Yao Chen
Yao Chen | |||||||||||||||||
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| 姚晨 | |||||||||||||||||
 Yao during a panel discussion of World Economic Forum, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 October 1979 Fuzhou, Fujian, China | ||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Beijing Film Academy | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Actress | ||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2005–present | ||||||||||||||||
| Agents |
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| Spouses | Ling Xiaosu
(m. 2004; div. 2011)Cao Yu (m. 2012) | ||||||||||||||||
| Children | Xiao Tudou (son) Xiao Moli (daughter) | ||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 姚晨 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Website | blog | ||||||||||||||||
Yao Chen (Chinese: 姚晨; pinyin: Yáo chén; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Iâu Sîn, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and philanthropist. She first gained popularity for her role in My Own Swordsman (2006). Yao went on to star in the television series Lurk (2008), Divorce Lawyers (2014), and All Is Well (2019). Her notable film credits include Caught in the Web (2012), Firestorm (2013), Lost, Found (2018), and Send Me to the Clouds (2019).
In 2019, she received the Singapore International Film Festival’s cinema icon award for a career that has encompassed a wildly popular television series (Lurk) and award winning film (All is Well). She is the first Chinese Ambassador in this program. Yao Chen won the 22nd Crystal Awards at the opening session of the 46th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. Other honorees include Leonardo DiCaprio , artist Olafur Eliasson, and musician Will.I.Am. For Yao’s works and impacts in Asia and the world, she was received 2023 Asia Game Changer Award from Asia Society. Other awardees include artist Yayoi Kusama, Founder of Natori Josie Cruz Natori, Philanthropists Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki, and others.
Personal life
Yao was born in Fuzhou, Fujian province on 5 October 1979 to a middle-class family, and studied Chinese folk dance at the Beijing Dance Academy from 1993 to 1997, then studied at the Beijing Film Academy from 1999 to 2003.
In 2004, Yao married to Chinese actor Ling Xiaosu, and divorced in January 2011. Yao married cinematographer Cao Yu in November 2012. She gave birth to their first child in 2013, three years later, she gave birth to their 2nd baby.
Career
Yao starred as the daughter of a powerful martial artist in a 2005 television production of My Own Swordsman. The series was especially popular and skyrocketed her to fame in China. Following this, in 2008, she played the part of an iconic guerilla leader in the series Lurk. The spy drama became a smash hit in China and Yao won the Best Actress award at the Huading Awards and the Golden Eagle Awards.
In 2009, she made her theatrical debut; playing a white-collar heroine in A Story of Lala's Promotion. She also had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Sophie's Revenge starring Zhang Ziyi. In a departure from her usual style, Yao's portrayal of a money-grabbing woman received acclaim from the audience. Yao then starred in romantic comedy Color Me Love (2010) as an aspiring fashion magazine editor, which would go on to become one of her most famous film roles.
In 2012, Yao starred in Chen Kaige's social drama Caught in the Web as a truth-seeking journalist. She then starred alongside Andy Lau in the action thriller Firestorm, which won her the Outstanding Actress award at the Chinese Film Media Awards.
Yao played a lawyer in the 2014 drama Divorce Lawyers. The drama was a huge success in China and sparked discussions online about emotion, truth and law.
More recently, Yao starred in blockbusters Monster Hunt (2015), Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe (2015) and Journey to the West 2 (2017). Yao was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance in Monster Hunt. She also starred in MBA Partners (2016), playing an ambitious young woman.
In 2017, Yao served as the jury of the 23rd Shanghai Television Festival.
In 2018, Yao starred in the mystery film Lost, Found alongside Ma Yili; a remake of the South Korean film Missing.
In 2019, Yao starred in the family drama All Is Well. The series was extremely popular during its run, and Yao experienced a resurgence in popularity.
Most recently, she starred in If You are the One 3 in 2023. Other key cast include Ge You, Shu Qi, Fan Wei and Guan Xiaotong.
Activism
Yao was named the UNHCR's Honorary Patron for China and has visited refugees in places including the Philippines, Thailand, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia. The number of followers of her microblogging during this visit increased dramatically, won over by her sincere, fearless communication and her honest engagement with current world events. In 2013, she was named the first UNHCR goodwill ambassador in China.
Yao is among the people most followed on Weibo with 79 million followers. She uses her influence and wide reach to spread awareness on issues such as refugees crisis, pollution and censorship.
Yao was among the recipients of the 2016 Crystal Award for her work on behalf of the U.N. refugee agency in raising awareness of the world refugee crisis. The same year, she was selected as one of the "Young Global Leaders" in 2016 by the World Economic Forum. Yao was also awarded the Top Influence Award at the You Bring Charm to the World award ceremony.
Endorsements
In 2018, Yao was selected as brand ambassador for Italian fashion house Etro.
In 2021, Yao Chen joined actress Charlize Theron and prima-ballerina Misty Copeland as brand ambassadors for Breitling, dubbed the Breitling Spotlight Squad.
Since 2021, Italian jeweller Pomellato has announced Yao as its Chinese Brand Ambassador.
Filmography
Film
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Axis of War: My Long March | 我的长征 | Su Ma | |
| Big Movie | 大电影之数百亿 | Luo Qian | ||
| 2007 | Falling in Love | 追爱总动员 | Cameo | |
| Two Stupid Eggs | 大电影2.0之两个傻瓜的荒唐事 | Yan Zi | ||
| Crossed Lines | 命运呼叫转移 | Ma Ting | ||
| 2009 | Sophie's Revenge | 非常完美 | Lily | |
| All's Well, Ends Well | H家有喜事2009 | Xiao Yazhen | ||
| Freeway | 天堂凹 | Jin Hong | ||
| 2010 | If You Are the One 2 | 非诚勿扰2 | Mango | |
| Love in Cosmo | 摇摆de婚约 | Wang Shunjia | ||
| Color Me Love | 爱出色 | Wang Xiaofei | ||
| 2011 | My Own Swordsman | 武林外传 | Guo Furong | |
| 2012 | Caught in the Web | 搜索 | Chen Ruoxi | |
| The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven | 大闹天宫 | Voice-dubbed | ||
| 2013 | My Lucky Star | 非常幸运 | Lily | Cameo |
| Control | 控制 | Jessica | ||
| Firestorm | 风暴2 | Yan Bing | ||
| 2015 | Monster Hunt | 捉妖记 | Cooking Master | Special appearance |
| Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe | 九层妖塔 | Shirley Yang | ||
| 2016 | Everybody's Fine | 一切都好 | Guan Qing | |
| The New Year's Eve of Old Lee | 过年好 | Cameo | ||
| MBA Partners | 梦想合伙人 | Lu Zhenxi | ||
| 2017 | Journey to the West 2 | 西游伏妖篇 | Jiu Gong | |
| 2018 | Goddesses in the Flames of War | 那些女人 | ||
| Lost, Found | 找到你 | Li Jie | ||
| 2019 | Send Me to the Clouds | 送我上青云 | Sheng Nan | |
| A Journey to the Seaside | 亲密旅行 | |||
| 2020 | The Eight Hundred | 八佰 | Ho Hsiang-ning | |
| 2023 | Flaming Cloud | 三贵情史 | ||
| If You Are The One 3 | 非常勿扰3 |
Television series
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | City Girl | 都市男女 | Su Qingqing | |
| 神鞭 | Zhan Jiarong | |||
| 2004 | Chui Shi Ban's Story 2 | 炊事班的故事2 | Xiao Yao | |
| 2006 | Life Concern | 人命关天 | Meng Ting | |
| My Own Swordsman | 武林外传 | Guo Furong | ||
| 2007 | 房前屋后 | Gu Lili | ||
| Chui Shi Ban's Story 3 | 炊事班的故事3 | Xiao Yao | ||
| 2008 | Six Cities | 都市六人行 | Fang Fang | Guest appearance |
| China's Volunteers | 中国志愿者 | Ye Meng | ||
| Lione | 防火墙5788 | Song Yuxiu | ||
| Hundred Years Past Events | 百年往事 | He Jiabi | ||
| 2009 | Health Team's Story | 卫生队的故事 | Xiao Yao | |
| Lurk | 潜伏 | Wang Cuiping | ||
| 2010 | Niu Tie Han and his Daughters | 牛铁汉和他的儿女们 | Gu Xiaoxin | |
| Days with the Air Hostess | 和空姐一起的日子 | Ran Jing | ||
| 2013 | Longmen Express | 龙门镖局 | Lu Qingning | Cameo |
| 2014 | Wonder Lady 3 | 极品女士第三季 | Lawyer Luo | Cameo |
| Divorce Lawyers | 离婚律师 | Luo Li | ||
| 2019 | All Is Well | 都挺好 | Su Mingyu | |
| 2021 | Vacation of Love | 假日暖洋洋 | Xu Keyi |
Discography
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Searching" | 寻找 | Fuwa OST |
| 2014 | "Don't Let Love Be Lost" | 别让爱迷路 | Divorce Lawyers OST |
| 2016 | "A Letter Home" | 一封家书 | Everybody's Fine OST |
| 2017 | "Love in a Life Time" | 一生所爱 | Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back OST |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Lurk | 27th Flying Apsaras Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated | |
| 2010 | 2nd Huading Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
| 25th China TV Golden Eagle Award | Audience's Choice for Actress | Won | |||
| 2011 | Love in Cosmo | 5th Huading Awards | Best Actress in Romance Film | Won | |
| My Own Swordsman | 18th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Most Popular Actress | Won | ||
| — | 13th Golden Phoenix Awards | Society Award | Won | ||
| Color Me Love | 11th Chinese Film Media Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Firestorm | 14th Chinese Film Media Awards | Outstanding Actress | Won | |
| 2015 | Divorce Lawyers | 15th Huading Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Nominated | |
| 21st Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 13th Sichuan Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Monster Hunt | 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |
| 13th Changchun Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |||
| Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe Goddesses in the Flames of War |
3rd China Australia International Film Festival | Special Jury Award | Won | ||
| 2019 | Lost, Found | 26th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | |
| 25th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 21st Far East Film Festival | Golden Mulberry award for outstanding achievement | Won | |||
| All Is Well | 25th Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 24th Busan International Film Festival | Asian Contents Awards - Best Actress | Won | |||
| 6th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actress (Sapphire Category) | Nominated | |||
| 26th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 8th China Student Television Festival | Most Watched Actress | Won | |||
| Tencent Video All Star Awards | TV Actor of the Year | Won | |||
| Film and TV Role Model 2019 Ranking | Best Actress | Won | |||
| Tencent Entertainment White Paper | Television Actress of the Year | Won | |||
| Reputable Actress of the Year | Won | ||||
| Send Me to the Clouds | 32nd Golden Rooster Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival Gold Crane Awards |
Best Actress | Won | |||
| — | Night of the Film | Film Commemoration Award | Won | ||
| 2020 | Send Me to the Clouds | 29th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 11th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Nominated |
References
External links
- Yao Chen's official Weibo (Chinese)
- Yao Chen at IMDb
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