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For the computer scientist, see Li Gong.
Gong Li (simplified Chinese: 巩俐; traditional Chinese: 鞏俐; pinyin: Gǒng Lì) (born December 31, 1965) is a Chinese film actress. She first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States.[1] She has twice been awarded the Golden Rooster and the Hundred Flowers Awards twice as well as the Berlinale Camera, Cannes Festival Trophy, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle Award, and Volpi Cup winning. She married Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Soeng in 1996, and became a Singaporean citizen in 2008.[2]
BiographyEarly lifeGong Li was born in Shenyang, Liaoning, China, the fifth child in her family. Her father was a professor of economics and her mother, who was 40 when Gong was born, was a teacher.[3] Gong grew up in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. She wished to be an actress from a young age[citation needed]. She was accepted to the prestigious Central Academy of Drama in Beijing in 1985, and graduated in 1989.[4] She was a student there when Zhang Yimou chose her in 1987 for the lead role in his first film as a director.[5] CareerOver the next several years after her 1987 debut in Red Sorghum, Gong received both local and international acclaim for her roles in several more Zhang Yimou films:[6] She appeared in Ju Dou in 1990; Her performance in the Oscar-nominated Raise the Red Lantern put her in the international spotlight;[5] In The Story of Qiu Ju, she was named Best Actress at the 1992 Venice Film Festival. These roles established her reputation as, according to Asiaweek, one of the "world's most glamorous movie stars and an elegant throwback to Hollywood's golden era."[5] In June 1998, Gong Li became a recipient of France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Two years later, she was chosen as the president of the international jury of the 50th annual Berlin Film Festival.[7] In 1993 she received a New York Film Critics Circle award for her role in Farewell My Concubine. Directed by Chen Kaige, the film was her first major role with a director other than Zhang Yimou. In 2006, Premiere Magazine ranked her performance in Farewell My Concubine as the 89th greatest performances of all time. Protected from political repercussions because of her fame, Gong Li began to criticize the censorship policy in China. Her films Farewell My Concubine and The Story of Qiu Ju were initially banned in her native land, reportedly for being thinly-veiled critiques of the communist government.[7] In regard to the sexual content in Ju Dou, one official called the film "a bad influence on the physical and spiritual health of young people."[6]She said (translated) "Under the new wave of directors, films in China are getting more in-depth and have more Chinese characteristics than before. But mainland directors face an entirely different system from their counterparts elsewhere. You can't just make whatever films you like."[5] Despite her success, Gong put off working in Hollywood for years, due to a lack of confidence in speaking the English and dissatisfaction with roles that had been offered to her[8]. She made her English speaking debut in 2005 when she starred as the beautiful but vindictive Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha. Her performance was met with generally positive reviews.[9] Her other English-language roles to date included Chinese Box in 1997, Miami Vice in 2006 and Hannibal Rising in 2007. In all three films, she learned her English lines phonetically. ControversyGong created a major stir at Peking University in 2000 when the university accepted her to take an undergraduate degree course in social studies. Students of the institution felt her celebrity status allowed her to "jump the queue" when other prospective students are held to much more competitive standards. In her defense, Gong said she simply wanted to "pursue the spirit of learning."[10] Personal lifeHer relationship with Zhang Yimou was both professional and romantic and they created a scandal for being lovers during their long collaboration, despite Zhang having been married at the time. The couple eventually broke up in 1995. They were reunited in 2006 for Zhang's Curse of the Golden Flower, in which she played the empress, Golden Phoenix. In 1996, rumors began circulating that Gong had married Singaporean tobacco tycoon, Ooi Hoe Soeng (黄和祥). At first, she denied these allegations until a Singapore tabloid printed a copy of the marriage certificate.[11] They married in November 1996 at Hong Kong's China Club.[12][11] On Nov 10, 2008, Gong Li attended a citizenship ceremony held at Teck Ghee Community Club and received her Singapore citizenship certificate from Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah. Filmography
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