Sun Weimin (; born 14 July 1955) is a Chinese actor best known for typecasting

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...

in film and television. He first garnered recognition for his acting in 2013, when his performance in '' The Story of Zhou Enlai'' and earned him a

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

nomination at the 29th Golden Rooster Awards. In 2018, he starred in the television series ''

My Uncle Zhou Enlai ''My Uncle Zhou Enlai'' () is a 2016 Chinese historical biographical television series directed by Chen Li and written by Zhang Fachun, starring Sun Weimin as the Chinese premier Zhou Enlai. The series also features Huang Wei, Tang Guoqiang, Ma Xi ...

'', which propelled him to become one of the most famous actors in China, and he was nominated for Outstanding Actor Award at the 31st Flying Apsaras Awards.

Early life and education

Sun was born in

Pulandian District Pulandian District () is one of the seven districts under the administration of Dalian, located in the south of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Its area is and its permanent population is 741,230. The district borders the prefectu ...

Dalian Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the ...

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

, on July 14, 1955. He graduated from the

Central Academy of Drama The Central Academy of Drama (), abbreviated Zhong Xi (), is a drama school in Beijing, China. It is a Chinese state Double First Class University Plan university identified by the Ministry of Education of China. The school is the first theatre ...

Acting career

Sun's first film role was uncredited appearance in the film ''Two Fugitive Girls'' (1992). He than guest starred on ''The Great Military March Forward'' film series. He made his television debut in ''Seven Battles Seven Victories'', playing

. It is his first time to portray Zhou Enlai. Sun starred as

Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. W ...

, reuniting him with co-star Shi Lanya, who played

Xu Guangping Xu Guangping (, 1898 – 1968), her former name "Xu Chongqian" (), was a Chinese female writer, politician, and social activist. She was well known as the partner of Chinese writer Lu Xun. Biography Born in Guangzhou in a family of Great Qing o ...

, in the biographical television series ''Lu Xun and Xu Guangping'' (2001). In 2004, Sun has appeared in supporting roles in two films, ''The Tide'' and ''Soldiers Of Huangpu''. Sun joined the main cast of ''General Zuo Quan'' as

Zuo Quan Zuo Quan (; 15 March 1905 – 2 June 1942), also named Zuo Shuren (), born in Liling, Hunan, was a general in the Chinese Red Army during the Chinese revolution and the war against Japan, and a senior staff officer of the Eighth Route Army. ...

, a general in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

during the Chinese revolution and the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

. In the 2000s, he has had guest-starring roles in many television series, including ''The Story of Tibet'' (2010), ''The Sun Comes Up in the East'' (2010), ''New Fourth Army'' (2003), ''The Story of Minister of Public Security Luo Ruiqing'' (2007), ''Spring Comes Early in Grassland'' (2007), ''Zhou Enlai in Chongqing'' (2008), and ''The East is Red 1949'' (2009). In 2012, he earned critical acclaim for his performance as Zhou Enlai in ''Five-star Red Flag Fluttering 2'', for which he received an Outstanding Actor Award at the 29th Flying Apsaras Awards. Sun became widely known to audiences with '' The Story of Zhou Enlai'', a historical drama film which garnered him a

nomination at the 29th Golden Rooster Awards. In 2015, Sun played the role of Zhou Enlai in Zhao Junjie and Zhai Xiaoxing's film ''

Who Is Undercover ''Who is Undercover'' () is a 2014 Chinese suspense drama film directed by Fan Jianhui. It was released on December 31. Cast *Lin Chi-ling *Tony Leung Ka-fai *Gillian Chung *Meng Tingyi *Vivian Wu *Christopher Lee *Kent Cheng *Kaiser Chuang K ...

'', for which he received his second Best Actor nomination at the 30th Golden Rooster Awards. For his role as Lin Deshui in ''

Battle of Xiangjiang River ''Battle of Xiangjiang River'' () is a 2017 Chinese war film directed by Chen Li, written by Liu Jianwei, Bai Tiejun and Xiang Xiaomi, and starring Wang Ying, Xu Jian, Dong Yong, Bao Jianfeng, Sun Weimin and Zhang Yishan. The film picks up the sto ...

'' (2017), Sun was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 31st Golden Rooster Awards. Sun's big break came when Chen Li cast him in ''

'', in which he played Zhou Enlai, a role which brought him much publicity and was nominated for Outstanding Actor Award at the 31st Flying Apsaras Awards. And he won the Best Actor in Television Award at the 12th Chinese American Film Festival.

Filmography

Film

Television

Film and TV Awards

References

External links

*
Sun Weimin on Chinesemov.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, Weimin 1955 births Living people Male actors from Dalian Central Academy of Drama alumni Chinese male film actors Chinese male television actors