and the Toronto Film Critics' Best Supporting Actress Award.

Her first appearance in an American movie was in Rush Hour 2, but as she didn't speak English, Jackie Chan had to translate everything the director said to her. In that movie, her character's name, "Hu Li" translated from Mandarin Chinese is "Fox".

After this she went on to make Hero which was a huge success in the English-speaking world and an Oscar and a Golden Globe contender. Her next film was the avant-garde drama Purple Butterfly which competed at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. She 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.

For her next drama 2046, directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring many of the best-known Chinese actresses (from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland), Zhang 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 82-year-old Japanese legend Seijun Suzuki who was honored at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. She plays the leading role of Sayuri in the adaptation of the international bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha, with her Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon co-star Michelle Yeoh, as well as Gong Li and Ken Watanabe. The movie was produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Rob Marshall, and released in December 2005. Zhang has received a Best Actress - Drama Golden Globe nomination for her role.

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 (佳人曲, The Beauty Song). The song was also featured in a scene in the film.

On 27 June, 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' most recent film was released, a new drama set in the Tang Dynasty of China called The Banquet (Yè Yàn 夜宴).

Zhang Ziyi can be seen endorsing TAG Heuer, Maybelline, GARNIER, Asience (Japanese shampoo brand), VISA and Got Milk?.

Filmography

Zhang Ziyi from the film Hero

The Horsemen (2007 film) Kristen (2007)
The Banquet aka Ye Yan (2006)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Princess Raccoon (2005)
Jasmine Women (2004)
House of Flying Daggers (2004)
2046 (2004)
Purple Butterfly (2003)
My Wife is a Gangster 2 (2003)
Hero (2002)
The Legend of Zu (2001)
Musa (2001)
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
The Road Home (1999)
Touching Starlight (1996)

Awards and nominations

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

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

Magazine Awards Won

Was ranked 2nd of the 100 Sexiest Women by FHM Taiwan (2001).
Was named one of the 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 by Teen People Magazine (2001).
Was named one of the 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 by Teen People Magazine (2002).
Ranked #91 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002)
Voted in at #100 in FHM's Sexiest 100 Girls of 2002, UK edition. [June 2002]
Forbes magazine's China edition recently ranked her the second most popular celebrity after NBA player 'Yao Ming' . [August 2004]
Named by Entertainment Weekly in their 'The Must List' 2005. Listed 38th out of the 122 people and things the magazine "loves" this year, Ziyi was the only Chinese to be included.
Selected by "Southern People Weekly" magazine as 'Chinese Top Ten Leaders Of The Younger Generation' in 2005.
Listed in People Magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People' List in 2005.
Was listed in "Time Magazines" World's 100 Most Influential People. They called her "China's Gift to Hollywood".
Was ranked one of the '100 Most Beautiful Women in the World' in the July 2005 issue of Harpers & Queen magazine. It was her first time on the list. She was ranked number 15.
Was included in People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in the World the second year in a row in 2006. This is now her third appearance on the list.
Was voted in at #86 in FHM's sexiest women in the world in 2006. She had not appeared in the list since 2002.

Awards nominated

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA

2001 - Best Supporting Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2005 - Best Actress for House of Flying Daggers

BAFTA Awards

2001 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2005 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for House of Flying Daggers
2006 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Memoirs of a Geisha

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

2001 - Best Supporting Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Golden Globes

2006 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Memoirs of a Geisha

Golden Horse Film Festival

2000 - Best Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2004 - Best Actress for 2046

Hong Kong Film Awards

2001 - Best Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2003 - Best Supporting Actress for Hero

Image Awards

2006 - Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for Memoirs of a Geisha

Kids' Choice Awards

2002 - Favorite Female Action Hero for Rush Hour 2

MTV Movie Awards

2001 - Breakthrough Female Performance for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2002 - Best Villain for Rush Hour 2
2005 - Best Fight for House of Flying Daggers *(For Zhang Ziyi vs. The Emperor's guards)

Online Film Critics Society Awards

2001 - Best Supporting Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Satellite Awards

2005 - Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for Memoirs of a Geisha

Screen Actors Guild Awards

2006 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Memoirs of a Geisha

Teen Choice Awards

2001 - Film - Choice Breakout Performance