Lan Tianye

Biography

Lan Tianye was born on May 3, 1927 in Raoyang, Hebei Province, originally named Wang Runsen and also known as Wang Huang. He studied painting at the National Beiping Art School in his youth and became a stage actor in 1944. He joined the Chinese Communist Party on September 23, 1945, and in the autumn of 1948, while en route from Beiping to the liberated areas, he changed his name from Wang Runsen to Lan Tianye in response to a temporary request from the party organization. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, on June 12, 1952, the Beijing People's Art Theatre was established, and the 25-year-old Lan Tianye became one of its first principal actors. He began his directing career in 1963. After retiring in 1987, he appeared in television dramas including playing Jiang Ziya in "Investiture of the Gods" and playing the father of the protagonist Wang Huxheng in "Yearning," and also devoted himself to Chinese painting. On June 29, 2021, he was awarded the July 1 Medal, being among the first 29 recipients of this honor. Lan Tianye passed away at his home in Beijing on June 8, 2022, at the age of 95.