Feng Shaofeng (, born October 7, 1978), also known as William Feng, is a Chinese actor. Feng rose to fame with the hit time travel series ''

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

'' (2011). He was ranked 33rd on 2012's Forbes China Celebrity 100 list. He won the

Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor The Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor was first awarded by the China Film Association in 1962. Winners & nominations 1960s 1980–2004 Since 2006 Records Multiple awards for Best Actor ;3 awards * Ge You ;2 awards * Yang Zaibao * Li R ...

for his role in the film ''

Wolf Totem ''Wolf Totem'' () is a 2004 Chinese semi-autobiographical novel about the experiences of a young student from Beijing who finds himself sent to the countryside of Inner Mongolia in 1967, at the height of China's Cultural Revolution. The auth ...

'' (2015). Feng is also known for his roles as Yuchi Zhenjin in

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as '' Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...

's ''Detective Dee'' series and

Tang Sanzang Tang Sanzang () is a central character in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. Tang Sanzang is based on the historical Buddhist monk Xuanzang. He is also widely known by his courtesy name, Tang Seng, () or Sanzang (). ...

in Cheang Pou-soi's ''The Monkey King'' films. Feng ranked 33rd on ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 98th in 2015, 89th in 2017, and 88th in 2019.

Early life and education

Feng Shaofeng was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

as the only child. His father is a civil servant. Strongly influenced by his artistic mother, Feng began taking violin lessons and participating in various extracurricular activities when he was a child. Upon graduating from high school, he applied to the Shanghai Theater Academy and was accepted with scholarship.

Career

Beginnings

Feng made his acting debut in 1998, and has appeared in several television series, including ''

Boy & Girl ''Boy & Girl'' (Traditional Chinese: 男才女貌, Pinyin: Nan Cai Nu Mao), also known as ''Love in the City'', is a successful youth drama in China. When broadcast in 2003 on China Central Television (CCTV) in 2003, it dominated over all oth ...

'', '' Wind and Cloud 2'', '' Assassinator Jing Ke'', ''

Sigh of His Highness ''Sigh of His Highness'' is a Chinese historical television series based on the life of Prince Gong, an influential Manchu prince and statesman of the late Qing dynasty. The series was directed by Li Wenlong and starred Chen Baoguo as Prince Gong. ...

'', and '' The Conquest''. Feng gained more attention after starring in a grand production drama by Hong Kong's TVB and mainland China's

CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly ...

, ''

The Drive of Life ''The Drive of Life'' () is a 2007 grand production drama by TVB and CCTV as a joint production. It was specially filmed to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong back to China from Britain during the period of 1997-2007. Th ...

''. He then starred in the period drama ''Yun Niang'' alongside Ady An and

Leanne Liu Liu Sue-Hua, also known as Leanne Liu, is a Golden Bell Award-winning Hong Kong actress. She first starred in Shaw Brothers films in Hong Kong, but moved to Taiwan in the 1980s to focus on her television career. She is particularly famous for ap ...

, which placed number one in ratings upon its premiere on SMG. Feng reunited with Ady An in ''Four Women Conflicts'', and his performance in the series won him the Audience's Most Favorite Actor award at Fujian TV Station's "I Love My Drama" award ceremony. In 2010, he played the role of Liu Zhang in '' Beauty's Rival in Palace''.

Rise in popularity

Feng rose to mainstream popularity after starring in ''

'' (2011), one of the most popular Chinese dramas of the year. The same year, he starred in Daniel Lee's historical film '' White Vengeance'' where plays

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dyna ...

, the powerful warlord. Feng's outstanding performance in the film led to him winning two awards - "Most Commercially Valuable Newcomer" and "Outstanding Performance" at the 2011 Harbin Film Festival. Feng then starred in '' Painted Skin: The Resurrection'' (2012), a sequel to

Gordon Chan Gordon Chan Kar-Seung (), born in 1960, is a Hong Kong film director, writer and producer. His most notable works include '' Beast Cops'', '' Fist of Legend'', '' Painted Skin'', '' 2000 AD'' and '' Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen''. ...

's 2008 box office hit '' Painted Skin''. He next starred alongside Fan Bingbing in '' Double Xposure'', a romantic thriller directed by Li Yu. In 2013, Feng starred as the titular

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

in the historical drama '' Prince of Lan Ling''. The series earned high ratings in Taiwan, breaking the record set by ''

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

'', and earned increased recognition for Feng in the region. The same year, he starred in the action film '' Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon'' directed by

. Feng was voted the Most Popular Actor award at the 2014

Beijing Student Film Festival Beijing College Student Film Festival, first held in 1993, is an annual event organized by Beijing Normal University and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio, Film and Television. It is held in April or May, and is one of the biggest film festivals i ...

Success in films and TV productions

In 2014, Feng starred alongside

Tang Wei use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

in ''

The Golden Era ''The Golden Era'' was a 19th-century San Francisco newspaper. The publication featured the writing of f.e.g. Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Charles Warren Stoddard (writing at first as "Pip Pepperpod"), Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Adah Isaacs Menken, Ada Clar ...

'' directed by

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Hon ...

, which closed at the

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

. His portrayal of Xiao Jun, a left-wing author who is strong and not afraid to express his feelings, earned the praises of the director. Feng had requested not to be paid to support Ann, whom he has admired and wanted to work with her for many years. The same year, he starred in the road-trip comedy ''

The Continent Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

'', directed by Han Han. In 2015, Feng starred in the Chinese-French co-production ''

'', adapted from Jiang Rong’s 2004 best-selling novel by the same name. He plays a Chinese student who is sent to Inner Mongolia to teach shepherds and instead learns about the wolf population. Feng and co-star Shawn Dou bonded with the wolves by cleaning their cages and feeding them; and trained in horse-riding for their roles. The film earned Feng his first Best Actor trophy at the 33rd

Hundred Flowers Awards The Hundred Flowers Awards () are, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards honouring the best in Chinese cinema, as well as Hong Kong cinema and the Cinema of Taiwan, they are classified as the Chinese equiv ...

. The same year, he was cast in the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

of the best-selling novel, '' The Three-Body Problem''. Feng then played

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

in ''

The Monkey King 2 ''The Monkey King 2'' (Chinese: 西遊記之孫悟空三打白骨精) is a 2016 Hong Kong-Chinese action fantasy film based on the classic 16th-century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. The film was shot in 3D and is a sequel to the 2 ...

'', which was released in February 2016. The same year, he starred alongside

Victoria Song Song Qian (; born February 2, 1987), known professionally as Victoria or Victoria Song, is a Chinese singer, dancer, actress, model, host and author known for her work as a member of South Korean girl group f(x). In 2010, Song gained fame as pa ...

in fantasy drama '' Ice Fantasy'', adapted from Guo Jingming's novel of the same name as well as the Chinese remake of ''

My Best Friend's Wedding ''My Best Friend's Wedding'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by P.J. Hogan from a screenplay by Ronald Bass. The film stars Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett. The film received generally positive ...

''. Feng returned to television with another fantasy drama ''

The Starry Night, The Starry Sea ''The Starry Night, The Starry Sea'' () is a 2017 Chinese television series starring Feng Shaofeng and Bea Hayden. It is adapted from the novel of the same name by Tong Hua. The series aired on Hunan TV from 6 February to 8 March 2017. A second ...

'' (2017) alongside

Bea Hayden Kuo Hsin-yen (born 16 January 1984), better known by her stage name Kuo Bea-ting or English name Bea Hayden, is a Taiwanese actress and model. She is best known for her work in the '' Tiny Times'' film series. Biography Kuo Hsin-yen was bor ...

. The same year, he starred alongside

Liu Yifei Crystal Liu (born An Feng; August 25, 1987), better known by her stage name Liu Yifei (), is a Chinese-American actress, singer, and model. She has appeared multiple times on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list and was named one of the New Four D ...

in the fantasy comedy film '' Hanson and the Beast''. He was also cast as the male lead in historical drama '' The Story of Minglan''. In 2018, Feng reprised his roles as

and Yuchi in the films ''

The Monkey King 3 ''The Monkey King 3'' is a 2018 Chinese fantasy film based on the classic novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. The film is the third installment of the ''Monkey King'' franchise, after '' The Monkey King'' (2014) and ''The Monkey King 2' ...

'' and '' Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings'' respectively. The same year, he was cast in the wuxia film ''Song of the Assassins''. He is set to return to the television with historical drama, ''The Imperial Age'', portraying

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

Personal life

On October 16, 2018, Feng announced his marriage to actress Zhao Liying. On March 8, 2019, he announced on Sina Weibo that his wife Zhao Liying had given birth to a boy. On April 23, 2021 Feng and Zhao announced their divorce.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Feng, Shaofeng 1978 births Living people Male actors from Shanghai Shanghai Theatre Academy alumni Chinese male television actors Chinese male film actors 21st-century Chinese male actors