Zhang Ziyi
章子怡
Chinese actress with dance training from Beijing, known from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and The Grandmaster (2013), where she played the baguazhang master Gong Er.
Quick Facts
ChinaBiography
Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) is a Chinese actress. She was born on 9 February 1979 in Beijing. Among martial arts films, she appeared in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and The Grandmaster (2013).
Dance was her foundation: from the age of eight she devoted herself to folk dance, at eleven she entered the Secondary School Affiliated to the Beijing Dance Academy, and in 1994 she won an award at the Taoli Cup national dance competition. According to one source, she never trained in martial arts; another states that she learned baguazhang for the role of Gong Er.
In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon she played Yu Jiaolong (Jen), a Manchu noblewoman who secretly practices martial arts and steals the sword Green Destiny. She had no previous experience with costume films or wire work; director Ang Lee recounted that the first time she was hung on wires, she kept hitting the wall with her face. The action choreography was led by Yuen Wo-ping, and most of the stunts were performed by the actors themselves. To prepare for the role of the blind dancer and fighter Mei in House of Flying Daggers, she spent two months living with a blind girl and earned a BAFTA nomination for it.
In The Grandmaster she played Gong Er, the daughter of grandmaster Gong Yutian and a baguazhang master who faces Ip Man. For this role she won 12 best actress awards, including at the Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards, and became the most decorated Chinese actress for a single film.
Filmography
A screen role does not mean the person actually practises the art — that is listed above.