Li Mei

Biography

Li Mei, also known as Li Hailun and Li Guifang, was a Chinese film actress active in the 1950s and 1960s. She was born on September 1, 1929, in the Binjiang district of Harbin (then known as Jilin Binjiang), with her ancestral roots in Jilin Province. Her father worked at the Central Bank and her mother was highly educated. She lived with her family in Beijing and later moved to Shanghai, Nanjing, and Chongqing due to the war, where she completed her secondary education in Chongqing. In 1946 she enrolled at North China University in the political science department. In 1949 she emigrated to Hong Kong, where she worked as a typist, fashion designer, and lyricist before transitioning to acting. She joined the Great Wall Film Company but was not given significant roles, and in 1950 changed her stage name to Li Mei and also worked as a screenwriter. She participated in the 1952 Miss Hong Kong pageant under the name Li Qian, which drew the attention of the film industry and led to her signing as an actress in 1953, with her debut film being "Yuan Yang Jie." In 1955 she joined the international film production company (MP&GI) where she gained widespread fame through multiple films. After her contract with MP&GI ended in 1964, she traveled to Taiwan to film "Tu Si Hua." In 1966 she retired from acting after filming her final movie "Guo Ji Nu Jian Di" and married the following year to Ruan Ruobo, who worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, then moved to the United States where she passed away in May 1994 due to cancer.