Ying Da (; born July 7, 1960) is a Chinese actor and director, best known in film for portraying Louie Wang in ''

Big Shot's Funeral ''Big Shot's Funeral'' (, Mandarin colloquialism for "big shot") is a 2001 Chinese black comedy film directed by Feng Xiaogang. It was written by Feng, Li Xiaoming and Shi Kang. The black comedy starred Ge You, Rosamund Kwan and Donald Suther ...

'' (2001), Ni Zhengyu in '' The Tokyo Trial'' (2006) and Jin Shenghuo in '' The Message'' (2009), and has received critical acclaim for his television work, particularly as Zhao Xinmei in ''Fortress Besieged'' (1990) and Leng Zixing in '' The Dream of Red Mansions'' (2008). As a director, Ying Da is best known for his comedy television series, such as ''I Love My Family'' (1993), ''We Are A Family'' (2013), ''Idler: Sister Ma'' (1999), and ''Sister Ma and Her Neighborhoods'' (2000). Ying Da first garnered recognition for his acting in 1990, when his performance in ''Fortress Besieged'', a television series adaptation based on the novel of the same name by Qian Zhongshu, earned him a

Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actor The Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actor was first awarded by the China Film Association in 1962. Award winners 1960s 1980–2004 Since 2006 Records References {{Hundred Flowers Award Best Supporting Actor Supporting Actor ...

nomination at the 13th

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 ...

. In 2002 he won the

at the 25th

for his performance in ''

''. In 2012 Ying Da's performance in ''You and Me'' which garnered him a

Golden Lotus Awards Golden Lotus may refer to: * Ensete lasiocarpum, the plant that produces the ''Golden Lotus'' flower * ''Golden Lotus'' (album), a 1982 album by Kenny Barron Jin Ping Mei *''Jin Ping Mei'', a 17th-century Chinese novel *Pan Jinlian, the female pro ...

nomination for

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 the ...

. His son

Ying Rudi Ying Rudi (; born August 16, 1998) is a Chinese professional ice hockey player currently with HC Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Born in China, Ying first played hockey in Beijing, moving to the United States at age 9 to ...

is a member of the

China men's national ice hockey team The Chinese national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of the People's Republic of China. The team is controlled by the Chinese Ice Hockey Association and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Tourname ...

Early life and education

Ying Da was born in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

on July 7, 1960, to Ying Ruocheng, a director, actor, playwright and vice minister of culture from 1986 to 1990, and Wu Shiliang (), a translator and interpreter of

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 from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman M ...

. His sister Ying Xiaole () is a Chinese-American painter. In 1973 Ying Da attended Beijing No. 72 Middle School, Where he studied alongside

Jiang Wen Jiang Wen (born 5 January 1963) is a Chinese actor, screenwriter, and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "Sixth Generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred wit ...

. After completing his bachelor's degree in science from

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charte ...

in 1983, he was assigned to Beijing Normal School in Dongcheng District as a teacher. Ying Da received a master's degree in literature and art from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

in 1987, that same year he returned to Beijing.

Career

Ying Da made his film debut in

Xie Jin Xie Jin (; 21 November 1923 – 18 October 2008) was a Chinese film director. He rose to prominence in 1957, directing the film ''Woman Basketball Player No. 5'', and is considered one of the Third Generation directors of China. Most recently he ...

's ''

The Last Aristocrats ''The Last Aristocrats'' () is a 1989 Chinese drama film directed by Xie Jin and starring Pan Hong, Pu Cunxin, Li Kequn, and Xiao Xiong. It is base on the short story ''Zhexianji'' by Taiwanese novelist Bai Xianyong. The film picks up the story ...

'', playing Zhou Daqing. In 1990, he was director of the

People's Arts Theatre of Beijing People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. Gallen-Altenr ...

. That same year, for his role as Zhao Xinmei in ''Fortress Besieged'', he was nominated for the

at the 13th

. In 1993, Ying Da had a cameo appearance in

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wi ...

's '' Farewell My Concubine'', a

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

starring

Leslie Cheung Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actor. Throughout a 26-year career from 1977 until his death, Cheung released over 40 music albums and acted in 56 films. He was one of the most prominent ...

, Zhang Fengyi and

Gong Li Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaonin ...

. In 1997, Ying Da starred with

Ng Man-tat Richard Ng Man-tat (, 2 January 1952 – 27 February 2021) was a Hong Kong actor originally from Fujian. He was a veteran actor in the Hong Kong film industry, with dozens of awards, including Best Supporting Actor at the 10th Hong Kong Fi ...

Eric Tsang Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show '' Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently hol ...

Zhao Benshan Zhao Benshan (; born 2 October 1957) is a Chinese skit and sitcom actor, comedian, television director, and businessman. Originally from Liaoning province, Zhao has appeared on the CCTV New Year's Gala, a widely watched performing arts program, ...

, Song Dandan in the comedy film ''Family Harmony''. It earned good ratings nationwide. That same year, he starred opposite

Ge You Ge You (born April 19, 1957) is a Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, often with a bald shaven pate, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in China. He became the first Asian actor to win the Cannes ...

Xu Fan Xu Fan (, born 16 August 1967) is a Chinese actress and Asian Film Awards winner. She married film director Feng Xiaogang Feng Xiaogang (; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and politician ...

, He Bing, Liu Bei in

Feng Xiaogang Feng Xiaogang (; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and politician. He is well known in China as a highly successful commercial filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well at the box of ...

's comedy film '' The Dream Factory''. In 2001, he starred in the comedy film ''

'', alongside

Rosamund Kwan Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam (born Kwan Kar Wai on 24 September 1962) is a Hong Kong former actress, best known for starring as the female lead "Thirteenth Aunt" in the 1990s ''Once Upon a Time in China'' film series. She had since retired from acti ...

Paul Mazursky Irwin Lawrence "Paul" Mazursky (April 25, 1930 – June 30, 2014) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Known for his dramatic comedies that often dealt with modern social issues, he was nominated for five Academy Awards: three ...

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...

. The film marked the second collaboration between Ying Da and Feng Xiaogang. He received a

at the 25th

for the role. In 2005, he appeared in '' Waiting Alone'', a

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

starring

Xia Yu Xia Yu may refer to: *Yu the Great, also known as Xia Yu, legendary founder of the Xia dynasty * Xia Yu (actor) (born 1978), Chinese actor *Ha Yu (actor) Wong Sing (born 14 June 1943), better known by his stage name Ha Yu, is a Hong Kong actor ...

Gong Beibi Beibi Gong () (born February 21, 1978 in Fujian, China) is a Chinese film and television actress. Beginning her acting career as a teenager, she later graduated from the prestigious Central Academy of Drama where she first gained recognition amo ...

and

Li Bingbing Li Bingbing (; born 27 February 1973) is a Chinese actress and singer who rose to fame with her role in '' Seventeen Years'' (1999) and since then received critical acclaim for her roles in ''A World Without Thieves'' (2004), '' Waiting Alone'' (2 ...

. In 2006, Ying Da portrayed Ni Zhengyu in the historical film '' The Tokyo Trial'', directed by

Gao Qunshu Gao Qunshu () is a Chinese film director. Filmography * '' The Tokyo Trial'' (2006) * ''Old Fish'' (2008) * '' The Message'' (2009) * '' Wind Blast'' (2010) * '' Beijing Blues'' (2012) * '' Crimes of Passion'' (2013) * ''The New Year's Eve of Ol ...

. In 2008, Ying Da participated in

's ''

Forever Enthralled ''Forever Enthralled'' () is a Chinese biographical film directed by Chen Kaige; the film marks Chen's eleventh feature film as a director. ''Forever Enthralled'' follows the life of Mei Lanfang, one of China's premiere opera performers. It stars L ...

'' as Feng Ziguang, a friend of

Leon Lai Leon Lai Ming SBS BBS MH (born 11 December 1966), is a Hong Kong actor, film director, businessman and Cantopop singer. He is one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. He uses his Chinese name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming", whi ...

and Zhang Ziyi's characters. That same year, he made a guest appearance as Leng Zixing in '' The Dream of Red Mansions'', adapted from

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

novelist

Cao Xueqin Cáo Xuěqín ( ; ); (4 April 1710 — 10 June 1765)Briggs, Asa (ed.) (1989) ''The Longman Encyclopedia'', Longman, was a Chinese writer during the Qing dynasty. He is best known as the author of ''Dream of the Red Chamber'', one of the Four G ...

's classical novel of the same title. In 2009, he starred in an espionage thriller called '' The Message'' with Zhou Xun, Li Bingbing, Zhang Hanyu,

Huang Xiaoming Huang Xiaoming or Mark Huang (, born 13 November 1977) is a Chinese actor, singer, and model. He graduated from the Performance Institute of the Beijing Film Academy in 2000. Huang first rose to prominence in 2001 for playing Emperor Wu of Han in ...

, Alec Su, and Wang Zhiwen. The film was directed by

Chen Kuo-fu Chen Kuo-fu (born 13 May 1958) is a Taiwanese film director, screenwriter and producer. His film '' The Personals'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Biography Born in 1958 Chen worked as a film c ...

and Gao Qunshu and based on Mai Jia's novel. That same year, he had a minor role in

Huang Jianxin Huang Jianxin (born 14 June 1954) is a Chinese filmmaker. He also writes film scripts under the pen name Huang Xin. He is normally considered part of the fifth generation of Chinese filmmakers (a group that includes Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and ...

and Han Sanping's historical film ''

The Founding of a Republic ''The Founding of a Republic'' is a Chinese historical drama produced in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and was made to portray the final years of the Chinese Communist Revolution that followed the end of the ...

''. In 2010, Ying Da co-starred with Guo Tao, Hu Jing,

Ada Choi Ada Choi Siu-fan (; born 17 September 1973) is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, as an evil empress in the Chinese television series '' Empresses in the Palace'' (甄嬛傳), and to a lesser extent, for her film work. ...

and

Kingdom Yuen Kingdom Yuen King-dan (苑瓊丹; born 11 September 1963) is a Hong Kong actress with a long history working with TVB. Life and career Kingdom was born in Hong Kong, her father was an ivory carver. She started her acting career with HK ATV during ...

in the romantic film '' The Love Clinic''. That same year, he had key supporting role in ''East Wind Rain'', a spy drama starring

Liu Yunlong / ( or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'kill', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic text ...

Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. From 2013 to 2017, she was included as the highest-paid celebrity in the ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list after ranking in the top 10 every year since 2006. She appeared on ''Time ...

and

Li Xiaoran Li Xiaoran (; born 8 May 1976) is a Chinese actress. She graduated from Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 17, and was the only dancer recruited into the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe from Beijing. Filmography Television series Awards and ...

. He co-starred with

Zhu Shimao Zhu or ZHU may refer to: * Zhu (surname), common Chinese surnames *Zhu River, or Pearl River, in southern China *Zhu (state), ancient Chinese state, later renamed Zou *House of Zhu, the ruling house of the Ming dynasty in Chinese history *Zhu (str ...

Chen Peisi Chen Peisi (; born 1 February 1954) is a Chinese sketch comedian, film and stage actor, and voice actor. Chen's oft-time comedy partner is Zhu Shimao. Name Chen Peisi is the second son of famous stage and film actor Chen Qiang. Chen Qiang's f ...

Vivian Wu Vivian Wu ( Wu Junmei; ; born February 5, 1967) is a Chinese-American actress.Chen Nan ''China Daily'', 27 April 2007. Her big break came in 1987, appearing in the biographical film '' The Last Emperor''. She later went to starring in films '' ...

and

Qiao Renliang Qiao Renliang (; October 15, 1987 – September 16, 2016), also known as Kimi Qiao, was a Chinese singer and actor. He took part in the second season of ''My Hero'' (加油好男儿) and finished the competition as the runner-up for that season ...

in the comedy film ''Under the Influence''. Ying Da also hosted the Chinese version of Family Feud from October 2010 to January 2011. In 2011, he had a supporting role in the horror thriller film '' The Devil Inside Me''. The film was directed by Zhang Qi and starred

Tony Leung Ka-fai Tony Leung Ka-fai (; born 1 February 1958) is a Hong Kong actor who is a four-time winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. As he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony," while Tony Le ...

, Kelly Lin, Huang Weide and

Anya Wu Anya Wu (born 17 February 1976) is a Taiwanese-American actress and singer. Life Early life Wu was born in Taiwan on February 17, 1976. At the age of 6, she immigrated to the United States with her parents. Her mother died of cancer when she wa ...

. He had a minor role in the romantic comedy '' Dear Enemy'', which starred

Xu Jinglei Xu Jinglei (, born 16 April 1974 in Chaoyang District, Beijing) is a Chinese actress and film director. She was hailed as one of the Four Dan Actresses in China. In 2002, Xu won the Huabiao Award for Outstanding New Actress for her performance ...

, Stanley Huang,

Gigi Leung Gigi Leung Wing-kei (Chinese: 梁詠琪, born 25 March 1976) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. Early life She was born at Tsan Yuk Hospital in Sai Ying Pun on 25 March 1976 and was given the name Leung Pik-chi () for superstitious reasons; as ...

Aarif Rahman Aarif Rahman (, born 26 February 1987), also known as Aarif Lee Zhi-ting, is a Hong Kong actor, singer and songwriter. Early life Born in Hong Kong, Aarif Rahman is of mixed Arab, Malay and Chinese descent. He grew up in Hong Kong and attende ...

, Christy Chung, Michael Wong, and Zhao Baogang. In 2012, he played Mr. Ming, the lead role in Hu Qiang's ''You and Me'', costarring Tarcy Su and Jeff Chang. He was nominated for

Golden Lotus Award for Best Actor Golden Lotus Award for Best Actor () is one of the main categories of competition of the Golden Lotus Awards. It is awarded to leading male actor(s) who have outstanding performance in motion pictures. Award winners and nominees 2000s 2009 (1st) ...

at the

2nd Macau International Movie Festival The 2nd Macau International Movie Festival ceremony, organized by the Macau Film and Television Media Association and China International Cultural Communication Center, honored the best films of 2010 in the Greater China Region and took place on De ...

. In 2014, Ying Da played the lead role in the comedy film '' Hot Blood Band'', alongside

Chen Xiang Chen Xiang (born 13 December 1989), also known as Sean Chen, is a Chinese pop singer and actor. He participated in the nationwide singing contest '' Super Boy'' in 2010. In 2011, he released his first album ''Confession''. He is also known for ...

Leon Dai Leon Dai (, born 27 July 1966) is a Taiwanese actor and film director. His film '' Cannot Live Without You'' was Taiwan's submission to the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The film also won two awards at the 46th Golden Ho ...

, Anthony Wong, Kathy Chow and Cai Ming.

Personal life

Ying Da has married three times. His first wife was his university alumni at

, they married in 1985 and divorced in 1987. He married for the second time in 1989 in

, to actress Song Dandan, the couple had a son Ying Batu (). They divorced in 1997. On February 24, 1997, Ying Zhuang married Liang Huan (), 8 years his junior, in Beijing. They have a son

and a daughter.

Ancestry

His great-grandfather

Ying Lianzhi Ying Lianzhi (; November 23, 1867 – January 10, 1926), also known as Ying Hua (), was a Manchu Bannerman, a prominent Catholic layman who agitated for church reform, founder of the prominent newspaper ''Ta Kung Pao'', and instrumental in foundi ...

(; 1867–1926) was the founder of ''

Takungpao ''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'') is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War ...

'' and

Fu Jen Catholic University Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private Catholic university in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and re-established in Taiwan in 1961 a ...

. His great-grandmother Aisin Gioro Shuzhong () was a member of the

royal family. His great-maternal grandfather

Cai Rukai Cai Rukai (; 1867 - 1923) was a Chinese politician and educator of the late Qing dynasty and early Republican period. Biography Cai was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi in 1867. During the reign of Guangxu Emperor in the Qing dynasty, he successfully ...

(; 1867–1923) was president of National Beiyang University. His grandfather Ying Qianli (; 1900–1969) was a professor at

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

and Fu Jen Catholic University. His grandmother Cai Baozhen () was president of Beijing Children's Library.

Filmography

Film

TV series

As director

Film and TV Awards

References

External links

Ying Da at hkmdb.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ying, Da 1960 births Living people Peking University alumni University of Missouri alumni Chinese male film actors Chinese male television actors Chinese television directors Film directors from Beijing Male actors from Beijing Manchu male actors