Ang Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ang Lee
李安
Lee in 2016
Born	(1954-10-23) October 23, 1954 (age 70) Chaozhou, Pingtung, Taiwan
Education	National Taiwan University of Arts (AA) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BA) New York University (MFA)
Occupation	Film director producer screenwriter
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Jane Lin [zh] ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	2, including Mason
Chinese name
Chinese	李安
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Ān Bopomofo ㄌㄧˇ ㄢ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Lii An Wade–Giles Li3 An1 IPA [lì án] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Léih Ōn IPA [le̬i ɔ́ːn] Jyutping Lei5 On1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Lí An

Ang Lee (born October 23, 1954) is a famous filmmaker from Taiwan. He is known for making movies that explore deep feelings and how people deal with hidden emotions.

Ang Lee has won many important awards for his films. These include three Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars), five BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, The Guardian newspaper listed him as one of the 40 best directors.

Lee was born in Pingtung County, Taiwan. He studied filmmaking in both Taiwan and the United States. He became well-known for movies like Pushing Hands (1991), The Wedding Banquet (1993), and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994). These films looked at how old traditions and new ways of life, especially between Eastern and Western cultures, can create conflicts and relationships. People sometimes call these three films the Father Knows Best trilogy. They were very popular and praised by critics around the world.

His first big success in Hollywood was the movie Sense and Sensibility (1995). This was also his first film made entirely in English. Later, Ang Lee won the Academy Award for Best Director twice. He won for the drama Brokeback Mountain (2005) and the adventure film Life of Pi (2012).

Early Life and Education

Ang Lee was born in Chaochou, Pingtung County, a farming area in southern Taiwan. His parents had moved there from Mainland China after the Chinese Civil War in 1949. His family believed that education was very important.

Lee went to the Provincial Tainan First Senior High School. His father was the principal there. Everyone expected Ang Lee to pass the difficult college entrance exam. But he failed it twice, which disappointed his father. Instead, he went to a three-year college called the National Arts School. He graduated in 1975.

His father wanted him to become a professor. However, Ang Lee became very interested in drama and the arts during college. This early challenge helped him find his true path in filmmaking. Watching the movie The Virgin Spring (1960) by Ingmar Bergman was a very important experience for him.

After serving in the Republic of China Navy, Lee moved to the United States in 1979. He studied theater at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1980. At first, Lee wanted to be an actor. But it was hard for him because English was not his first language. So, he decided to focus on directing instead.

At the University of Illinois, Lee met his future wife, Jane Lin. She was also a student from Taiwan. She was studying to get her PhD. After that, he went to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. There, he earned his master's degree in film production. He was classmates with famous director Spike Lee. Ang Lee even worked on the crew for Spike Lee's student film.

During his time in graduate school, Ang Lee made a short film called Shades of the Lake (1982). It won an award in Taiwan. His own main project, a 43-minute drama called Fine Line (1984), also won an award from New York University. It was even shown on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Life After Graduation

Ang Lee's student film, Fine Line, caught the attention of a big talent agency. But even with their help, Lee couldn't find a job for six years. During this time, he stayed home and took care of his family. His wife, Jane Lin, was a molecular biologist and earned all the money for their family of four.

This was a tough time for the couple. But with his wife's support, Ang Lee didn't give up on his dream. He kept thinking of new ideas for movies and writing screenplays.

In 1990, Lee entered two screenplays into a competition in Taiwan. His scripts, Pushing Hands and The Wedding Banquet, won first and second place. This brought him to the attention of Hsu Li-kong, a film producer. Hsu Li-kong was impressed by Lee's unique style. He invited Lee to direct Pushing Hands, which became his first full-length movie in 1991.

Career

1991–1994: Early International Films

The 'Father Knows Best' Trilogy

Pushing Hands (1991) was very successful in Taiwan. Critics liked it, and it did well at the box office. It was nominated for eight awards at Taiwan's top film festival. Because of this success, Hsu Li-kong worked with Lee again on their second film, The Wedding Banquet (1993).

The Wedding Banquet won a major award at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at both the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards. This movie won eleven awards in total and made Ang Lee a rising star. Both Pushing Hands and The Wedding Banquet were about Chinese Americans and were filmed in the United States.

In 1994, Hsu invited Lee to return to Taiwan to make Eat Drink Man Woman. This film showed traditional values, modern relationships, and family problems in Taipei. The movie was a big hit and received great reviews. For the second year in a row, Lee's film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. It also received a nomination at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). Eat Drink Man Woman won five awards, including Best Director.

These three films are often called Lee's "Father Knows Best" trilogy. They often feature the Taiwanese actor Sihung Lung and explore the challenges faced by traditional Chinese families.

1994–2012: Major Success and Awards

Ang Lee worked with screenwriter and actor Emma Thompson on Sense and Sensibility (1995).

In 1995, Ang Lee directed Sense and Sensibility for Columbia TriStar Pictures. This movie was based on a classic novel by Jane Austen. It won Ang Lee another major award at the Berlin Film Festival. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards. It won Best Adapted Screenplay for Emma Thompson, who also starred in the movie. Other famous actors like Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, and Kate Winslet were also in it. Sense and Sensibility also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama.

Emma Thompson talked about working with Lee on his first English film. She said he was surprised when actors asked questions or gave ideas. This was different from what he was used to in Chinese culture. But once they understood each other, Thompson said it was "the most wonderful time" because Lee's comments were "brutal and funny." Critics praised Lee's work on the film.

After this, Lee continued to direct movies in Hollywood. He made The Ice Storm (1997), a drama about suburban life in the 1970s. It starred Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, and Tobey Maguire. The film was shown at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival and won an award for its screenplay. Critics loved the movie, with one saying Ang Lee seemed unable to make a bad film.

Lee then directed Ride with the Devil (1999). This was a Western drama set during the American Civil War. The movie starred Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, and Jeffrey Wright. It received mixed reviews and didn't do well at the box office. Some critics found it "oddly unengaging." For a while, this movie broke Lee's streak of popularity. However, The Ice Storm later became more popular through DVD sales and TV showings.

In 1999, Hsu Li-kong, Ang Lee's longtime friend and producer, asked him to make a movie in the traditional "wuxia" style. This genre is about the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Lee was very excited because it was a childhood dream. He brought together a team from many different countries for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

The film starred Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi. It became a huge surprise success all over the world. Even with Chinese dialogue and English subtitles, it earned more money than any other foreign film in many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Critics praised the movie. One reviewer said Ang Lee did an "exhilarating" job with his first Chinese-language film since 1994. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won Best Foreign Language Film and three other technical awards.

Ang Lee at the Venice International Film Festival in 2009

In 2003, Lee returned to Hollywood to direct the superhero movie Hulk. This was his second big-budget film. It was produced by Universal Pictures and Marvel Entertainment. The movie starred Eric Bana as Bruce Banner / The Hulk. It also featured Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, and Nick Nolte. The film received mixed reviews but made over $245 million at the box office. After this movie, Lee thought about retiring. But his father encouraged him to keep making films. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a good review, saying Lee tried to deal with the story's deeper issues.

Ang Lee then took on a smaller, independent film called Brokeback Mountain. It was based on a short story by Annie Proulx. Lee himself said, "What do I know about gay ranch hands in Wyoming?" But the movie showed his amazing skill at understanding human feelings. The 2005 film was about a deep connection between two sheepherders. It quickly became a cultural event and a box office hit.

The film won many awards at international film festivals. It won Lee many Best Director and Best Picture awards worldwide. Brokeback Mountain was one of the most praised films of 2005. It won the Golden Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival. It was named the best film of 2005 by many film critics' groups. It also won Best Picture at the Golden Globe Awards, with Lee winning Best Director. Brokeback Mountain also won Best Film and Best Director at the 2006 BAFTAs. It was nominated for eight Oscars. It was expected to win Best Picture but lost to Crash. Ang Lee became the first non-white person to win Best Director at the Academy Awards. He won this award again later for Life of Pi. In 2006, the government of Taiwan gave him a high civilian award.

Ang Lee in Taiwan in 2009.

Lee was chosen to lead the jury at the 2009 Venice Film Festival. After his 2009 film Taking Woodstock, Lee directed Life of Pi. This movie was based on the popular novel by Yann Martel. The story is about a 16-year-old boy from India named Pi. He is the only human to survive a shipwreck. He finds himself on a lifeboat with an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra, and a Bengal tiger. During this amazing journey, Pi thinks about his beliefs and the meaning of life.

Many people thought the novel was impossible to turn into a movie. But Lee convinced 20th Century Fox to spend $120 million on it. He used a lot of 3D special effects. Lee used 3D technology in new ways to help tell the movie's story. The movie was released in November 2012 and was a big success with both critics and audiences. In January 2013, Life of Pi received 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Ang Lee went on to win the Academy Award for Best Director for this film.

2013–Present: Recent Work

In 2013, Ang Lee was a judge for the main competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. In March 2013, it was announced that Lee would direct a TV show pilot called Tyrant. However, Lee decided to leave the project to take a break from his busy schedule.

Lee's next film was the war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016). It was his first movie after winning the Oscar for Life of Pi. The film starred Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and Chris Tucker. The story is a satire about the Iraq War. It follows a soldier whose PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is triggered at a football game. The movie was released in November 2016. It received mixed reviews and didn't do well at the box office. Many critics didn't like its high frame rate.

In April 2017, Lee started talking with Skydance Media about directing an action thriller called Gemini Man. The movie is about a senior intelligence officer who is hunted by a younger clone of himself. Will Smith was cast in the main role. Clive Owen and Mary Elizabeth Winstead also joined the cast. The film was released on October 11, 2019. It received negative reviews and was not a financial success. One critic wrote, "If Gemini Man is the future of big-budget filmmaking, I hope someone in Hollywood is getting worried."

Upcoming Projects

In 2013, Ang Lee began working on a film about the famous boxing match between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, known as the Thrilla in Manila. He put this project on hold in 2014 to make Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. In December 2015, it was announced that the boxing film, possibly called Thrilla in Manila, would be his next project after Gemini Man. He hoped to film it in 3D.

In November 2022, Ang Lee announced that he is working on a movie about the life of Bruce Lee. His own son, Mason Lee, will star in the film.

Personal Life

Ang Lee lives in Larchmont, New York, with his wife, Jane Lin. She is a microbiologist at New York Medical College. They met in 1978 while both were students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They met on a bus trip to watch a baseball championship. After five years of dating, they got married in 1983.

After Ang Lee graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, he stayed home and took care of their children for six years. His wife supported the family during this time. He didn't start making his first film, Pushing Hands (1991), until he won a prize from the Taiwanese government. They have two sons, including Mason. Ang Lee is a permanent resident of the United States. He has said that he believes in Taoist and Buddha teachings.

Filmography

Ang Lee has worked on films in many ways, but he is most famous for his directing. Here are some of the films he has worked on.

Lee also directed a commercial called Chosen (2001).

Acting Credits

Awards and Honors

In 2003, The Guardian magazine ranked Ang Lee as the 27th best director. In August 2007, Total Film magazine named him the 41st greatest director of all time. The French Government has also honored Lee. He became a Knight of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2012 and a Knight of the French Legion of Honour in 2021. In 2020, he received a BAFTA Fellowship for his great contributions to British Cinema.

Ang Lee has been nominated for nine Academy Awards and has won three. He won Best Foreign Language Film for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He won Best Director for Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi. He was the first non-white director to win the Best Director Oscar. Lee is one of only four directors to win the Golden Lion award twice. He is also the only filmmaker to have won the Golden Bear award twice.

Lee has also won awards from the Directors Guild of America, Golden Globes, and British Academy Film Awards. The government of Taiwan has given him the Order of Brilliant Star, which is the second highest civilian honor.

On November 30, 2021, Ang Lee received the Presidential Culture Award in Taiwan. In 2024, he received Japan's Praemium Imperiale award.

Recurring Collaborators

Ang Lee has often worked with producer and screenwriter James Schamus and editor Tim Squyres. He has also teamed up with music composer Mychael Danna and twice with Danny Elfman.

Images for kids

• 

  Ang Lee in 2016

• 

  Ang Lee at the Venice International Film Festival in 2009

• 

  Ang Lee in Taiwan in 2009

See also

In Spanish: Ang Lee para niños