Gong Li is a famous Chinese actress who subsequently received citizenship of Singapore. She became famous thanks to close cooperation with the Chinese filmmaker, producer and writer Zhang Yimou. Gong was included in the list of fifty most beautiful people in the world according to People magazine and in 2006 was recognized as the most beautiful woman in China. The famous American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote the song “Gong Li” about her.
early life
The actress was born on December 31, 1965 in the city of Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province (China) in the family of economics professor Gong Lizze and teacher Zhao Ying. Lee was the youngest of five children. She spent her childhood in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province, as her parents were offered a place at Shandong University.
From an early age, the girl showed singing and acting talents. Up to four years, she could already copy and repeat the timbre of her voice, accent, manner of speech and facial expression of the interlocutor. In the years of elementary school, teachers noticed the ability of Gong and recommended her to speak at a radio station. A few years later, the future famous actress Gong Li has already performed with a school troupe.
Having received primary education, Li first tried to enter the Shandong Pedagogical Institute, then the Institute of Arts of the People’s Liberation Army, but everywhere she failed. And only in 1985, thanks to the tutoring of director Yin Davey, Gong was enrolled in the Central Drama Academy in Beijing, from which she graduated four years later.
Carier start
While still a student, Lee starred in the film "Red Kholoyan" - the debut film directed by Zhang Yimou. The aspiring director wanted to see in the title role a young, not yet known actress, and for this he arranged a casting among students at the Drama Academy. At that time, Gong Li was busy in another project and could not participate in the selection and, if not for the remark of one student that Li was best suited for this role, another girl would be invited to participate in the filming.
The assistant director did not disregard this remark and invited Gong personally for an interview. She fully met all the expectations of the director of the picture and was immediately approved for the role. Work in this film served as the beginning for a long creative relationship with Zhang Yimou, who soon went beyond the professional. The film "Red Kholoyan" was a huge success with film critics, and in a commercial sense, and received many film awards. So Lee became famous.
Movies with Gong Li
Working with director Yimou, Li starred in his 1990 dramas Ju Dou, Light the Red Lantern 1991, Qiu Ju Turns to Court in 1992, and their latest film, The Shanghai Triad.
Her play in the History of Qiu Chiu is perhaps the most memorable of her career. Instead of playing a sexually attractive woman on the screen, she expertly turned into a rude pregnant peasant woman seeking justice. The change of position paid off since Gong won the Best Actress Award at the 1992 Venice International Film Festival.
In 1993, the actress takes part in the filming of the dramatic film “Farewell, My Concubine”, which tells the story of the half-century friendship of two opera actors: one of them plays noble warriors all his life, and the other specializes in female roles. This was one of those paintings that attracted world attention to Chinese cinema. Work in the film brought the actress "Golden Palm Branch" in Cannes. For the first time, Gong was recognized by film critics in a drama not shot by Imou.
Gong Li (pictured), eye-catching with a smart and expressive look, set off to conquer Hollywood. She appeared in the films: “Chinese Box”, “Eros” - a film consisting of three short films about love and sex, “Memoirs of a geisha” in the role of the angry and unhappy Hatsumomo, “Miami Police. Department of Morals ”and“ Hannibal: Ascension ”.
Personal life
For several years, Li had a love affair with Zhang Yimou, so often and widely covered in the press, that many mistakenly believed that the couple was married. In 1995, a loud breakup followed, which put an end to creative relationships.
On February 15, 1996, the famous actress exchanged rings with Singaporean tobacco mogul Ooi Wei Ming. Gong tried to keep the news secret for a while, until a marriage certificate was published in a Singaporean newspaper. The marriage lasted four years and in June 2010 it became known about the divorce of the actress.