朱琳 (话剧演员)

简介

Zhu Lin was born in May 1923 into a poor family in Banbu, Guanyun County, Jiangsu Province. Her father, once from a wealthy family, had lost all his fortune before her birth. She grew up with her mother, sister, and a mentally ill grandmother. The family moved to Haizhou and later Huaiyin. At age six, she was selected by her school principal to perform in "Su Wu the Shepherd" at a multi-school event, marking her first stage appearance. In 1936, she entered higher school in Huaiyin. After the August 13 Incident in 1937, she joined a propaganda team for national salvation from Japan. She became part of the Changhong Drama Society organized by underground Communist Guo Weicheng. At fourteen, she performed her first major play, "Thunderstorm" by Gu Jiancheng, in the lead role. In November 1937, she moved with colleagues to Wuhan and joined the Anti-Enemy Propaganda Troupe founded by Zhou Enlai and Guo Moruo. The troupe traveled through Wuhan, Changsha, Nanchang, Hengyang, Guilin, and Chongqing, performing plays like "Put Down Your Whip," "Family Ruined," "Mulan Joins the Army," "Life and Death," and "Defend Great Hunan." In 1942, she was loaned to the New China Drama Society by Tian Han to perform his new play "Autumn Tune," opposing surrender. She met director Qu Baiyin, who directed five plays for her. After the war, she performed in plays and films. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, she joined the China Youth Art Theatre and later transferred to the Beijing People's Art Theatre in 1955, joining the Communist Party in 1959. She collaborated with four major directors at the Beijing Theatre and created over twenty stage characters, including Lu Shiping in "Thunderstorm," earning her the title "Queen of Chinese Drama." She passed away in July 2015.