Yao Chen | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 姚晨 | |||||||||||||||||
Yao during a panel discussion ofWorld Economic Forum, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1979-10-05)5 October 1979 (age 46) | ||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Beijing Film Academy | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Actress | ||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2005–present | ||||||||||||||||
| Agents |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||||
| Children | Xiao Tudou (son) Xiao Moli (daughter) | ||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 姚晨 | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Website | blog | ||||||||||||||||
Yao Chen (Chinese:姚晨;pinyin:Yáo chén;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Iâu Sîn, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and philanthropist.[1][2] She achieved early success with her role in the sitcomMy Own Swordsman (2006) and went on to star in the television seriesLurk (2008),Divorce Lawyers (2014), andAll Is Well (2019). Her notable film credits includeCaught in the Web (2012),Firestorm (2013),Lost, Found (2018), andSend Me to the Clouds (2019).
In the early 2010s, Yao gained enormous popularity onWeibo, becoming the first "Weibo Queen" at the 2010Weibo Night. In 2013, she was named the firstUN Refugee Agency Goodwill Ambassador in China.[2][3][4] In 2014, Yao was named as one of the most influential people on theTime 100 list,[5] and named byForbes as the 83rd most powerful woman in the world.[6] Yao ranked 77th onForbesChina Celebrity 100 list in 2008, 73rd in 2009, 78th in 2010, 24th in 2011, 33rd in 2012, 56th in 2013,[7] 69th in 2014,[8] 41st in 2015,[9] and 60th in 2019.[10]
Yao was born inFuzhou,Fujian province on 5 October 1979 to a middle-class family. She studiedChinese folk dance at theBeijing Dance Academy from 1993 to 1997. From 1999 to 2003, she studied acting at theBeijing Film Academy, where her classmates included actors Ling Xiaosu,Yu Bo, and Ye Jing.[11]
Yao was propelled to fame by her role as the daughter of a powerful martial artist in the 2005 sitcomMy Own Swordsman.[12] Following this, in 2008, she played the part of a guerilla leader in the popular seriesLurk,[13] for which she won the Best Actress award at theHuading Awards and theGolden Eagle Awards.[12][14] Yao opened aSina Weibo account in 2009, becoming one of the earliest celebrities in China to embrace social media, which led to runaway success. In the early 2010s, her immense popularity on Chinese social media earned her the title of “Weibo Queen.”[15][16][17][5]
In 2009, Yao made her theatrical debut, playing a white-collar heroine inA Story of Lala's Promotion.[18] She also had a supporting role in the romantic comedySophie's Revenge.[19] Yao then starred in romantic comedyColor Me Love (2010) as an aspiring fashion magazine editor, which would go on to become one of her most famous film roles.[20][21] In 2012, Yao starred inChen Kaige's social dramaCaught in the Web as a truth-seeking journalist.[22] She then starred alongsideAndy Lau in the action thrillerFirestorm, which won her the Outstanding Actress award at theChinese Film Media Awards.[23]
Yao played a lawyer in the 2014 TV dramaDivorce Lawyers,[24] followed by a series of blockbustersMonster Hunt (2015),[25]Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe (2015)[26] andJourney to the West 2 (2017).[27] Yao was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at theHundred Flowers Awards for her performance inMonster Hunt.[28] She also starred inMBA Partners (2016), playing an ambitious young woman.[29]
In 2017, Yao served as the jury of the23rd Shanghai Television Festival.[30] In 2018, Yao starred in the mystery filmLost, Found, a remake of the South Korean filmMissing.[31] In 2019, Yao starred in the family dramaAll Is Well,[32] for which she received the Best Actress Award of theBusan International Film Festival's Asia Contents Awards. In the same year, she received theGolden Rooster Award for the filmSend Me To The Clouds (2019),[33] as well as theSingapore International Film Festival’s cinema icon award.[1][34] She starred inIf You are the One 3 in 2023.[35]
In 2012, Yao was named theUNHCR's Honorary Patron for China and has visited refugees in places including the Philippines, Thailand, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia. The number of her Weibo followers during the visit increased dramatically.[36][37] In 2013, she was named the first UNHCR goodwill ambassador in China.[38][39][40] Yao was among the recipients of the 2016 Crystal Award for her work on behalf of the U.N. refugee agency in raising awareness of the world refugee crisis.[41][42] The same year, she was selected as one of the "Young Global Leaders" in 2016 by the World Economic Forum.[43] Yao was also awarded the Top Influence Award at the You Bring Charm to the World award ceremony.[44] For Yao’s works and impacts in Asia and the world, she was received 2023Asia Game Changer Award fromAsia Society.[45]
In 2018, Yao was selected as brand ambassador for Italian fashion houseEtro.[46]
In 2021, Yao Chen joined actressCharlize Theron and prima-ballerinaMisty Copeland as brand ambassadors forBreitling, dubbed the Breitling Spotlight Squad.[47]
Since 2021, Italian jewellerPomellato has announced Yao as its Chinese Brand Ambassador.[48]
In 2004, Yao married college sweetheart and Chinese actor Ling Xiaosu. They divorced in 2011.[49]
Yao married cinematographerCao Yu in November 2012.[50] She gave birth to their son in 2013, and three years later, she gave birth to their daughter.[51][52]
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Axis of War: My Long March | 我的长征 | Su Ma | [53] |
| Big Movie | 大电影之数百亿 | Luo Qian | ||
| 2007 | Falling in Love | 追爱总动员 | Cameo | |
| Two Stupid Eggs | 大电影2.0之两个傻瓜的荒唐事 | Yan Zi | [54] | |
| Crossed Lines | 命运呼叫转移 | Ma Ting | [55] | |
| 2009 | Sophie's Revenge | 非常完美 | Lily | |
| All's Well, Ends Well | H家有喜事2009 | Xiao Yazhen | [56] | |
| Freeway | 天堂凹 | Jin Hong | [57] | |
| 2010 | If You Are the One 2 | 非诚勿扰2 | Mango | [58] |
| Love in Cosmo | 摇摆de婚约 | Wang Shunjia | [59] | |
| Color Me Love | 爱出色 | Wang Xiaofei | ||
| 2011 | My Own Swordsman | 武林外传 | Guo Furong | [60] |
| 2012 | Caught in the Web | 搜索 | Chen Ruoxi | |
| The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven | 大闹天宫 | Voice-dubbed[61] | ||
| 2013 | My Lucky Star | 非常幸运 | Lily | Cameo |
| Control | 控制 | Jessica | [62] | |
| Firestorm | 风暴2 | Yan Bing | ||
| 2015 | Monster Hunt | 捉妖记 | Cooking Master | Special appearance |
| Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe | 九层妖塔 | Shirley Yang | ||
| 2016 | Everybody's Fine | 一切都好 | Guan Qing | [63] |
| The New Year's Eve of Old Lee | 过年好 | Cameo | ||
| MBA Partners | 梦想合伙人 | Lu Zhenxi | ||
| 2017 | Journey to the West 2 | 西游伏妖篇 | Jiu Gong | |
| 2018 | Goddesses in the Flames of War | 那些女人 | [64] | |
| Lost, Found | 找到你 | Li Jie | ||
| 2019 | Send Me to the Clouds | 送我上青云 | Sheng Nan | [65][66] |
| A Journey to the Seaside | 亲密旅行 | [67] | ||
| 2020 | The Eight Hundred | 八佰 | Ho Hsiang-ning | [68] |
| 2023 | Flaming Cloud | 三贵情史 | ||
| If You Are the One 3 | 非常勿扰3 |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | City Girl | 都市男女 | Su Qingqing | [69] |
| 神鞭 | Zhan Jiarong | |||
| 2004 | Chui Shi Ban's Story 2 | 炊事班的故事2 | Xiao Yao | |
| 2006 | Life Concern | 人命关天 | Meng Ting | |
| My Own Swordsman | 武林外传 | Guo Furong | ||
| 2007 | 房前屋后 | Gu Lili | [70] | |
| Chui Shi Ban's Story 3 | 炊事班的故事3 | Xiao Yao | [71] | |
| Fuwa | 福娃 | Huanhuan / Pululu | Voice | |
| 2008 | Six Cities | 都市六人行 | Fang Fang | Guest appearance |
| China's Volunteers | 中国志愿者 | Ye Meng | Voice | |
| Lione | 防火墙5788 | Song Yuxiu | [72] | |
| Hundred Years Past Events | 百年往事 | He Jiabi | [73] | |
| 2009 | Health Team's Story | 卫生队的故事 | Xiao Yao | |
| Lurk | 潜伏 | Wang Cuiping | ||
| 2010 | Niu Tie Han and his Daughters | 牛铁汉和他的儿女们 | Gu Xiaoxin | [74] |
| Days with the Air Hostess | 和空姐一起的日子 | Ran Jing | [75] | |
| 2013 | Longmen Express | 龙门镖局 | Lu Qingning | Cameo |
| 2014 | Wonder Lady 3 | 极品女士第三季 | Lawyer Luo | Cameo |
| Divorce Lawyers | 离婚律师 | Luo Li | ||
| 2019 | All Is Well | 都挺好 | Su Mingyu | |
| 2021 | Vacation of Love | 假日暖洋洋 | Xu Keyi | [76] |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Searching" | 寻找 | Fuwa OST |
| 2014 | "Don't Let Love Be Lost" | 别让爱迷路 | Divorce Lawyers OST |
| 2016 | "A Letter Home" | 一封家书 | Everybody's Fine OST |
| 2017 | "Love in a Life Time" | 一生所爱 | Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back OST |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Lurk | 27thFlying Apsaras Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated | |
| 2010 | 2ndHuading Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
| 25thChina TV Golden Eagle Award | Audience's Choice for Actress | Won | [77] | ||
| 2011 | Love in Cosmo | 5thHuading Awards | Best Actress in Romance Film | Won | [78] |
| My Own Swordsman | 18thBeijing College Student Film Festival | Most Popular Actress | Won | [79] | |
| N/a | 13thGolden Phoenix Awards | Society Award | Won | [80] | |
| Color Me Love | 11thChinese Film Media Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Firestorm | 14thChinese Film Media Awards | Outstanding Actress | Won | [81] |
| 2015 | Divorce Lawyers | 15thHuading Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Nominated | |
| 21stShanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 13thSichuan Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Monster Hunt | 33rdHundred Flowers Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |
| 13thChangchun Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |||
| Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe Goddesses in the Flames of War | 3rd China Australia International Film Festival | Special Jury Award | Won | [82] | |
| 2019 | Lost, Found | 26thBeijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | [83] |
| 25thHuading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [84] | ||
| 21st Far East Film Festival | Golden Mulberry award for outstanding achievement | Won | [85] | ||
| All Is Well | 25thShanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | [86] | |
| 24th Busan International Film Festival | Asian Contents Awards - Best Actress | Won | [87] | ||
| 6th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actress (Sapphire Category) | Nominated | [88] | ||
| 26thHuading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [89] | ||
| Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | [90] | ||
| 8th China Student Television Festival | Most Watched Actress | Won | [91] | ||
| Tencent Video All Star Awards | TV Actor of the Year | Won | [92] | ||
| Film and TV Role Model 2019 Ranking | Best Actress | Won | [93] | ||
| Tencent Entertainment White Paper | Television Actress of the Year | Won | [94] | ||
| Reputable Actress of the Year | Won | ||||
| Send Me to the Clouds | 32ndGolden Rooster Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [95] | |
| 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival Gold Crane Awards | Best Actress | Won | [96] | ||
| N/a | Night of the Film | Film Commemoration Award | Won | [97] | |
| 2020 | Send Me to the Clouds | 29thHuading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [98] |
| 11thChina Film Director's Guild Awards | Nominated | [99] |