Li Zhiyu

Biography

Li Zhiyu was a distinguished Chinese actor and drama professor, born on 4 December 1936 in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, and passed away on 5 December 2021. He was of Changzhou, Jiangsu ancestry. In 1951, he enrolled at Xingzhi Art School, where he received systematic training in the Stanislavski acting system before the school merged with others to form the Shanghai branch of the Central Academy of Drama, later renamed the Shanghai Theatre Academy. In 1960, he completed his master's degree under the supervision of the renowned director and educator Professor Tian Jia, finishing a directing project titled "The Innocent Sinner" and a thesis titled "The Method of Physical Action." After graduating in 1962, he joined the faculty of the Shanghai Theatre Academy as a professor. He went on to have a prolific career in film and television, appearing in films such as "The Smile of the Sufferer," "Night Rain on Ba Mountain," and "The Well," as well as television series such as "Palace of Daming" and "The Nine-Year-Old County Magistrate." He is regarded as one of China's most prominent actors who successfully combined theatrical performance with academic teaching.