Born in the northeastern province of Liaoning, Gong Li enrolled in the acting department of the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in 1985. A year before her graduation in 1989, she was offered the lead role in Zhang Yimou's landmark film, Red Sorghum, which went on to win the Golden Bear at the 1989 Berlin Film Festival.
Following her breakthrough role in Red Sorghum, Gong Li built an international reputation through her remarkable performances in subsequent films directed by Zhang Yimou, including Operation Cougar, Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, The Story of Qiu Ju, To Live, and Shanghai Triad.
Her other films include Li Han-hsiang's The Empress Dowager, Ching Siu-tung's A Terracotta Warrior, Sylvia Chang's Mary From Beijing, Huang Shujin's Painted Soul, and Wayne Wang's Chinese Box, opposite Jeremy Irons. She teamed three times with Chen Kaige, on Farewell My Concubine, Temptress Moon and The Emperor and the Assassin, and most recently, she has made two films with Zhou Sun: Breaking the Silence and Zhou Yu's Train.
Gong Li has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout her career. In 1992, she received the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in The Story of Qiu Ju, and she was voted best supporting actress by the New York Film Critics Circle in 1993 for her role in Farewell My Concubine. In 1997, she served as a juror at the Cannes Film Festival, and has since been headed juries at Berlin, Venice and Tokyo. Included in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1992, Gong Li has served as a beauty ambassador for L'Oreal cosmetics. In 1998, the French government awarded her Officer des Arts et Lettres for contributions to cinema.
CHINA