Yuan Li (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yuán Lì; born 12 July 1973), sometimes called "China's Audrey Hepburn" or "China's Mother Teresa", is a Chinese actress.[1][2] She has won the China Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Yuan Li
袁立
Born (1973-07-12) July 12, 1973 (age 51)
Other namesYuan Li (袁莉)
EducationBeijing Film Academy
OccupationActress
Years active1995–present
Notable workThe Eloquent Ji Xiaolan
Never Close Eyes
Pure Sentiment
Spouses
  • Xu Wei (? - 2000)
Zhao Ling
(m. 2005⁠–⁠2007)

Blaine Grunewald (m.2011–c.2015)
  • Liang Taiping (m.2019)
Children1 son (with Xu Wei)
Awards18th China Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress
2000 Never Close Eyes
25th Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress
2002 Pure Sentiment

Life

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Early life

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Yuan was born Yuan Li (袁莉; Yuán Lì) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang on July 12, 1973, with her ancestral home in Jiangyin, Jiangsu. She graduated from Beijing Film Academy, majoring in acting.[3]

Acting career

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Yuan had her first experience in front of the camera in 1996, and she was chosen to act as a support actor in History of Han Dynasty, a film starring Zhang Tielin.

After playing minor roles in various films and television series, Yuan rose to fame after portraying Ouyang Lanlan in the television series Never Close Eyes, alongside Lu Yi, she won the "Best Supporting Actress" at the 18th China Golden Eagle Awards.

In 2000, Yuan starred as Du Xiaoyue in The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan, a historical television series co-starring with Zhang Guoli, Zhang Tielin and Wang Gang, which were highly praised by audience.

In 2002, Yuan played the role of An Ran in Cao Baoping's film Pure Sentiment, for which she received a "Best Supporting Actress" at the 20th Hundred Flowers Awards.

In 2010, Yuan acted with Andy Lau and Gong Li in Chen Daming's film What Women Want.

On September 19, Yuan became a spokesperson of the Red Cross Society of China.

Personal life

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Yuan has married four times. In 1993, Yuan met her first husband, businessman Xu Wei (徐威), with whom she had a son, the couple divorced in 2000.[4]

She married for the second time on September 9, 2005, to Zhao Ling (赵岭), a Chinese actor, they divorced in 2007.[4]

On November 30, 2011, Yuan married Blaine Grunewald (林博文), a Mormon missionary, former English language teacher and lawyer who worked for Neil Bush for a few months in the mid 2000s.[5][6] They would divorce in 2015.

On 26 March 2019, Yuan Li announced she married Liang Taiping (梁太平), a poet, on her Sina Weibo.[7]

Filmography

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Television

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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

Film

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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

Awards

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Year Work Award Result Notes
2000 Never Close Eyes 18th China Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress Won
2002 Pure Sentiment 25th Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress Won

References

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  1. ^ "China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World" 张国立袁立李亚鹏黄圣依 揭最雷人的荧幕情侣. Chinadaily (in Chinese). 2014.
  2. ^ 盘点大牌女星吸烟豪放照 袁立派头似大姐大(图). NEN (in Chinese). 2014.
  3. ^ 北影校花成名史 袁立许晴蒋勤勤黄圣依江一燕赵薇 (in Chinese). 2014.
  4. ^ a b 《张怡宁老公昔日恋情曝光 传曾与袁立同居生一子》. ifeng.com (in Chinese). 2009-10-21.
  5. ^ 《袁莉公开承认已婚 洋老公示爱:我的唯一》. Ifeng (in Chinese). Lin Fang. 2011-12-28.
  6. ^ 《袁立外国老公Blaine身份揭秘 为小布什弟弟公司CEO》. cocoren.com (in Chinese). 2011-12-02.
  7. ^ Ruan Jiaqi (阮佳琪), ed. (26 March 2019). 45岁袁立迎来第三段婚姻. guancha.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 6 February 2020.
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