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Zhang Ziyi Says a Week of Daily Hollywood Compliments Made Her Stop Believing Them. Then Ang Lee Didn’t Speak to Her for Six Months
Zhang Ziyi
Ziyi Zhang, Zhang Zi Yi
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Who is this?
Zhang Ziyi ([ʈʂáŋ tsɹ̩̀.ǐ]; Chinese: 章子怡; born 9 February 1979), sometimes credited as Ziyi Zhang, is a Chinese actress, known for playing independent and strong-willed characters. Born and raised in Beijing, Zhang was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama in 1996. That year, she made her acting debut in the television film Touching Starlight (1996). After her breakout role in Zhang Yimou's The Road Home (1999), which won her Best Actress at the 2000 Hundred Flowers Awards, she gained international fame for her performance in Ang Lee's wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Zhang made her Hollywood debut as a villain in Rush Hour 2 (2001), followed by Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). She reunited with Zhang Yimou in the films Hero (2002) and House of Flying Daggers (2004). She collaborated with Wong Kar-wai on 2046 (2004), which won her the Best Actress at the 2005 Hong Kong Film Awards, and on The Grandmaster (2013), for which she received 12 Best Actress awards, making her the most awarded Chinese actress for a single film. Zhang is regarded as one of the Four Dan actresses of China. From 2004 to 2010, she ranked in the Top 5 of Forbes China Celebrity 100 list every year. In 2008, she was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Cinema award at the 11th Shanghai International Film Festival. One of the most recognisable Asian actresses in the world, Time called her "China's gift to Hollywood" in 2005. The same year, Time named her one of the 100 Most Influential People. In 2013, she received the French Cultural Order of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Career
- 1979Born
- 2013Won Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress
- 2013Won Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
- 2014Won Asian Film Award for Best Actress
Trivia
- •Place of birth: Beijing
- •Citizenship: People's Republic of China
- •Known as: actor, dancer, model, stage actor
- •Genre: drama fiction, wuxia
- •Spouse: Wang Feng
What happened recently
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"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Reunion: Ang Lee Taps Zhang Ziyi for "Gold Mountain," Production Kicks Off Next Month - 玩具人 TOY PEOPLE
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Ang Lee's 'Gold Mountain' Begins Filming; '3 Body Problem' Actress and 'Planet of the Apes' Star Join as Fala Chen, Zhang Ziyi Exit - 玩具人 TOY PEOPLE
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Zhang Ziyi on ‘Crouching Tiger,’ ‘The Grandmaster’ and Twenty Years of Making Impossible Roles at Asian Film Awards Masterclass
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Zhang Ziyi Reveals the Pain and the Tears that Went Into Making ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’
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Zhang Ziyi on nearly 30 years in cinema, from dance school disappointments to her new directorial era
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Zhang Ziyi, Liu Haoran, Terrance Lau Receive Special Honors at Hong Kong’s Asian Film Awards
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Asian Film Awards 2026: Zhang Ziyi, Liu Haoran and Terrance Lau to Receive Special Honors
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‘Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, Zhang Ziyi, Jia Zhangke to Lead Masterclasses at Hong Kong’s Asian Film Awards
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Zhang Ziyi’s ex-husband posts photo with 19-year-younger girlfriend for first time to deny dating rumors with Ning Jing
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Zhang Ziyi Joins Legendary’s Monsterverse Beginning With ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’
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