Yu Nan (, born 5 September 1978) is a Chinese actress. Born in Dalian, Yu Nan studied at the Beijing Film Academy, where she graduated in 1999.Yu Nan at hkmdb.com
Career Yu Nan started acting at the age of 4, playing role of a little girl with a handkerchief tied to her dress. Later, instead of following her family's advice to study foreign languages and get a university degree, Yu enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy in 1995.
Her feature film debut in Lunar Eclipse (1999) by Wang Quan'an. Her feisty performance as a shy, retiring wife by day and a wild party animal by night won her Best Actress at the Deauville Asian Film Festival. The recognition caught the attention of French producers, who cast her in Rage (2003).
She subsequently starred in three more films with Wang Quan'an. Jingzhe (2003) earned her Best Actress accolades at the Golden Rooster Award and Paris International Film Festival in 2003; Tuya's Marriage (2006), the Golden Bear winner at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, won her the Best Actress prize from the Chicago International Film Festival for her portrayal of a shepherdess who seeks a new husband after her first one falls ill; and Weaving Girl (2009), which won Jury Special Grand prix and the FIPRESCI prize from the 2009 Montreal World Film Festival.
Yu Nan has also worked with other major Chinese directors, including Wang Xiaoshuai in In Love We Trust (2008), which won the Best Screenplay Silver Bear prize at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival, Lee Yun-chan's in My DNA Says I Love You and Ning Hao, in his Chinese Western film, No Man's Land (2013).
Helped in part by her fluency in Mandarin, French, and English, Yu Nan has played in several international productions, such as the Canadian-Chinese film Diamond Dogs (2007), and the Hollywood films Speed Racer (2008) and The Expendables 2 (2012).
Known for her success in art house films, Yu also starred in commercial films. In Deadly Delicious (2008), she plays a frustrated wife who discovers her husband's extramarital affair and wants him to pay a price for his infidelity; and also starred in Design of Death (2012), playing a mute widow. Yu's most notable work in recent years include Silent Witness (2013) and Wolf Warriors (2015).
Festivals Yu Nan has served as a jury member at several international film festivals: Pusan International Film Festival in 2007 Chicago International Film Festival in 2008 Golden Rooster Awards in 2009 Shanghai International Film Festival in 2009 Berlin International Film Festival in 2010 Shanghai International Film Festival in 2013
Filmography Year English Title Chinese Title Role Notes 1999 Lunar Eclipse Ya Nan 2003 Rage Chinh 2004 Jingzhe Ermei 2006 Tuya's Marriage Tuya 2007 My DNA Says I Love You Marlene Diamond Dogs Anika 2008 In Love We Trust Dong Fan Deadly Delicious Li Chunyan Speed Racer Horuko Togokahn 2009 Weaving Girl Lily Looking for Jackie Director 2010 Wind Blast Nora 2011 Lost Child Zhang Xiaoyue Sleepless Fashion Qi Xi 2012 Design of Death Ma Guafu The Expendables 2 (Mainland China) (Hong Kong) (Taiwan) Maggie Chan 2013 Beloved Xui Nin Feed Me A woman Silent Witness Zhou Li Angel Warriors Bai Xue No Man's Land Ye Bali 2014 Beijing Love Story Zhang Lei The Taking of Tiger Mountain Ma Qinglian 2015 Wolf Warriors Long Xiaoyun Lovers and Movies Ruo Yao 2016 Pleasure. Love. Hu Yajie Blood of Youth Han Yun 2017 Lord of Shanghai Xiao Yuegui Lost in the Moonlight Jie Zi Explosion Xiao Hong 2018 Justice in Northwest Gao Qiao The Trough 2019 Fox Hunting
Yu Nan at douban.com Yu Nan at chinesemov.com
Awards Year Award Category Nominated work 2001 4th Deauville Asian Film Festival Best Actress Lunar Eclipse 2003 23rd Golden Rooster Awards Best ActressJingzhe2004 19th Paris International Film Festival Best Actress 11th Beijing College Student Film Festival 2005 10th Golden Phoenix Awards Society Award 2007 43rd Chicago International Film Festival Best ActressTuya's Marriage2008 8th Chinese Film Media Awards Best Actress 15th Beijing College Student Film Festival Students' Choice Award for Favorite Actress Deadly Delicious
Notes and references
External links
Yu Nan at the Chinese Movie database