Background
Zhou Xun was born on October 18, 1976 in Quzhou, Zhejiang, China. Her father, Zhou Tianning (周天宁), was a local film projectionist, and her mother, Chen Yiqin (陈以琴), was a salesperson at a department store.
2006
Ziyi Zhang and Xun Zhou at an event for Babel
2008
Xun Zhou in Hua pi
2008
Wei Zhao, Xun Zhou, and Tina Xiang in Hua pi
2008
Wei Zhao and Xun Zhou in Hua pi
2010
Wenzhuo Zhao and Xun Zhou in Su Qi-er
2012
Tom Hanks and Xun Zhou in Cloud Atlas
2012
Xun Zhou in Hua pi 2
2014
Xun Zhou and Xiaoming Huang in Sa jiao nu ren zui hao ming
2014
Xun Zhou in Sa jiao nu ren zui hao ming
Zhou at the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2007
Xun Zhou and Ge Hu
(The film covers much of Ying Zheng's career, recalling hi...)
The film covers much of Ying Zheng's career, recalling his early experiences as a hostage and foreshadowing his dominance over China.
https://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Assassin-Haifeng-Ding/dp/B00004STDA/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(Guei (played by Cui Lin) is a seventeen-year-old country ...)
Guei (played by Cui Lin) is a seventeen-year-old country boy who came to Beijing to make a living. Along with a number of other boys from the country, Guei finds employment with a courier company, which assigns them brand-new bicycles for use in their deliveries. The company manager (Xie Jian) announces to them that since the bicycles do not yet belong to them, they will only earn twenty percent of the commission. But once they have made enough deliveries to earn the bicycles, their share will be raised to fifty percent. Within two months Guei has made enough to earn his bicycle. However, on the day that Guei is due to take over the ownership, the bicycle is stolen while he is picking up a document. The manager fires Guei for neglecting to deliver the package, but, upon the latter's pleas, agrees to take him back if he succeeds in recovering his bicycle.
https://www.amazon.com/Beijing-Bicycle-Zhou-Xun/dp/B0007O6OH2/?tag=2022091-20
2001
(The film is set in a period between 1971 and 1974, during...)
The film is set in a period between 1971 and 1974, during the later stage of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Two city boys in their late teenage years, Luo Min (played by Chen Kun) and Ma Jianling (Liu Ye), are on their way to a remote village in the mountainous Sichuan province for re-education. Upon arrival, the boys are questioned on their "reactionary backgrounds" by the Chief (Chen Tianlu), the village leader, in the presence of the other villagers. Luo's father turns out to be a dentist who had once fitted a false tooth for Chiang Kai-shek, while Ma's father is a doctor. The Chief also examines the boys' luggage and burns a cookbook, which he claims to be bourgeois. He is about to throw Ma's violin into the fire as well before he is stopped by Luo, who lies that the Mozart's Divertimento KV 334 Ma plays is a "mountain song" titled Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao.
https://www.amazon.com/Balzac-Little-Chinese-Seamstress-Zhou/dp/B000A13GJG/?tag=2022091-20
2002
(Xiao Yu (Zhou), a barista and cake maker in a teahouse-ca...)
Xiao Yu (Zhou), a barista and cake maker in a teahouse-café by Westlake in Hangzhou. Since a car crash long ago, she had been leading a peaceful life with her kind-hearted best friend and fellow car crash survivor Tong (Yim) who is unabashed in admitting that his feelings for Xiao Yu have developed into love. One day A Qin (Chen) celebrates his birthday alone in her café. Xiao Yu's curiosity sparks off their dialogues and both discover they have many parallels. But A Qin is a player who is escaping to Hangzhou from the pressures of his relationships in Beijing and Xiao Yu is pursued by Tong ... What will be their choices?
https://www.amazon.com/West-Lake-Moment-Westlake-2004/dp/B000CEV3UU/?tag=2022091-20
2005
(Beauty Remains is the story of two women whose paths have...)
Beauty Remains is the story of two women whose paths have been dictated by the cruel decrees of the men in their lives - two women who must somehow transcend that influence - or lose everything.
https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Remains-Zhou-Xun/dp/B00449JCUW/?tag=2022091-20
2005
(Surprising everyone in her hostile household, the reclusi...)
Surprising everyone in her hostile household, the reclusive Yanni is accepted to college. As she prepares to begin her new life, an encounter with a delivery boy triggers a series of unexpected events. Official selection of the prestigious Global Lens Collection presented by the Global Film Initiative. (China: Mandarin w. English subs.)
https://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Life-English-Subtitled-Zhou/dp/B00LPOXAK2/?tag=2022091-20
2005
(A Chinese director Nie Wen decides to make a musical film...)
A Chinese director Nie Wen decides to make a musical film starring his Chinese girlfriend Sun Na and Hong Kong actor Lin Jian-dong. Unknown to him, Sun has met Lin before ten years ago when she was a cabaret singer in Beijing. The two had a relationship together then, when Lin was a film student. Ten years later, now a huge movie star, Sun refuses to acknowledge they have met before. Nie plans his musical, which includes a plot where a girl loses her memory and comes to live with a circus troupe. Sun plays the amnesiac girl and Lin her former boyfriend who tries to revive her memories. As the shooting of the film starts, reel life and real life overlap. Lin tries desperately to win back Sun's lost love, while Nie discovers their past romance. Nie himself plays the role of the obsessive circus owner in the musical, who is involved in a love triangle. Just like in real life, he has Lin as his rival.
https://www.amazon.com/Perhaps-Cinese-Drama-Takeshi-Kaneshiro/dp/B01GUORV38/?tag=2022091-20
2005
(The film is set sometime in the late Qin dynasty or early...)
The film is set sometime in the late Qin dynasty or early Han dynasty. In the desert, General Wang Sheng and his men attack a Xiongnu camp, where Wang chances upon a maiden called "Xiaowei" and brings her home. Xiaowei is actually a fox spirit who feasts on human hearts to maintain her lovely and youthful appearance. Trouble brews when Xiaowei falls in love with Wang, who already has a wife, Peirong.
https://www.amazon.com/Painted-Skin-2008-dts-FORMAT/dp/B001KP1FE4/?tag=2022091-20
2008
(Drop dead gorgeous businesswoman Tang, tomboyish rock sin...)
Drop dead gorgeous businesswoman Tang, tomboyish rock singer Tie and eccentric scientist Fanfan cross paths and eventually come together to carry out their common mission to find Mr. Right.
https://www.amazon.com/All-About-Women-Kwai-Lun-mei/dp/B01M4KFZNM/?tag=2022091-20
2008
(The film begins with Confucius as an old man, thinking ba...)
The film begins with Confucius as an old man, thinking back. Then we see him in his early 50s, being promoted from Mayor to Minister for Law in his home state of Lu. He is confronted with ethical issues after saving a slave-boy who was due to be buried alive with his former master who has just died. There are a lot of complex politics and war, ending with Confucius being rejected and becoming a wandering scholar. After many hardships and losses, he is invited back as an old man. We see him finally preparing the Spring and Autumn Annals, expecting that this book will determine his future influence.
https://www.amazon.com/Confucius-Blu-ray-Combo-Chow-Yun-Fat/dp/B006MWA8UW/?tag=2022091-20
2010
(Su Can's respectable life is obliterated when his vengefu...)
Su Can's respectable life is obliterated when his vengeful brother, Yuan, returns from war armed with the deadly Five Venom Fists. Weakened but not destroyed, Su Can learns a never-before-seen form of martial arts: the Drunken Fist.
https://www.amazon.com/True-Legend-Wenzhuo-Zhao/dp/B07XYHLYWV/?tag=2022091-20
2010
(International action star Jet Li leads an incredible cast...)
International action star Jet Li leads an incredible cast in a gripping story of power, pleasure and revenge. Vigilante general Zhao (Li) is determined to restore order to the royal throne by tracking down corrupt officials, including Yu, an incredibly determined eunuch.
https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Swords-Dragon-English-Subtitled/dp/B009MBK8GE/?tag=2022091-20
2011
(In Beijing in the early 1920's, the nation's most talente...)
In Beijing in the early 1920's, the nation's most talented performers have gathered to show off their most spectacular skills. The challenge is set - a handsome prize to whomever can reproduce a magic trick called the Eight Immortals' Treat.
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Magician-English-Subtitled/dp/B00BWEDFAA/?tag=2022091-20
2012
(Xiaowei searches for a freely given heart in order to bec...)
Xiaowei searches for a freely given heart in order to become human, while Princess Jing dons a man's armor to search for her true love.
https://www.amazon.com/Painted-Skin-Resurrection-Zhou-Xun/dp/B01GPH5YL6/?tag=2022091-20
2012
(A single story that unfolds in multiple timelines over th...)
A single story that unfolds in multiple timelines over the span of 500 years. Characters meet and reunite in different eras. Featuring an all-star cast led by Tom Hanks and Halle Berry.
https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Atlas-Tom-Hanks/dp/B00CRWJ7VC/?tag=2022091-20
2012
(Smart, low-key Angie's always been one of the boys. But w...)
Smart, low-key Angie's always been one of the boys. But when her best friend and longtime crush falls for a prissy beauty queen, Angie sets out on a quest to become the kind of woman she thinks men want.
https://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Flirt-Zhou-Xun/dp/B071GVTLDG/?tag=2022091-20
2014
(In the 1940s Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, a brave wo...)
In the 1940s Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, a brave woman, Fang Gu, leads the fight for freedom, in this historical drama from legendary auteur Ann Hui. Together with a band of resistance groups and like-minded youths, Fang battles in the struggle to escape the powerful Japanese forces.
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Time-Will-Come-Zhou/dp/B07GLN6B7G/?tag=2022091-20
2017
周迅
Zhou Xun was born on October 18, 1976 in Quzhou, Zhejiang, China. Her father, Zhou Tianning (周天宁), was a local film projectionist, and her mother, Chen Yiqin (陈以琴), was a salesperson at a department store.
Zhou Xun had her schooling in Quzhou No.1 Middle School. After she graduated, she enrolled at the Zhejiang Arts Institute to further her interest in dramatic arts, against the wishes of her parents, who wanted her to graduate from a university.
Zhou Xun was handpicked for a role in the film Strange Tales Amongst Old and Desolate Tombs during her teenage years in school.
Zhou Xun debuted in the comedy movie The Pampered Wife (1995). She next starred in Chen Kaige's films, Temptress Moon (1996) and The Emperor and the Assassin (1999). But it was not until in 2000 that Zhou Xun received recognition in China. With her role as young Princess Taiping in historical drama Palace of Desire, she received the Audience's Choice for Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards at the 18th China TV Golden Eagle Award.
Zhou Xun achieved breakthrough on the big screen with Lou Ye's Suzhou River (2000), which won her the Best Actress award at the 15th Festival du Film de Paris. That year, she was named one of the Four Dan Actresses alongside Zhang Ziyi, Zhao Wei and Xu Jinglei. She further achieved international recognition when she starred in the Franco-Chinese romance drama film Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002).
A string of successful projects followed. In her first Hong Kong film Hollywood Hong Kong directed by Fruit Chan, Zhou Xun impressed critics with her performance. Her next film, romance-themed A Pinwheel Without Wind (2002) won her the Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Actress. Among Zhou's earlier notable works also include television series April Rhapsody (2000), Love Story in Shanghai (2001) and The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2003); as well as the film Baobei in Love (2004).
Zhou Xun impressed critics once again with her performance in Peter Chan's musical film Perhaps Love (2005). The film represented Hong Kong at the 2006 Academy Awards. She received Best Actress awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award, Golden Bauhinia Awards and Golden Horse Awards. She next starred in Feng Xiaogang's wuxia film The Banquet (2006), inspired from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. She won the Golden Bauhinia Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress. In 2007, Zhou Xun starred in Susie Au's film Ming Ming, which was highly praised at the 11th Pusan International Film Festival.
Zhou Xun then starred in Cao Baoping's romantic thriller The Equation of Love and Death (2008) as a taxicab driver on the lookout for her missing boyfriend. She went on to receive Best Actress awards at the Asian Film Awards, Shanghai Film Critics Awards, Golden Rooster Film Festival, and Chinese Film Media Awards. The same year she appeared in Gordon Chan's horror-adventure film Painted Skin, a remake of a classic supernatural thriller of the same title. Next came spy thriller The Message (2009), about Japanese invaders in China who try to ferret out a spy among their Chinese collaborators.
In 2009, Zhou Xun was named the Star of the Year at CineAsia exhibition and distribution convention in Hong Kong. Asia-Pacific Producers Network (APN) also honored her as the Asian Star of the Year for her exemplary box office achievements. Zhou Xun next featured in biographic drama film Confucius (2010) and filmed the wuxia film Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011) directed by Tsui Hark.
In 2011, Zhou Xun made her directorial debut with the short film Five Demon Traps. In 2012, she made her Hollywood debut in the science fiction film Cloud Atlas, playing multiple roles in the film. Zhou then reprised her role in Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012), the sequel to Painted Skin.
In 2014, Zhou Xun returned to television after 10 years in Red Sorghum, based on Nobel prize laureate Mo Yan's 1986/1987 novel of the same name. She won the Best Actress Award at the Shanghai Television Festival and Asian Television Award. The same year, she received the Chevalier medal in the Order of Arts and Letters by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for her contribution in film, public welfare and Sino-French communications in Beijing, China. She was also rated as China's favorite star, ranking first on the 15th Huading Award international celebrity's satisfaction survey.
In 2017, Zhou Xun returned to the big screen, starring in war film Our Time Will Come directed by Ann Hui. Her performance garnered a nomination for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
In 2018, Zhou Xun starred in historical drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, playing the role of Hoifa-Nara, the Step Empress. The same year she starred in the romance film Last Letter directed by Shunji Iwai, and was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Golden Horse Awards.
In 2019, Zhou starred in the crime thriller film Remain Silent. She is set to star in the wuxia film The Weary Poet, and family drama film The Eleventh Chapter.
(Beauty Remains is the story of two women whose paths have...)
2005(Drop dead gorgeous businesswoman Tang, tomboyish rock sin...)
2008(In the 1940s Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, a brave wo...)
2017(Xiaowei searches for a freely given heart in order to bec...)
2012(The film covers much of Ying Zheng's career, recalling hi...)
1999(A Chinese director Nie Wen decides to make a musical film...)
2005(Su Can's respectable life is obliterated when his vengefu...)
2010(In Beijing in the early 1920's, the nation's most talente...)
2012(The film is set in a period between 1971 and 1974, during...)
2002(International action star Jet Li leads an incredible cast...)
2011(Guei (played by Cui Lin) is a seventeen-year-old country ...)
2001(Surprising everyone in her hostile household, the reclusi...)
2005(The story follows the transient lives of four people at t...)
2000(Xiao Yu (Zhou), a barista and cake maker in a teahouse-ca...)
2005(In the wake of his sister's death, a man only has one clu...)
2018(A single story that unfolds in multiple timelines over th...)
2012(The film is set sometime in the late Qin dynasty or early...)
2008(The film begins with Confucius as an old man, thinking ba...)
2010(Smart, low-key Angie's always been one of the boys. But w...)
2014Since 2011, Zhou Xun had been an ambassador for Chanel. Chanel chief designer Karl Lagerfeld noted Zhou Xun for her strong fashion sense, describing the actress as "a synthesis of young Coco Chanel and Ballet Troupe Zizi Jeanmaire."
Zhou Xun married American actor Archie Kao on July 16, 2014.