Wen Zhang (, born 26 June 1984) is a Chinese actor. 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 ...

in 2006. Wen ranked 58th 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 re ...

China Celebrity 100 The ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 is a list published annually by ''Forbes'' that ranks the influence of Chinese celebrities. First published in 2004, it is similar to Celebrity 100 also published by ''Forbes''. Factors that are taken into acco ...

list in 2013, and 45th in 2014.

Career

Rising popularity

Wen first became known for his role in the youth drama ''Romantic Life''. Wen rose to fame for his role in the youth television series ''

Struggle Struggle may refer to: Film and TV * ''Struggle'' (2003 film), an Austrian film * Struggle (2013 film) * ''Struggle'' (TV series), 2007 Chinese TV series Music * ''Struggle'' (Nonpoint album), 1999 release * Struggle (Woody Guthrie album), 1 ...

'' (2007). Based on the popular novel by Shi Kang, ''Struggle'' gained unexpected acclaim and was seen as a breakthrough in Chinese TV production as it broke from the usual Chinese TV series focusing in traditional legends and series. Another notable series Wen starred in is ''

Dwelling Narrowness ''Dwelling Narrowness'' (), also known literally as ''Snail House'', is a 2009 television series broadcast in Mainland China, based on a 2007 novel of the same name by Liu Liu. It depicts two sisters struggling with life in Jiangzhou, a fictional ...

'' (2009). The series, which focuses on rising property prices in China and the impact it has on youths and their ambitions, was a major hit with the audiences and sparked a discussion among youths online. The same year, he made his film debut in ''A Tale of Two Donkeys'' (directed by

Li Dawei Li Dawei may refer to: * Li Dawei (writer) (李大卫; born 1963), Chinese writer *Li Dawei (director) Li Dawei (; 1970 – 10 April 2018) was a Chinese film and television director best known for his 2003 television series ''The Story of a Nobl ...

), a black comedy film set in the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

. Wen won the Best New Actor award at the

China Movie Channel Media Awards China Movie Channel Media Awards (电影频道传媒大奖) are presented at each Shanghai International Film Festival by China Movie Channel China Movie Channel (), the trade name of (), an agency at the Chinese Government's State Administrati ...

for his performance.

Mainstream success

Wen had his first major role on the screen in

Xue Xiaolu Xue Xiaolu is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the top Chinese female directors''.'' Her first major feature was '' Ocean Heaven'', (2010) which stars Jet Li, followed by '' Finding Mr. Right'' (2013) starring ...

's literary film, ''

Ocean Heaven ''Ocean Heaven'' () is a 2010 Chinese-Hong Kong drama film starring martial arts superstar Jet Li in his first full drama role. It also co-stars Taiwanese actress Gwei Lun-mei, who previously starred in Jay Chou's '' Secret''. The movie was film ...

'' (2010), playing a 21-year-old autistic man whose only happiness is swimming. Wen was initially rejected by the producers, as he did not fit their requirements; and this prompted him to master four kinds of living strokes in one week. After he successfully got the role, Wen underwent arduous training - which involves swimming 5000 m per day and a 180-day's living with a group of autistic people, which Wen says helped him get closer to their inner mind. Wen's efforts paid off to overwhelming positive reviews from critics, and he clinched the Best Actor award at the

. The same year, Wen won the Best Actor award at the

Sichuan Television Festival The Sichuan Television Festival (), abbreviated SCTVF, also known as the Sichuang International Television Festival is one of the largest television festivals in East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both ...

and Audience's Choice for Actor at the Golden Eagle Awards for his role as a war-time hero in ''Snow Leopard''. In 2011, Wen starred in the romantic comedy '' Love is Not Blind'' alongside

Bai Baihe Bai Baihe (, born 1 March 1984) is a Chinese actress. She was among the highest paid film actresses in China. She is best known for her roles in such films as '' Love is Not Blind'', '' Personal Tailor'', ''Monster Hunt'' and '' Go Away Mr. Tu ...

. The low-budget film became a surprise hit and ended up grossing over 350 million yuan at the Chinese box office. Wen won the Best Actor award at the

Hundred Flowers Award 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 equivalen ...

for his performance. The same year, Wen won the Best Actor award at the China TV Drama Awards for his performance in ''Naked Wedding''. The series, which explores the struggles a China couple faces when they marry for love with no house, substantial savings, or elaborate ceremonies, struck a chord with Chinese youths and become a major hit. In 2013, he starred as

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 (). ...

Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''. Early life and education Stephen Chow was born in British ...

's fantasy blockbuster '' Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons'', which broke records to become the highest grossing Chinese movie then. He also starred in action comedy ''

Badges of Fury ''Badges of Fury'' (, also known as ''The One Detective'') is a 2013 Chinese-Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Wong Tsz-ming in his directorial debut. The film stars Jet Li and Wen Zhang in their third collaboration after ''Ocean Heaven' ...

'' alongside

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...

. The same year, Wen launched his directorial debut, ''Little Daddy'' on the small screen; which stars himself as the lead actor. He received the award for Best TV Series for the production, and the Best TV Actor award at the LETV Awards.

Post-scandal and successful comeback

Wen directed his first film, ''

When Larry Met Mary ''When Larry Met Mary'' is a 2016 Chinese romantic comedy film directed by Wen Zhang. It was released in China on July 15, 2016. Plot When Larry Met Mary follows the story of a shy and timid man, who has secretly loved his classmate for a long ti ...

'' which was released in 2016. However, despite positive reviews, the film failed to do well at the box office. Wen received the Best Directorial Debut award at the

Golden Rooster Awards The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a statuette in the shap ...

. The same year, Wen made a successful comeback in 2016 with the hit television series, ''Young Marshal'', a biopic based on the life of war hero

Zhang Xueliang Chang Hsüeh-liang (, June 3, 1901 – October 15, 2001), also romanized as Zhang Xueliang, nicknamed the "Young Marshal" (少帥), known in his later life as Peter H. L. Chang, was the effective ruler of Northeast China and much of northern ...

Personal life

Wen married Chinese actress

Ma Yili Ma Yili (, born 29 June 1976) is a Chinese actress. Ma ranked 42nd on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2019. Early life Ma was born in Hongkou District, Shanghai on June 29, 1976, with her ancestral home in Rudong County, Nantong, Jiangsu ...

, who is eight years older, and they have a two-year-old daughter. They first met while appearing in a Chinese historical television drama ''The Jinyiwei Guard''. When they filmed ''

'' together, they became lovers. However, in 2014, Wen was exposed by the media to be involved in an affair with Yao Di, a Chinese actress who starred with Wen in the 2011 television series ''Naked Marriage''. His affair attracted widespread discussion on

Sina Weibo Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily acti ...

with over millions of comments. On 28 July 2019, they announced their divorce on Sina Weibo.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wen, Zhang Living people 1984 births Chinese male stage actors Male actors from Xi'an Chinese male film actors Chinese male television actors Central Academy of Drama alumni 21st-century Chinese male actors