Gong Li facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gong Li
鞏俐
Gong in 2016
Born	(1965-12-31) 31 December 1965 (age 59) Shenyang, Liaoning, China
Citizenship	Chinese Singaporean
Education	Central Academy of Drama (BA)
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1987–present
Works	Filmography
Spouse(s)	Ooi Hoe Soeng ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2009)​ Jean-Michel Jarre ​ (m. 2019)​
Awards	Full list
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	巩俐
Traditional Chinese	鞏俐
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Gǒng Lì Wade–Giles Kung Li

Gong Li (simplified Chinese: 巩俐; traditional Chinese: 鞏俐; born 31 December 1965) is a famous actress from China, who also became a citizen of Singapore. Many people think she is one of the best actresses in China. She is known for being able to play many different kinds of characters very naturally. She has starred in three Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, which is a very big honor in movies.

Gong Li was born in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. She grew up in Jinan, Shandong. She went to the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing and finished her studies in 1989. While she was still a student, a director named Zhang Yimou noticed her. She made her first movie, Red Sorghum, with him in 1987. Gong Li and Zhang Yimou worked together on many popular movies. These included Ju Dou (1990) and Raise the Red Lantern (1991), which were both nominated for Oscars. For her role in The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), Gong Li won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival.

Gong Li also starred in Farewell My Concubine (1993), directed by Chen Kaige. This movie was also nominated for an Oscar. For this film, she won Best Supporting Actress at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. Later, she acted in English-language movies too. She won an award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). Some of her other well-known movies include Flirting Scholar (1993), To Live (1994), Miami Vice (2006), and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006).

Gong Li has also been a head judge at major film festivals. She led the jury at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival and the 2002 Venice Film Festival. She was the first Asian person to be a head judge at both of these important events. She has won many awards throughout her career, including several Hundred Flowers Awards and Golden Rooster Awards. In 2010, the French government gave her a special honor called the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Early Life and Education

Gong Li was born on December 31, 1965, in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. Her father was a professor, and her mother was a teacher. She grew up in Jinan, which is the capital of Shandong province. From a young age, she loved to sing and dance. She dreamed of becoming a singer.

She went to Jinan Sanhe Street Primary School. When she was in second grade, her school suggested she sing children's songs at a local radio station. She spent six years in high school at Jinan No.2 Middle School. There, she was part of the school's art and literature team.

In 1985, she was accepted to study acting at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. She graduated from there in 1989. While she was still a student, director Zhang Yimou discovered her. He chose her for the main role in Red Sorghum, which was his first movie as a director.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out: 1987–1989

In 1987, Gong Li was chosen by director Zhang Yimou for the movie Red Sorghum. This movie started her long working relationship with China's "fifth-generation directors." The film won the Golden Bear award at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival. It was the first Chinese movie to win this major award.

In 1989, Gong Li starred in Zhang Yimou’s movie Codename Cougar. For this role, she won the Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Supporting Actress. This marked a new step in her acting journey.

Becoming Famous: 1990–1999

Gong Li at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival

After her first movie in 1987, Gong Li became known around the world. This was thanks to her roles in several more movies directed by Zhang Yimou.

In 1990, Gong Li worked with Zhang Yimou again in Ju Dou. This movie won a special award at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 63rd Academy Awards. This made it the first Chinese film to be nominated for an Oscar in that category. Gong Li also won Best Actress at the Varna International Film Festival.

In 1991, Gong Li starred in Zhang Yimou's well-known film Raise the Red Lantern. This movie won the Silver Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Academy Awards. Gong Li played a strong character in the film. Her performance helped her win the Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Actress. This movie brought her even more international attention.

In 1992, Gong Li starred in the movie The Story of Qiu Ju. This film won the Golden Lion award at the 49th Venice International Film Festival. Gong Li played a woman from the countryside named Qiu Ju. Her acting won her the Golden Rooster Awards and the Japanese Movie Critics Awards for Best Actress. She was also named Best Actress at the 49th Venice Film Festival.

In 1993, she won an award from the New York Film Critics Circle for her role in Farewell My Concubine. This movie was directed by Chen Kaige. It was her first big role with a director other than Zhang Yimou. In the same year, she received the Berlinale Camera award at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival. She also worked with famous director Stephen Chow in comedy films like Flirting Scholar (1993).

In 1994, Gong Li played Jia Zhen in the drama To Live with Zhang Yimou. This movie won a top award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

In 1996, Gong Li and Chen Kaige worked together again in the romantic film Temptress Moon. This movie was considered for the top award at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Gong Li was nominated for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards for her role. She also appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1996.

In 1997, Gong Li worked with Jeremy Irons in the drama Chinese Box. In the same year, Gong Li was asked to be a judge at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. She was the first Chinese person to be a judge at this festival. In June 1998, France gave Gong Li a special honor called the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

In 1999, Gong Li and Chen Kaige worked together for a third time on the film The Emperor and the Assassin.

Global Recognition: 2000–2004

In 2000, Gong Li won her second international Best Actress award. This was for her role as a single mother in Breaking the Silence (2000). She also received a special lifetime achievement award at the Montreal World Film Festival. In the same year, Gong Li was asked to be the president of the international jury for the Berlin Film Festival's 50th anniversary.

Gong Li was invited to lead the jury of the Venice Film Festival in 2002. In 2003, she also led the review committee for the Tokyo Film Festival.

In the early 2000s, Gong Li also starred in two films directed by Wong Kar-wai: 2046 and Eros (both in 2004). She also attended the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, where she received an award for her contributions to film.

Hollywood and Chinese Films: 2005–2018

Gong Li at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival

Even though she was very popular, Gong Li did not work in Hollywood for many years. This was because she was not confident speaking English. She made her English-speaking debut in 2005. She played Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha. Her acting in this movie was praised by many. Gong Li also won the National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actress for this role. She also appeared in other English-language movies, like Miami Vice in 2006 and Hannibal Rising in 2007. For these films, she learned her English lines by listening and repeating them.

Through these English-language movies, Gong Li became known in Hollywood. She said that working in Hollywood helped her learn new things and try different acting styles.

In 2006, Gong Li worked with Zhang Yimou again in the historical movie Curse of the Golden Flower. For this film, she won Best Actress at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards. Time magazine called her performance as the Empress one of the best of the year.

Gong Li in 2013

In 2010, Gong Li starred in the World War II thriller Shanghai. She played a spy who was pretending to be the wife of a gang boss. To prepare for the role, she studied documentaries and photos from World War II. She also took dancing classes.

In 2014, Gong Li was the head judge for the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival. Later that year, she worked with Zhang Yimou again on the film Coming Home. This was their first movie together since 2006.

In 2016, Gong Li took on her first action role in The Monkey King 2. She played the White Bone Demon. In 2018, Gong Li was the head judge of the 55th Golden Horse Awards.

Recent Work: 2019–Present

In 2019, Gong Li was in the drama Saturday Fiction. She played an actress who was secretly gathering information for the Allies during a war. The film was chosen to compete for a top award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival. Gong Li learned shooting and hypnosis for this movie. Even though Saturday Fiction did not do well at the box office, her acting was highly praised. That year, she also played a powerful witch in the live-action movie Mulan (released in 2020). Critics widely praised her performance in Mulan.

In 2020, Gong Li was cast in the movie Leap. She played the real-life coach of the Chinese women’s national volleyball team, Lang Ping. Leap earned a lot of money worldwide. While the movie received mixed reviews, Gong Li's performance was highly recognized. She won several major Hong Kong film awards in 2021 for this role.

In 2021, Gong Li was invited to be the head judge of the 11th Beijing International Film Festival. She was the first female head judge in the festival’s history. In 2022, she was invited to be the Art Chairman of the 12th Beijing Film Festival. In this role, she helped choose films and recommend guests.

Personal Life

Gong Li's relationship with director Zhang Yimou was well-known. They met in 1986 while working on Red Sorghum. They worked together on seven movies during their relationship. In 1995, they broke up. They later worked together again in 2006 for Curse of the Golden Flower and in 2014 for Coming Home.

In November 1996, Gong Li married Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Seong. In 2008, Gong Li became a citizen of Singapore. In 2009, Gong Li and Ooi Hoe Seong quietly divorced. They did not announce the news until three years later.

In 2016, Gong Li started dating the French composer and musician Jean-Michel Jarre. They got married in 2019.

Filmography

Films

Dubbing Roles

TV Appearances

Music Videos

Discography

Brand Endorsements

Gong Li was the first Chinese ambassador for L'Oreal Paris in 1997. She has also worked as an ambassador for other brands like Midea, Chopard, and Osim International.

From 2013 to 2018, Gong Li was a global ambassador for Piaget, a luxury watch and jewelry company.

On September 27, 2020, Gong Li became the global brand ambassador for Hisense, an electronics company.

Since 2021, Gong Li has been the first Chinese artist to become the global high jewelry ambassador for Cartier.

Charity Work

• Gong Li was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2000.
• She was also appointed a FAO Goodwill Ambassador on World Food Day in 2000. She said that asking for help against hunger is important.
• In 2008, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) asked Gong Li to be a Global Environmental Ambassador. She encouraged people to stop habits that harm the environment and to reduce carbon dioxide.
• Gong Li's picture was shown at "The Transformative Power of Art" Exhibition at the United Nations headquarters in 2016.

Awards and Nominations

Jury Roles at Film Festivals

• 1997 – 50th Cannes Film Festival
• 2000 – 50th Berlin International Film Festival
• 2002 – 59th Venice Film Festival
• 2003 – 16th Tokyo International Film Festival
• 2014 – 17th Shanghai International Film Festival
• 2018 – 55th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
• 2021 – 11th Beijing International Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Gong Li para niños

• Cinema of China