Li Gong - Biography

Last Editor: nayumi-yeo08				Li Gong Biography -   Name : Li Gong Born : December 31, 1965 (1965-12-31) (age 41) Shenyang, China Spouse(s) : Ooi Wei Ming (1996-present) Notable roles : Isabella in Miami Vice, Jiu'er in Red Sorghum Juxian in Farewell My Concubine Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha Lady Murasaki Shikibu in Hannibal Risin

Li Gong Trivia -

N/A

Li Gong Detailed Biography -

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Gong. Gong Li (Simplified Chinese: 巩�; Traditional Chinese: ��; Pinyin: Gǒng Lì) (born December 31, 1965) is a Chinese film actress. She first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Gong Li is generally considered as one of the best actresses in China. Gong 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. 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. In spite of failing her college exam twice, she was eventually accepted to the Beijing Central College of Drama in 1985 and graduated in 1989. She was still a student there when Zhang Yimou chose her in 1987 for the lead role in his first film as a director, Red Sorghum, which won 7 awards at the Golden Roosters, China's equivalent of the American Academy Awards. Gong Li has since become noted one of the most successful and recognizable actresses in Chinese cinema, with fame that has extended abroad to many countries. Coveted in the film industry as one of the most beautiful women in the world, her work has been recognized with Best Actress Awards from the Venice Film Festival and New York Film Critics Circle. She retains a very strong popularity in most Asian countries and is prized for her talents. In addition to acting, she is also an exceptional singer, as demonstrated during her performance in Shanghai Triad. She was also presented the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in June 1998. She starred in Zhang Yimou's films well into the mid-1990s. Called his protegeé, the two created a scandal for being lovers during their long collaboration, despite Zhang's marital status during that time. The couple eventually broke up in 1995, and Gong Li married Singaporean tobacco tycoon Ooi Hoe Soeng the next year. Gong and Zhang had then stopped working together until 2006, when Gong Li starred in Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower as the beautiful and ultimately dying Golden Pheonix. Gong's limited Hollywood appearances include 1997's Chinese Box (directed by Wayne Wong, and expanded with 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha in which she played an aged geisha teaching her protege the skilled art of the refined tea house entertainer. She also appeared in the 2006 film adaptation of Miami Vice and the 2007 film Hannibal Rising playing the savior, mentor, lover, and wife to Hannibal. In 2006, Premiere ranked her performance in Farewell My Concubine as the 89th greatest performance of all time. Directors Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone and Michael Mann are reported to be admirers of her. Year English Title Chinese Title Role Notes Red Sorghum The Empress Dowager Guilian Mr. Sunshine Codename Cougar Ah Li Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress, 1989 A Terracotta Warrior Winter/Lili Chu Nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress Ju Dou Ju Dou God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai 賭俠2之上海�賭� Yu-San/Yu-Mong Raise the Red Lantern Songlian Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress, 1993 The Banquet Waitress at banquet The Story of Qiu Ju Qiu Ju Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actress, 1993 Volpi Cup (Venice Film Festival) for Best Actress Mary from Beijing Mary Farewell My Concubine Juxian NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress, 1993 Flirting Scholar Chen Heung Dragon Chronicles: The Maidens of Heavenly Mountain Mo Han-Wen A Soul Haunted by Painting Pan Yuliang To Live Xu Jiazhen Nominated for Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress, 1995 King of Western Chu Lu Zi Shanghai Triad Xiao Jingbao Temptress Moon Pang Ruyi Nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress, 1997 Chinese Box Vivian The Emperor and the Assassin Lady Zhao Breaking the Silence Sun Liying Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actress, 2000 Montreal World Film Festival for Best Actress, 2000 Zhou Yu's Train Zhou Yu Su Li Zhen Eros Miss Hua Memoirs of a Geisha Hatsumomo Nominated for Satellite Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role Miami Vice Isabella Curse of the Golden Flower Empress Phoenix Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress, 2007/ Hong Kong Film critics award for Best Actress, 2007 Hannibal Rising Lady Murasaki Shikibu Lecter This article contains a trivia section. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items into the main text and removing inappropriate items. This article has been tagged since June 2007.