Yuan Li | |
|---|---|
袁立 | |
| Born | (1973-07-12)July 12, 1973 (age 51) |
| Other names | Yuan Li (袁莉) |
| Education | Beijing Film Academy |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Notable work | The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan Never Close Eyes Pure Sentiment |
| Spouses | |
| Awards | 18thChina Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress 2000Never Close Eyes 25thHundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress 2002Pure Sentiment |
Yuan Li (Chinese:袁立;pinyin:Yuán Lì; born 12 July 1973) is a Chinese actress and philanthropist.[1][2]
Yuan rose to fame for her role in the television dramaNever Close Eyes (1998), for which she won the Supporting Actress at the 18thGolden Eagle Awards. She starred in the four seasons of television seriesThe Eloquent Ji Xiaolan (2002–2008) and won the Best Supporting Actress at the 20thHundred Flowers Awards for her performance in the filmPure Sentiment (2002).
Since 2011, Yuan has shifted her focus to charitable work, including establishing the Yuan Li Foundation forpneumoconiosis patients—a sensitive topic in China due to its link to government negligence regardingworkers’ rights. She converted toChristianity around 2013.[3] Following years of increasingly outspoken views on social issues, religion, and theCOVID-19 pandemic, herWeibo account was suspended in 2020, effectively blacklisting her in China. In 2021, herTwitter account was suspended after she expressed support forDonald Trump while attackingJoe Biden and his family[4]
Yuan was born Yuan Li (袁莉;Yuán Lì) inHangzhou,Zhejiang on July 12, 1973, with herancestral home inJiangyin,Jiangsu. She graduated fromBeijing Film Academy, majoring in acting.[5]
Yuan had her first experience in front of the camera in 1996, and she was chosen to act as a support actor inHistory of Han Dynasty, a film starringZhang Tielin.
After playing minor roles in various films and television series, Yuan rose to fame after portraying Ouyang Lanlan in the television seriesNever Close Eyes, alongsideLu Yi, she won the "Best Supporting Actress" at the 18thChina Golden Eagle Awards.
In 2000, Yuan starred as Du Xiaoyue inThe Eloquent Ji Xiaolan, a historical television series co-starring withZhang Guoli,Zhang Tielin andWang Gang, which were highly praised by audience.
In 2002, Yuan played the role of An Ran in Cao Baoping's filmPure Sentiment, for which she received a "Best Supporting Actress" at the 20thHundred Flowers Awards.
In 2010, Yuan acted withAndy Lau andGong Li in Chen Daming's filmWhat Women Want.
On September 19, Yuan became a spokesperson of theRed Cross Society of China.
In 1993, Yuan met businessman Xu Wei (徐威), with whom she had a 12-year relationship until 2005. They had a rumored son born in the late 1990s, but they never confirmed.[6][7]
Yuan married her first husband Zhao Ling (赵岭), a Chinese actor, on September 9, 2005. They divorced in 2007.[6]
On November 30, 2011, Yuan married her second husbandBlaine Willis Grunewald, a Canadian Mormon missionary. Grunewald studied Chinese atNortheast Normal University from 2003 to 2004, and obtained aBachelor of Laws fromFudan University in 2009. He briefly worked for Lehman Bush, a firm co-founded byNeil Bush and Edward Lehman.[8][9] They divorced in 2015.
On 26 March 2019, Yuan announced that she had married her third husband Liang Taiping (梁太平), a poet.[10]
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 飞来横福 | guest | ||
| 1996 | 英雄无悔 | Wu Yinyin | ||
| History of Han Dynasty | 汉宫飞燕 | Consort Zhao Hede | ||
| Thunder Storm | 雷雨 | guest | ||
| 1997 | Guess of Famen Temple | 法门寺猜想 | Yi Chun | |
| 1998 | Never Close Eyes | 永不瞑目 | Ouyang Lanlan | |
| Long and Winding Road | 锦绣前程 | Zhao Lei | ||
| 1999 | My Dear Country | 我亲爱的祖国 | Gao Baose | |
| 致使邂逅 | Du Lala | |||
| The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan | 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚 | Du Xiaoyue | ||
| 2001 | Date With Youth | 相约青春 | Ma Yeye | |
| Black Hole | 黑洞 | Feng Leilei | ||
| The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan 2 | 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚2 | Du Xiaoyue | ||
| 2002 | 玲珑女 | Bai Fengyi | ||
| 浮华背后 | Mo Fei | |||
| Unhappy Marriage | 啼笑因缘 | Shen Fengxi | ||
| 2004 | Zhao Jun Come Out The Frontier | 昭君出塞 | Zhuan Qu | |
| Sigh of His Highness | 一生为奴 | Empress Dowager Cixi | ||
| The Story of Zhuo Er | 卓尔的故事 | Zhuo Er | ||
| 2005 | Senior Colonel's Daughter | 大校的女儿 | Han Lin | |
| 2006 | My Home in Huanshang | 家在洹上 | Zhang Baolian | |
| Gift of Love | 爱的礼物 | Lin Qiao | ||
| 2007 | The King of Shanghai | 上海王 | Xiao Yuegui | |
| 2008 | The Queens | 母仪天下 | Wang Zhengjun | |
| 牟氏庄园 | Jiang Zhen'guo | |||
| The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan 4 | 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚4 | Du Xiaoyue | ||
| 2009 | We Are Friends | 朋友一场 | Du Ximei | |
| Marriage Battle | 婚姻保卫战 | Lan Xin | ||
| 2010 | China in 1945: Chongqing Negotiations | 中国1945之重庆风云 | Soong Ching-ling | |
| 2011 | 百年莞香 | guest | ||
| 极品男女 | Zhou Tong | |||
| Mother, mother | 母亲，母亲 | Jin Guoxiu |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Flying Squad | 飞虎队 | Xiao Qing | |
| 1994 | Woman Flowers | 女人花 | Yan Zhi | |
| 1997 | An Unusual Love | 非常爱情 | Shu Xin | |
| 2000 | A Storm in a Teacup | 大惊小怪 | Xin Xinxin | |
| 2002 | Pure Sentiment | 绝对情感 | An Ran | |
| 2003 | The Law of Romance | 警察有约 | guest | |
| 2007 | The Story of Xi'an | 西安故事 | guest | |
| 2010 | What Women Want | 我知女人心 | Yan Ni | |
| 2011 | 大格局 | Zhang Hanzhi | ||
| 2012 | The Last Tycoon | 大上海 | Ling Husheng |
| Year | Work | Award | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Never Close Eyes | 18thChina Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | |
| 2002 | Pure Sentiment | 25thHundred Flowers Award forBest Supporting Actress | Won |