Joan Chen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joan Chen
Chen in 2012
Born	陳沖 (Chen Chong) (1961-04-26) April 26, 1961 (age 64) Shanghai, China
Occupation	Actress, director
Years active	1975–present
Spouse(s)	Jim Lau ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1990)​ Peter Hui ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	2
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	陳冲
Simplified Chinese	陈冲
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chén Chōng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Can4 Cung1

Joan Chen (born April 26, 1961) is a famous Chinese-American actress and film director. She has starred in many movies and TV shows. In China, she became well-known for the 1979 film Little Flower. Later, she gained fame in America for her role in the 1987 movie The Last Emperor. This film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture! Joan Chen is also known for her parts in Twin Peaks, Red Rose White Rose, and Saving Face. She also directed the movie Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.

Early Life and Discoveries

Joan Chen was born in Shanghai, China. Her family members were pharmacologists, which means they studied medicines. Joan and her older brother, Chase, grew up during a time called the Cultural Revolution in China.

When she was just 14, Joan was noticed at her school's rifle range. She was very good at shooting! Jiang Qing, who was the wife of China's leader Mao Zedong, saw her talent. This led to Joan being chosen for an acting program in 1975.

A famous director named Xie Jin then picked her for his 1977 film Youth. In this movie, she played a character who couldn't hear or speak but later got her senses back. Joan finished high school early. At 17, she went to Shanghai International Studies University to study English.

A Star's Journey: Joan Chen's Career

Becoming a Star in China

Joan Chen in fantasy makeup for the 1985 film Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart

Joan Chen on set in 1983

In 1979, Joan Chen starred in the film Little Flower. She won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for this role. In the movie, she played a revolutionary's daughter who finds her brother and then learns her doctor is her birth mother.

Little Flower was only her second film, but she quickly became one of China's most loved actresses. Time magazine even called her "the Elizabeth Taylor of China" because she became famous as a teenager.

She also acted in the 1979 film Hearts for the Motherland. This movie was about a Chinese family returning to China from Southeast Asia. They faced problems during the Cultural Revolution. Songs from the film, like "I Love You, China", are still very popular in China. In 1981, Joan starred in Awakening.

Breaking into Hollywood

When Joan was 20, she moved to the United States. She studied filmmaking at California State University, Northridge. Her first Hollywood movie was Tai-Pan, which was filmed in China.

In 1985, she appeared in the TV show Miami Vice. She played May Ying, the former wife of a character named Martin Castillo. Her big break came when she played Empress Wanrong in Bernardo Bertolucci's movie The Last Emperor. This film won 9 Academy Awards in 1988, including Best Picture!

After that, she starred in the TV series Twin Peaks as Josie Packard. She also acted in The Blood of Heroes (1989) and Heaven & Earth (1993). For one role, she even shaved her head on screen!

In 1994, Joan co-starred with Steven Seagal in On Deadly Ground. She also went back to Shanghai to star in Red Rose White Rose. For this film, she won a Golden Horse Award and a Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award. In 1996, she was a jury member at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.

Joan felt tired of always playing "exotic beauty" roles in Hollywood. So, in 1998, she decided to try directing. Her first film as a director was Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl. It was based on a story by her friend Geling Yan and was highly praised. In 2000, she directed Autumn in New York, starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder.

Later Acting Roles

In the mid-2000s, Joan Chen started acting more again. She took on roles in both English and Chinese films.

In 2004, she starred in Jasmine Women. In this movie, she and Zhang Ziyi played different generations of mothers and daughters. She also starred in the comedy Saving Face. She played a widowed mother who was pregnant and unmarried, and she moved in with her daughter.

In 2005, she appeared in Sunflower, playing a mother whose husband and son had a difficult relationship. She also acted in the independent film Americanese.

In 2007, Joan received much praise for her acting in The Home Song Stories. She played a glamorous but troubled Chinese nightclub singer trying to survive in Australia in the 1970s with her two children. This role won her many awards, including the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress.

In 2008, she played a rural mother in Shi Qi. The same year, she played a factory worker in 24 City. In 2009, she co-starred in Mao's Last Dancer, a film about the dancer Li Cunxin.

Joan also appeared in Chinese TV series. In 2009, she was in Newcomers to the Middle-Aged, playing a female doctor. In 2010, she played the goddess Guan Yin in the TV show Journey to the West.

In 2009, Joan Chen was also a curator for the first Singapore Sun Festival. She chose five films to be shown there. In 2010, she joined the cast of several more films, including Love in Disguise and Color Me Love.

In 2011, she played Secretary Bishop's girlfriend in the TV series Fringe. From 2014 to 2016, Joan was cast as the Mongol Yuan Dynasty empress Chabi in the American TV series Marco Polo. To get ready for the role, she read a book called The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. She also appeared in the 2018 Chinese TV drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace.

In 2014, Joan Chen was a jury member at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. She also led the jury for the 51st Golden Horse Awards.

Personal Life

Joan Chen was married to actor Jim Lau from 1985 to 1990. She then married her second husband, cardiologist Peter Hui, on January 18, 1992. They have two daughters and live in San Francisco, California.

Joan became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1989. In 2008, she wrote an article for the Washington Post about the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, saying that the games should not be mixed with politics.

Helping Others

Joan Chen has also done a lot of charitable work. In 2008, she appeared in a public service announcement for the Banyan Tree Project. This campaign works to stop the stigma around HIV/AIDS in Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

In October 2008, she was on the cover of Trends Health magazine. This was to promote the Chinese Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Prevention campaign.

In 2010, Joan attended a ceremony to help the Family Violence Prevention Fund. This organization works to stop violence against women and children. During the event, Joan performed a part from a play. She also supported the Center for the Pacific Asian Family with other Asian American celebrities.

Filmography

Actress

Director

Writer

Producer

Awards and Nominations

Other Recognitions

• In 1992, People magazine named Joan Chen one of the 'Fifty Most Beautiful People'.
• The American experimental rock band Xiu Xiu was named after her film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl. The band's singer-songwriter, Jamie Stewart, said so.
• Goldsea chose Joan Chen as Number 45 on its list of "The 120 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time".

See also

In Spanish: Joan Chen para niños