Gong Li
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| Gong Li | ||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | 鞏俐 (Traditional) | |||||||||||||
| Chinese name | 巩俐 (Simplified) | |||||||||||||
| Born | December 31, 1965 Shenyang, China |
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| Spouse(s) | Ooi Wei Ming (1996-) | |||||||||||||
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- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Gong.
Gong Li (simplified Chinese: 巩俐; traditional Chinese: 鞏俐; pinyin: Gǒng Lì) (born December 31, 1965) is a two-time Golden Rooster, two-time Hundred Flowers Award, Berlinale Camera, Cannes Festival Trophy, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle Award, and Volpi Cup winning Chinese film actress. She first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States.[1]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Gong Li was born in Shenyang, Liaoning, China, the fifth child in her family. Her father was a professor of economics and her mother, who was 40 when Gong was born, was a teacher.[2] Gong grew up in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. She knew from a young age that she wanted to be an actress, and at school she excelled at singing and dancing almost to the exclusion of other subjects. She was eventually accepted to the Beijing Central College of Drama in 1985 and graduated in 1989.[3] She was still a student there when Zhang Yimou chose her in 1987 for the lead role in his first film as a director.[4]
[edit] Career
Over the next several years after her 1987 debut in Red Sorghum, Gong received both local and international acclaim for her roles in several more Zhang Yimou films, becoming his muse.[5] She appeared in Ju Dou in 1990. Her performance in the Oscar-nominated Raise the Red Lantern thrust her into the international spotlight.[4] and The Story of Qiu Ju, for which she was named Best Actress at the 1992 Venice Film Festival. The roles help solidify her reputation as, according to Asiaweek, one of the "world's most glamorous movie stars and an elegant throwback to Hollywood's golden era."[4] Gong and Zhang, however were not only colleagues but lovers. When Gong ended their personal relationship in 1995 (marrying a businessman the following year), their professional relationship ended as well.[5]
In 1993 she received a New York Film Critics Circle award for her role in Farewell My Concubine. Directed by Chen Kaige, the film was at the time her first major role with a director other than Zhang Yimou. In 2006, Premiere Magazine ranked her performance as the 89th greatest performance of all time.
With her ascent and influence, Gong began to criticize the censorship policy in China. Her films Farewell My Concubine and The Story of Qiu Ju were both initially banned in her native land, reportedly for being thinly-veiled critiques of the government.[6] In regards to the sexual material in Ju Dou, one official called the film "a bad influence on the physical and spiritual health of young people."[5]
Gong wrote the introduction to the 2001 book "Chinese Opera".[7]
Despite her high profile, Gong put off working on Hollywood films for years, due to both her lack of confidence in speaking English and her discontent with the types of roles that had been offered to her[8]. Her first major English-language role came in 2005 when she starred as the beautiful but vindictive Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha. Her performance met generally rave reviews.[9]
Her other English-language roles to date have been in Miami Vice in 2006 and Hannibal Rising in 2007. In all three films, she learned her English lines phonetically.
[edit] Controversy
Gong created a major stir at Peking University in 2000 when the university accepted her to take an undergraduate degree course in social studies. Students of the institution felt her celebrity status allowed her to "jump the queue" when other prospective students are held to much more competitive standards. In her defence, Gong said she simply wanted to "pursue the spirit of learning."[10]
[edit] Personal life
Her relationship with Zhang Yimou was both professional and romantic and they created a scandal for being lovers during their long collaboration, despite Zhang having been married at the time. The couple eventually broke up in 1995. In 1996, rumors began circulating that Gong had married Singaporean tobacco tycoon Ooi Hoe Soeng (黄和祥), allegations she denied until a Singapore tabloid printed a copy of the marriage certificate.[11] They eventually had a wedding reception that November at Hong Kong's China Club.[12][11] She has a reputation for being elusive and is very private about her personal life. As of 2007, she is said to be able to speak fluent conversational English.[citation needed]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Red Sorghum | 红高梁 | ||
| 1989 | The Empress Dowager | 西太后 | Guilian | |
| 1989 | Mr. Sunshine | 開心巨無霸 | ||
| 1989 | Codename Cougar | 代号美洲豹 | Ah Li | Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress, 1989 |
| 1990 | A Terracotta Warrior | 秦俑 | Winter/Lili Chu | Nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress |
| 1990 | Ju Dou | 菊豆 | Ju Dou | |
| 1991 | God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai | 賭俠2之上海灘賭聖 | Yu-Sin/Yu-Mong | |
| 1991 | Raise the Red Lantern | 大红灯笼高高挂 | Songlian | Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress, 1993 |
| 1991 | The Banquet | 豪門夜宴 | Waitress at banquet | |
| 1992 | The Story of Qiu Ju | 秋菊打官司 | Qiu Ju | Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actress, 1993 Volpi Cup (Venice Film Festival) for Best Actress |
| 1992 | Mary from Beijing | 夢醒時分 | Mary | |
| 1993 | Farewell My Concubine | 霸王别姬 | Juxian | NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress, 1993 |
| 1993 | Flirting Scholar | 唐伯虎點秋香 | Chow Heung | |
| 1994 | Dragon Chronicles: The Maidens of Heavenly Mountain | 新天龍八部之天山童姥 | Mo Han-Wen | |
| 1994 | A Soul Haunted by Painting | 画魂 | Pan Yuliang | |
| 1994 | To Live | 活着 | Xu Jiazhen | Nominated for Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress, 1995 |
| 1994 | King of Western Chu | 西楚霸王 | Lu Zi | |
| 1995 | Shanghai Triad | 摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥 | Xiao Jingbao | |
| 1996 | Temptress Moon | 风月 | Pang Ruyi | Nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress, 1997 |
| 1997 | Chinese Box | Vivian | ||
| 1998 | The Emperor and the Assassin | 荆柯刺秦王 | Lady Zhao | |
| 2000 | Breaking the Silence | 漂亮妈妈 | Sun Liying | Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actress, 2000 Montreal World Film Festival for Best Actress, 2000 |
| 2002 | Zhou Yu's Train | 周渔的火车 | Zhou Yu | |
| 2004 | 2046 | 2046 | Su Li Zhen | |
| 2004 | Eros | Miss Hua | ||
| 2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha | Hatsumomo | Nominated for Satellite Award for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture Drama
Best Supporting actress-National Board of Review |
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| 2006 | Miami Vice | Isabella | ||
| 2006 | Curse of the Golden Flower | 满城尽带黄金甲 | Empress Phoenix | Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress, 2007/ Hong Kong Film critics award for Best Actress, 2007 |
| 2007 | Hannibal Rising | Lady Murasaki Shikibu Lecter | ||
| 2008 | Shanghai | Anna |
[edit] Other information
- Gong Li was voted the most beautiful person in China.[13][14]
- One of the B-sides of Red Hot Chili Peppers single Scar Tissue, from the album Californication, is called Gong Li.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Kehr, Dave (2004-07-16). Torn Between a Dreamy Idealist and a Veterinarian. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ Gong Li Sidebar
- ^ Gong Li Biography - Barnes & Noble.com
- ^ a b c Ghahremani, Yasmin; Stanmeyer, Anastacia (1999-09-24), "Nation builders". Asiaweek. 25 (38):74
- ^ a b c Dargis, Manohla (2004-12-05), "Glamour's New Orientation". New York Times. 154 (53054):Arts & Leisure 1
- ^ No byline (2000-02-25), "FIRST LADY OF FILM". Asiaweek. 26 (7):34
- ^ Dopp, Bonnie Jo (2001-10-15), "Chinese Opera". Library Journal. 126 (17):78
- ^ The Women of ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' | Memoirs of a Geisha | Movie News | Movies | Entertainment Weekly | 3
- ^ Lyttle, John (2006-01-16), "The eastern affront". New Statesman, 135 (4775):47
- ^ No byline (2000-05-19), "Too Pretty for School?". Asiaweek. 26 (19):45
- ^ a b No byline (1997-02-10), "Gong Li & Ooi Hoe Seong". People. 47 (5):112
- ^ Louie, Elaine (1996-10-29), "Chronicle:Gong Li". New York Times. 146 (50595):B16
- ^ "Gong Li voted China's Most Beautiful Person", China Daily, May 23,2006. Retrieved on 2007-03-17.
- ^ Min, Shen (May 22,2006). Gong Li Voted China's Most Beautiful Star. Retrieved on 2007-03-17.
[edit] External links
- Gong Li at the Internet Movie Database
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gong, Li |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 巩俐 (Chinese) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Chinese actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 31, 1965 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Shenyang, China |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
