Zhang Ziyi

Biography of Zhang Ziyi

Zhang Ziyi was born on February 9, 1979 in Beijing, China. She is a Chinese film actress.

Zhang Ziyi's international breakthrough came with the filmCrouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon(2000), in which she played Jen Yu, the proud, cheeky daughter of Governor Yu and an outstanding swordswoman.

Zhang Ziyi starred in Rush Hour 2 (2001) for the first time in a Hollywood production, opposite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

In the years that followed, Zhang Ziyi directed several films that belonged to the wuxia genre, such as Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon. such as Musa (2001), Hero (2002) and House of Flying Daggers (2004).

In Purple Butterfly (2003) she can be seen in a drama set in 1930s Shanghai. In the Korean action flick My Wife Is a Gangster 2 (also 2003), Zhang Ziyi has a cameo appearance as the boss of a Chinese gangster syndicate at the end of the film.

For her performance in the film 2046 (2004) directed by Wong Kar-Wai, she received the 2005 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress.

Her first leading English-language role was inMemories of a Geisha(2005) alongside Ken Watanabe, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh. She was nominated for a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe for the title role of Sayuri Nitta.

On October 17, 2012, Zhang Ziyi was honored with the Outstanding Artist Award at the 3rd Annual New York Chinese Film Festival.

In 2015, she married rock musician Wang Feng. The couple have a daughter and a son together.