Yao Di (, born 17 March 1982) is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

actress.

Early life and education

Yao was born in

Tongxiang Tongxiang City () is a county-level city, part of Jiaxing, in northern Zhejiang Province, China, bordering Jiangsu province to the north. It had a population of 1,029,754 as of the 2020 census even though its built-up (''or metro'') area is sm ...

Jiaxing Jiaxing (), alternately romanized as Kashing, is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province, China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

on March 17, 1982. She graduated from

Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; ) is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institution specializing in the tertiary education for film and television production in Asia. The academy h ...

. At the age of 18, Yao entered the entertainment industry.

Career

Yao rose to fame for her roles in television series '' The Dream of Red Mansions'' (2010). In 2011, Yao starred in the romance drama ''Naked Marriage''. The TV drama became a national sensation, and Yao was given the title of "Nation's Girlfriend" by the Chinese media. The following year, Yao starred in the youth drama ''Beijing Youth'', about teens in Beijing struggling against the strict and traditional culture of their parents. The drama was well received among young Chinese mainland audiences. In 2013, Yao's fame continued to rise after she starred in two TV dramas, ''New Dating Era'' and ''Love Is Not Blind'', which is adapted from a 2011 Chinese movie of the same name. She was named the Most Popular Actress by Youku. However, in 2014, her affair with actor

Wen Zhang Wen Zhang (, born 26 June 1984) is a Chinese actor. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 2006. Wen ranked 58th on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, and 45th in 2014. Career Rising popularity Wen first became known for h ...

was exposed. Her reputation was greatly damaged, and this temporarily halted her film career.

Personal life

In 2014, Yao was found to have an affair with actor

while Wen's legal wife

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. ...

just gave birth to their second daughter. Some rumors suggested that their secret romance began when Ma was pregnant. Wen apologized to his family when he was caught by the media while Yao was widely blamed by the public through social media. Yao chose to keep silent after the disputed event and tried to escape from the public.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yao, Di 1982 births Actresses from Jiaxing Beijing Film Academy alumni Living people Chinese film actresses Chinese television actresses 21st-century Chinese actresses