---
name: "Zhang Ziyi"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/zhang-ziyi"
fi1m_id: "zhang-ziyi"
imdb_id: "nm0955471"
tmdb_id: 1339
wikidata_id: "Q180852"
roles: ["Actor","Director"]
born: "9 February 1979"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-05T16:00:06.368212+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Zhang Ziyi

## Identity

Zhang Ziyi

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/zhang-ziyi
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** zhang-ziyi
- **IMDb ID:** nm0955471
- **TMDB ID:** 1339
- **Wikidata ID:** Q180852
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Ziyi, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180852, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0955471/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1339

Actor and director. Born 9 February 1979 in Beijing, China.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Director
- **Born:** 9 February 1979, Beijing, China
- **Active:** 2000–present
- **Also known as:** Zhang Zi-Yi, Ziyi Zhang, ਜ਼ਾਂਗ ਜ਼ੀ
- **Frequently works with:** [William Kong](https://film.one/person/bill-kong.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 76 (3), 2010s 48 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 69 to 65 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Action 4, Adventure 2, Drama 2, Comedy 1, Crime 1, Fantasy 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,126m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Ziyi, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180852, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0955471/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1339

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*](https://film.one/film/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.md) (90)
- **Paramount+:** [*Rush Hour 2*](https://film.one/film/rush-hour-2.md) (61)
- **HBO Max:** [*Godzilla: King of the Monsters*](https://film.one/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters.md) (48)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Zhang Ziyi

> Zhang Ziyi makes defiance exciting without making it admirable by default. We rate her highly for the physical precision, but higher still for the impatience, vanity and humour she brings to Jen in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*.

In Ang Lee’s *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000), Zhang Ziyi lets Jen’s impatience show before we have decided whether to approve of her. Her desire for freedom is persuasive, but so is her capacity to make things difficult through vanity and unruliness. We laughed at her inability to conceal her impatience, and liked that Zhang did not ask us to excuse it. Zhang trusts us to stay interested when Jen is being difficult.

Her feature debut was Zhang Yimou’s *The Road Home* (1999), before Lee’s film brought international recognition. Further work with Zhang in *Hero* (2002) and *House of Flying Daggers* (2004) accompanied a Hollywood career that included the lead in *Memoirs of a Geisha* (2005). Wong Kar-wai gave her Bai Ling in *2046* (2004) and Gong Er in *The Grandmaster* (2013). Preparing for Gong Er took three years, a reminder of how seriously she approaches the physical demands of a role. Her dance background helps explain the precision, though it would be a poor account of her acting to stop there.

Lee gives her the right conditions, taking Jen’s desire for freedom seriously without requiring us to endorse everything she does. Wang Huiling, Tsai Kuo-Jung and James Schamus’s screenplay lets its women be forceful and emotionally confused without treating them as problems to be corrected. Zhang makes good use of that freedom: skill in combat never settles the question of whether Jen’s behaviour deserves admiration. We value the director’s willingness to leave those difficulties in place. Roles offering Zhang only competence and composure would waste much of what makes her worth watching.

A few slow stretches in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* are the small caveat to our enthusiasm. Its humour and feeling still justify recommending it well beyond martial-arts regulars, and Zhang is a substantial reason for that. Start there, and watch her impatience as carefully as her fighting.

## Biography

Zhang Ziyi is a Chinese actress. She trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and graduated from the Central Academy of Drama.

Her first major film role was in *The Road Home* (1999). She gained international recognition for playing Jen in Ang Lee's *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000).

She has appeared in *Hero* (2002), *House of Flying Daggers* (2004), *Memoirs of a Geisha* (2005) and *The Grandmaster* (2013), the last of which brought her twelve Best Actress awards.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Godzilla: King of the Monsters* (2019), Fi1m 48, as Dr. Ilene Chen / Dr. Ling — [page](https://film.one/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters.md)
- *Hero* (2002), Fi1m 77, as Moon — [page](https://film.one/film/hero.md)
- *Rush Hour 2* (2001), Fi1m 61, as Hu Li — [page](https://film.one/film/rush-hour-2.md)
- *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000), Fi1m 90, as Jen — [page](https://film.one/film/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.md)

## Complete filmography (48)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *She's Got No Name* (2025), as Zhan Zhou
- *The Volunteers: To the War* (2023), as Tang Sheng
- *"Moon rises in the Bay Area" 2023 Greater Bay Area Film and Music Gala* (2023), Actor
- *My Country, My Parents* (2021), as Yu Kaiying  (segment "Poetry") · Director, Executive Producer
- *The Rebel Princess* (2021), series, as Wang Xuan
- *The Climbers* (2019), as Xu Ying
- *Godzilla: King of the Monsters* (2019), as Dr. Ilene Chen / Dr. Ling — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters.md)
- *The 40th Anniversary of Chinese Film Since China's Reform and Opening-Up* (2018), series, Actor
- *The Cloverfield Paradox* (2018), as Tam
- *Forever Young* (2018), as Wang Minjia
- *The Wasted Times* (2016), as Xiao Liu
- *Run for Love* (2016), as Su Leqi
- *Oh My God!* (2015), as Auntie · Producer
- *Where's the Dragon?* (2015), as Phoenix (voice)
- *The Crossing II* (2015), as Yu Zhen
- *The Crossing I* (2014), as Yu Zhen
- *My Lucky Star* (2013), as Sophie · Producer
- *Better and Better* (2013), as Zhang Ziyi
- *The Grandmaster* (2013), as Gong Er
- *The Road to "The Grandmaster"* (2012), Actor
- *Dangerous Liaisons* (2012), as Du Fenyu
- *Love for Life* (2011), as Shang Qinqin
- *The Founding of a Republic* (2009), as Gong Peng
- *Sophie's Revenge* (2009), as Sophie · Producer
- *Horsemen* (2009), as Kristen
- *Forever Enthralled* (2008), as Meng Xiaodong
- *Impossible Mission: Golden Rooster* (2007), as Zhang Ziyi
- *TMNT* (2007), as Karai (voice)
- *The Banquet* (2006), as Empress Wan
- *Memoirs of a Geisha* (2005), as Sayuri
- *Princess Raccoon* (2005), as Tanukihime
- *2046* (2004), as Bai Ling
- *House of Flying Daggers* (2004), as Xiao Mei
- *Jasmine Women* (2004), as Young Mo
- *My Wife is a Gangster 2* (2003), as The Triad Boss
- *Purple Butterfly* (2003), as Cynthia / Ding Hui
- *Hero* (2002), as Moon — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/hero.md)
- *The Warrior* (2001), as Princess Bu-yong
- *Zu Warriors* (2001), as Joy
- *Rush Hour 2* (2001), as Hu Li — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/film/rush-hour-2.md)
- *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000), as Jen — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.md)
- *The Road Home* (1999), as Young Zhao Di
- *Touching Starlight* (1996), as Chen Wei
- *She's Got No Name: Part Two*, as Zhan Zhou
- *Gold Mountain*, Actor
- *游过海岸一百米*, Director
- *Undercurrent*, Actor
- *Making of 2046*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Zhang Ziyi](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-787acec5eaf9.jpg) Zhang Ziyi — Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Zhang_Ziyi-63357_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Zhang_Ziyi-63357_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Lots of crazy Asian girls in the crowd at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons waiting for Ziyi Zhang, Toronto Film Festival 2012 I think on the level of crazines](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-932cff6489e3.jpg) Lots of crazy Asian girls in the crowd at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons waiting for Ziyi Zhang, Toronto Film Festival 2012 I think on the level of crazines — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Dangerous_Liaisons_01_%288088071541%29.jpg/1280px-Dangerous_Liaisons_01_%288088071541%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-914ff16a17e5.jpg) Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012 — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Dangerous_Liaisons_04_%288088072010%29.jpg/1280px-Dangerous_Liaisons_04_%288088072010%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-d65e98b57ba2.jpg) Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012 — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Dangerous_Liaisons_05_%288088072418%29.jpg/1280px-Dangerous_Liaisons_05_%288088072418%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Zhang Ziyi](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-d7da60fe2943.jpg) Zhang Ziyi — Image via TMDB
- ![Zhang Ziyi](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-3a54a16c42a1.jpg) Zhang Ziyi — Image via TMDB
- ![Zhang Ziyi](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-2fa95db1a8ac.jpg) Zhang Ziyi — Image via TMDB
- ![Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-42075376009c.jpg) Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012 — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Dangerous_Liaisons_06_%288088073353%29.jpg/1280px-Dangerous_Liaisons_06_%288088073353%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-a79587a90d79.jpg) Ziyi Zhang at the premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Toronto Film Festival 2012 — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Dangerous_Liaisons_08.jpg/1280px-Dangerous_Liaisons_08.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Zhang Ziyi](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-a709df7b84c6.jpg) Zhang Ziyi — Image via TMDB
- ![Zhang Ziyi](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-6ddd5f50d9d9.jpg) Zhang Ziyi — Image via TMDB
- ![Zhang Ziyi](https://film.one/media/person/96692/gallery-5f79a4c237da.jpg) Zhang Ziyi — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Other awards — 3 won

- Asian Film Award for Best Actress 2014: Asian Film Award for Best Actress (won), for *The Grandmaster*
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres 2013: Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (won)
- Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress 2013: Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress (won), for *The Grandmaster*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/zhang-ziyi