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Tang Wei
汤唯
220804 Tang Wei Photoshoot for Marie Claire Korea.png
Tang in 2022
Born (1979-10-07) 7 October 1979 (age 45)
Other names Rebecca Tang
Citizenship Chinese (Hong Kong)
Education BA in directing, Central Academy of Drama (2000-2004)
Occupation Actress
Years active 1998–present
Agent
  • Edko Films Ltd. (China)
  • Creative Artists Agency (U.S.)
Notable work
..., Caution (2007) Decision to Leave (2022)
Spouse(s)
Kim Tae-yong
(m. 2014)
Children 1 daughter
Awards Full list
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 湯唯
Simplified Chinese 汤唯
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Tāng wéi

Tang Wei (simplified Chinese: 汤唯; traditional Chinese: 湯唯; pinyin: Tāng Wéi; Hangul: 탕웨이; born 7 October 1979) is a Chinese actress. She rose to international fame for her role in Golden Lion-winning ..., Caution (2007) by Ang Lee, and gained further acclaim for her performances in Late Autumn (2010), Finding Mr. Right (2013), The Golden Era (2014), Long Day's Journey into Night (2018), and Decision to Leave (2022). Tang is the first and only non-Korean honored as the Best Actress at the Baeksang Art Awards (twice), Blue Dragon Film Awards, Chunsa Film Art Awards and Buil Film Awards. She is also the first Asian actor won Trophée Chopard Award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Tang has appeared on multiple instances in Forbes China Celebrity 100 list, ranking 72rd in 2008, 70th in 2013, 38th in 2014, and 55th in 2015.

Life and career

1979–2005: Early life and career beginnings

Tang was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. She is the only child of a former stage actress and painter. In an interview, she explained that she often travelled around China and learned to paint, adding that she was influenced by her parents. Tang graduated from a local vocational high school in her hometown in 1996, where her teachers described her as "athletic" and a "good student who always did her homework". She had no plans to become famous; she originally aspired to become an archaeologist or lawyer. Tang made the decision to enter the entertainment industry after doing some modelling in 1997 and played a minor role in the TV series Chinese Female Football. She graduated from the Central Academy of Drama where she majored in directing.

Shortly after her university graduation, Tang met Stan Lai during one of his trips to China. He was impressed by the actress, and was quoted as saying, "The number of stars may not be good actors, a lot of good actors may not be good stars, but Tang Wei was fortunate to have done it." He proceeded to recommend her to several directors and was thus cast in more roles, although she was relatively unknown outside her hometown in China at this time. Nonetheless, Tang starred in a TV series, Policewoman Swallow (2004) and a brief university drama, Che Guevara (2004). After working with a more diverse group of actresses, she also appeared in TV dramas Sons and Daughters of the Red Cross (2004), Leaving Seafront Street (2005), East Meets West (2005), Born in the 60s (2006) and Silent Tears.

2009–11: Return to the screen

..... For her role, Tang honed her Cantonese, which she had picked up during her school days in Shenzhen, Guangdong. .....

From November 2009 to March 2010, Tang filmed alongside Hyun Bin in Late Autumn (2010), directed by Kim Tae-yong. The film was shot in Seattle, Washington. Tang's performance won over South Korean audiences and made her the only non-Korean to win the Baeksang Awards for Best Actress.

In September 2010, it was announced that she was to appear in the CCP tribute film The Founding of a Party, playing the role of Tao Yi, an early girlfriend of Mao Zedong. However, her scenes were cut out in the theatrical version, allegedly at the request of Mao Zedong's grandson, Mao Xinyu. .....

Tang returned to mainstream cinema with two major films; Speed Angels, a car-racing flick directed by Jingle Ma, and Dragon, a martial arts epic directed by Peter Chan. Though Speed Angels was a commercial flop, Dragon was successful and was named the eighth best movie of 2012 according to Time magazine.

2013–present: Career resurgence

In 2013, Tang starred opposite actor Wu Xiubo in the Xue Xiaolu-directed romantic comedy Finding Mr. Right. The sleeper hit grossed $85 million at the box office in China and Tang received rave reviews for her performance.

Tang was then cast to play writer Xiao Hong in Ann Hui's biopic The Golden Era, which closed at the Venice International Film Festival. Though highly anticipated, the film received mixed reviews and failed at the box office.

..... She also starred in A Tale of Three Cities, based on the wartime experiences of Jackie Chan's parents.

Tang and Wu teamed up again to film the sequel to Finding Mr. Right (2013), titled Book of Love (2016), which was a commercial success.

In 2017, Tang was cast as the female lead of Long Day's Journey Into Night, directed by Bi Gan. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2019, Tang returned to the small screen with the historical drama Empress of the Ming. The same year, she starred in the film The Whistleblower directed by Xue Xiaolu.

In 2022, Tang starred in the South Korean mystery-romance film Decision to Leave, directed by Park Chan-Wook, to critical acclaim. In April 2022, the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where Park Chan-wook won Best Director. For her role as a Chinese immigrant to South Korea who is suspected of murder, Tang became the first non-Korean honored as the Best Actress at the Baeksang Art Awards, which was for the second time, Blue Dragon Film Awards, Chunsa Film Art Awards and Buil Film Awards.

Endorsements

In 2011, Tang became brand ambassador for Japanese cosmetics brand SK-II. Since 2015, she has been the global brand ambassador of SK-II. In August 2021, Tang became the global face of the SK-II's "My PITERA™ Story" skincare campaign, along with Ni Ni, Ayase Haruka and Chloe Grace Moretz.

In 2013, Tang became the global face of Piaget's rose jewelry collection campaign. Since 2014, she has been selected as global spokesperson for Swiss luxury watch brand Rado.

Since 2021, British makeup and skincare brand Charlotte Tilbury has chosen Tang as its very first global makeup ambassador. In 2022, she was also become the first global brand ambassador for watches and jewelry brand Lola Rose.

Since 2022, Tang has served as a global brand ambassador for Spanish luxury fashion house Loewe. She was the global face that July for Loewe's pre-fall 2022 collection campaign along with Anthony Hopkins, Jessie Buckley, Josh O'Connor, Kaia Gerber and more. In November of that year, Tang was named as the global face of the Loewe's spring/summer 2023 collection campaign along with Taylor Russell, Luca Guadagnino, Naomi Ackie, Chloë Sevigny and more. In January 2023, she became the global face of the Loewe's Year of Rabbit Collection campaign. In August 2023, Tang starred as the global face of the Loewe's Womenswear Fall-Winter 2023 campaign along with Taylor Russell that shot by British fashion photographer David Sims.

In May 2023, Chopard, a Swiss brand for luxury watches, jewelry and accessories, announced Tang as its brand ambassador following her attendance at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Since September 2023, Chopard had announced Tang as its Global Brand Ambassador.

In November 2023, Tang has served as a global brand ambassador for British luxury fashion house Burberry.

Personal life

Victim to Phone Fraud

In 2014, during the shooting of The Tale of Three Cities in Shanghai, Tang fell victim to a telecommunications scam and was swindled out of $34,692 (210,000 yuan).

Relationships

Tang met Zhu Yuchen in 1995; they started dating since 1997 when both were students at a vocational school in Hangzhou. They moved to Beijing together when Zhu was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama in 1998, but split up in 2000, shortly before Tang was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama on her fourth attempt.

In 2004, Tang started dating Tian Yu, her co-star in Policewoman Swallow (2004). They split up after three years.

Tang had a relationship with musician Chen Yuli, who died in a car accident in Zurich, Switzerland on September 4, 2012.

Tang met publicist Victor Hu (Hu Jing) at the memorial service of Chen Yuli. Hu was a friend of Chen and the organizer of his memorial service. Tang and Hu later had a relationship but broke up in 2013.

In 2014, Tang married South Korean film director Kim Tae-yong in the front yard of the home of Ingmar Bergman on the remote Swedish island of Fårö. A formal wedding ceremony was later held in Hong Kong, with only immediate family members as guests. In August 2016, Tang Wei gave birth to their daughter, Summer.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2007 ..., Caution Wong Chia Chi
2010 Crossing Hennessy Oi-lin
Late Autumn Anna
2011 Dragon Ayu
Speed Angels Hong Xiaoyi
The Founding of a Party Tao Yi Scenes removed
3 ... Pia Sahastrabuddh Mandarin dub
2013 Finding Mr. Right Jia Jia
2014 The Golden Era Xiao Hong
2015 Blackhat Chen Lien English-language debut
Monster Hunt Dealer Special appearance
Only You Fang Yuan
A Tale of Three Cities Chen Yuerong
Office Sophie
2016 Finding Mr. Right 2 Jiao Ye
2018 Long Day's Journey into Night Wan Qiwen
2019 Push and Shove Mrs. Chai Cameo
The Whistleblower Zhou Siliang
2022 Decision to Leave Seo-rae
2024 Wonderland Bai Li

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Chinese Female Football Goalkeeper Cameo
2004 Policewoman Swallow Swallow Debut
Sons and Daughters of the Red Cross Ning Xiaoya
2005 Brother, Brother Secretary
Leaving Seafront Street Yan Lei
Qingqian Nalati Chen Yan
2006 Born in the 60s Yue Linlin
Silent Tears Shang Li
2019 Ming Dynasty Sun Ruowei

Theater

Year Title Role
2001 A Dream Like a Dream Lai Shengchuan
2004 Che Guevara Yang Ting

Music video appearances

Year Title Artist
2024 Shh.. IU (featuring Hyein and Wonsun Joe; narration by Patti Kim)

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2007 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Newcomer ..., Caution Nominated
Best Depiction of ... or ... Nominated
20th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Most Promising Performer Nominated
44th Golden Horse Awards Best Actress Nominated
Best New Performer Won
1st Iron Elephant Awards Best Actress Won
2008 2nd Asian Film Awards Best Actress Nominated
Asian Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Nominated
Best New Performer Won
61st British Academy Film Awards Rising Star Award Herself Nominated
61st Cannes Film Festival Trophée Chopard Won
8th Chinese Film Media Awards Best Actress ..., Caution Nominated
Best Newcomer Won
23rd Independent Spirit Awards Best Actress Nominated
2010 47th Golden Horse Awards Best Actress Crossing Hennessy Nominated
2011 11th Chinese Film Media Awards Best Actress Won
30th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress Nominated
17th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award Best Actress Nominated
32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actress Late Autumn Nominated
47th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actress Won
Most Popular Actress Nominated
12th Busan Film Critics Awards Best Actress Won
20th Buil Film Awards Best Actress Nominated
31st Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Won
Cine21 Awards Actress of the Year Won
2012 3rd KOFRA Film Awards Best Actress Won
9th Huading Awards Best Actress Nominated
13th Women in Film Korea Festival Best Actress Nominated
31st Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress Dragon Nominated
2013 10th Huading Awards Best Actress Finding Mr. Right Nominated
10th Guangzhou Student Film Festival Most Popular Actress Won
22nd Shanghai Film Critics Awards Best Actress Won
2014 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival Best Actress Won
5th China Film Director's Guild Awards Best Actress Won
32nd Hundred Flowers Awards Best Actress Nominated
33rd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress Nominated
2nd China International Film Festival London Best Actress The Golden Era Won
6th International Chinese Film Festival Best Actress Won
8th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Performance by an Actress Nominated
2015 22nd Beijing College Student Film Festival Best Actress Nominated
30th Golden Rooster Awards Best Actress Nominated
51st Golden Horse Awards Best Leading Actress Nominated
9th Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild Awards Best Actress Won
9th Asian Film Awards Nominated
34th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress Nominated
2016 35th Hong Kong Film Awards A Tale of Three Cities Nominated
2017 36th Hong Kong Film Awards Book of Love Nominated
2022 27th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Actress Decision to Leave Won
31st Buil Film Awards Best Actress Won
58th Grand Bell Awards Best Actress Nominated
42nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Won
43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actress Won
3rd Sunset Circle Awards Best Actress Nominated
9th Korean Film Producers Association Awards Best Actress Won
27th Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Runner-up
Cine21 Awards Actress of the Year Won
7th New Mexico Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
42nd Golden Cinematography Awards Best Actress Won
17th Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards Best Actress Nominated
2022 Kinolights Awards Actress of The Year (Foreign) 1st
2023 12nd Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Nominated
20th International Cinephile Society Awards Best Actress Nominated
16th Asian Film Awards Best Actress Won
21st Director's Cut Awards Best Actress in film Won
59th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actress – Film Won

Other honors

  • 2004 - Miss Universe China finalist
  • 2007 - New York Times listed her as one of the Best 15 Performers in 2007
  • 2007 - Variety's top 10 actors to watch
  • 2022 - New York cinema's Metrograph honors her with "Starring Tang Wei" throughout November

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tang Wei para niños Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tang Wei para niños

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