Zhou Dongyu () is a Chinese actress, who gained recognition after appearing in
Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress
The Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress is given at the Golden Horse Film Awards.
Superlatives
The following individuals received two or more Best Actress awards:
The following individuals received four or more Best Actress nomi ...
Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress The Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress (中国电影金鸡奖最佳女主角) is the main category of Competition of Golden Rooster Awards, awarding actresses with outstanding performances in leading roles in cinema of China.
Winners & nominees ...
with her performance in '' Better Days''.
Zhou ranked 71st 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 ...
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
to an ordinary working family. When she was in the third grade of primary school, her father died in a car accident, and her mother later remarried. She practiced gymnastics as a child and joined the Shijiazhuang gymnastics team at the age of 12. In middle school, she studied in Shijiazhuang No. 27 Middle School Class 9 in 2004 and Shijiazhuang No. 12 Middle School in Class 2007.
Career
2010–2015: Rising recognition
In 2010, Zhou was picked by
Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
to star in his film '' Under the Hawthorn Tree'', despite having no acting experience prior to taking on the role. She rose to fame for her appearance in the film and won several awards, including the Best Actress at the 56th Valladolid International Film Spain Festival, Outstanding New Actress at the 14th
Huabiao Award
China Huabiao Film Awards (), also simply known as Huabiao Awards, is an annual awards ceremony for Chinese cinema. Named after the decorative Chinese winged columns (''huabiaos''), The Huabiao Awards were first instituted in 1957 as the Ministr ...
and Best New Performer at the 20th
Shanghai Film Critics Awards Shanghai Film Critics Awards are given annually to honor excellence in national cinema by an organization of film reviewers from Shanghai Film Critics Association and Shanghai Film Museum.Barbara Wong's romance film ''The Allure of Tears''; and also featured in war film ''The Road Of Exploring'', playing
Yang Kaihui
Yáng Kāihuì (; courtesy name: Yúnjǐn (); 6 November 1901 – 14 November 1930) was the second wife of Mao Zedong, whom he married in 1920. She had three children with Mao Zedong: Mao Anying, Mao Anqing, and Mao Anlong. Her father w ...
, the wife of political leader
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
.
In 2013, she starred in historical romance film ''
The Palace
''The Palace'' is a British drama television series that aired on ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of King ...
'', the fourth installment of the ''Gong'' series by
Yu Zheng
Yu Zheng (; born 28 February 1978) is a Chinese screenwriter and producer who is noted for ''Palace'', which earned him a Best Screenwriter award at the 16th Asian Television Awards.
Biography Early life
Yu was born and raised in Haining, Zheji ...
. ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' praised her performance saying, "Zhou holds the screen very well, turning an initially daft personality into an angsty but stoical heroine".
In 2014, she starred alongside
Lin Gengxin
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in youth romance film ''
My Old Classmate
''My Old Classmate'' () is a 2014 Chinese coming-of-age drama film directed by Frant Gwo and starring Zhou Dongyu and Lin Gengxin. It tells of the romance between two deskmates spanning across 20 years. The film was released on April 25, 2014.
...
''. The film topped China's box office and Zhou was praised for her "acting breakthrough". The same year, she featured in comedy '' Breakup Buddies''. Opposite to her usual pure and fresh image, Zhou challenged the role of a "Smart" in the film. ''Breakup Buddies'' became one of the highest-grossing films of all time in China.
In 2015, she starred opposite
Ethan Juan
Ethan Juan (, born 8 November 1982) is a Taiwanese actor and model. He rose to prominence with the television series '' Fated to Love You'' (2008). Juan won the Best Actor award at the 47th Golden Horse Awards for his role in '' Monga'' in 201 ...
in suspense film ''
The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan
''The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan'' (), also known as ''Shanghai Noir'', is a 2015 comedy action romance suspense film directed by Clara Law. The film is a Chinese-Hong Kong co-production.
The film was lensed by noted director of photog ...
Sun Honglei
Sun Honglei (; born 16 August 1970) is a Chinese actor.
Early life
Sun was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, on 16 August 1970. Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the ...
.
2016–present: Critical acclaim
Zhou achieved breakthrough with her performance in the film '' Soul Mate'', based on the novel of the same name by
Anni Baobei
Li Jie (), more commonly known by her pen name Anni Baobei or Annie Baby (), is a Chinese novelist, born 11 July 1974 in Ningbo, Zhejiang. Her first work in print was the 2000 novella ''Goodbye Vivian''.
She is nicknamed "Flower in the Dark" b ...
. Zhou received the Best Actress award at the 53rd
Golden Horse Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
together with her ''Soul Mate'' co-star
Sandra Ma
Sandra Ma Sichun (, born 14 March 1988) is a Chinese actress of Hui ethnicity. She is noted for her roles in the films '' The Left Ear'' (2015) and ''Soul Mate'' (2016), for which she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress alongside ...
, and also won Best Actress at the 28th
Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award
The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...
. The same year, she won the Best Actress award at the 8th
Macau International Movie Festival The Macau International Movie Festival () is an international film festival that takes place in Macau, China. The first festival took place between December 26, 2009 and January 2, 2010. It was organized by mainland Chinese businessman Xu ...
for her performance in the South Korean-Chinese romance film ''
Never Said Goodbye
''Never Said Goodbye'' is the second solo studio album by Welsh singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews. It was released on 21 August 2006 by Rough Trade Records. Matthews co-produced the album with Ben Elkins and Stuart Sikes.
The album received gen ...
''. Zhou also starred in her first television series, spy war drama '' Sparrow''. The series was commercially successful, and became the highest rated war drama to date with a peak rating of 2.46 and 11 billion online views. Zhou was praised by both the audience and director for successfully tackling a challenging role.
In 2017, Zhou starred alongside
Takeshi Kaneshiro
is a Japanese-Taiwanese actor and singer. Beginning his career as a pop idol, he has since moved his focus towards the film industry, where he achieved both commercial success and critical acclaim. He has worked with directors throughout East A ...
in romantic comedy ''
This Is Not What I Expected
''This Is Not What I Expected'' ( zh, 喜欢你) is a 2017 romantic comedy film directed by Derek Hui and produced by Peter Chan, starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhou Dongyu. It is adapted from the novel ''Finally I Get You'' written by Lan Bai Se ...
''. The film grossed over 100 million yuan and received an 8.9 out of 10 score on ''Maoyan''. Along with the success of ''Soul Mate'', Zhou was coined the representative of Chinese chick flicks. The same year, she starred in the coming-of-age romance drama ''
Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day
''Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day'' () is a 2017 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Beijing, Beijing'' by Feng Tang. Starring Zhang Yishan and Zhou Dongyu, the series is a coming-of-age story about young love and brotherhood among ...
'' alongside
Zhang Yishan
Zhang Yishan (, born 5 May 1992) is a prominent Chinese actor and former child star.
Zhang is noted for his roles as Liu Xing in the family sitcom ''Home with Kids'' (2004), and as the protagonist in the crime thriller ''Yu Zui'' (2016).
Early l ...
; and featured in science fiction wuxia film ''
The Thousand Faces of Dunjia
''The Thousand Faces of Dunjia'' ( zh, 奇門遁甲) is a 2017 Chinese fantasy-wuxia film directed by Yuen Woo-ping; scripted and produced by Tsui Hark. It is a remake of Yuen's 1982 film ''The Miracle Fighters''. The film stars Da Peng, Aarif Le ...
'' directed by
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 ...
.
In 2018, Zhou starred in
Rene Liu
Rene Liu Ruo-ying (; born 1 June, 1969) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actress, director and writer. In the Sinophone world, Liu is widely known by her affectionate nickname "Milk Tea". Her music often focuses on love stories and has built an ...
's romance film ''
Us and Them
Us and Them may refer to:
*The sociological concept of in-group and out-group
*'' Us & Them'', an American television series
* ''Us and Them'' (Australian TV series), a 1994 Australian comedy television series
* "Us and Them" (song), by Pink Floy ...
'' alongside
Jing Boran
Jing Boran (; born 19 April 1989) or Bobo Jing, is a Chinese actor and singer who achieved popularity after becoming the champion at the 2007 talent contest ''My Hero''. Along with the third-place winner Fu Xinbo, he formed a boy band called BoBo ...
. It was a hit in China, earning $191 million over its first two weekends.
In 2019, Zhou starred in the youth film '' Better Days'' helmed by '' Soul Mate'' director
Derek Tsang
Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung (; born 8 November 1979) is a Hong Kong film director and actor. The son of actor Eric Tsang, Tsang got his start in the Hong Kong film industry working for director Peter Chan Ho-Sun after graduating from University of T ...
, that tackles school bullying. The film topped box office and received positive reviews. Zhou won the
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...
at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards for her performance. The same year, she featured in the drama film ''On The Balcony'' which she serves as one of the co-producers. Zhou ranked seventh 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 2019, the highest for female celebrities.
In 2021, Zhou starred alongside
Xu Kai
Xu Kai (, born 5 March 1995), also known by his English name Kai Xu, is a Chinese actor and model. His most notable roles include the dramas '' Story of Yanxi Palace'' (2018), '' The Legends'' (2019), ''Arsenal Military Academy'' (2019), ''Falling ...
in the series
Ancient Love Poetry
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...
.
Personal life
Zhou Dongyu was born in
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
.
Zhou graduated from the
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 2010
Hawaii International Film Festival
The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii.
HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is h ...
, she apologized in Mandarin that she spoke no English (unlike her co-star
Shawn Dou
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who interpreted for her). At the
2019 Cannes Film Festival
The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2019. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu served as jury president. The Palme d'Or went to the South Korean film ''Parasite'', directed by Bong Joon-ho; Bong became t ...
, however, she was able to talk in fluent English.
Political views
In March 2021, Zhou terminated her contract with
Burberry
Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessories, ...
as brand ambassador after the company announced that they will not purchase cotton from the Chinese autonomous region of
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
due to concerns of forced labor of
Uyghurs
The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghur ...
. The campaign was an ongoing publicity effort orchestrated by the
Chinese government
The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...
to refute allegations of ethnic genocide and human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Her actions were mimicked by other Chinese celebrities.