Zhang Wen / Wen Zhang
Biography
Wen Zhang, born on June 26, 1984 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, is an ethnic Manchu Chinese actor and director. In 2000, while still in art school, he appeared in his first TV drama "Youth Right on Time" and aspired to enter the Central Academy of Drama. In 2006, while studying at the Academy, he appeared in the TV drama "Days Related to Youth" playing the supporting role of Zhuoyue, beginning to gain recognition in mainland television. That same year, he appeared in his first costume drama "Imperial Guards" where he met his wife Ma Yili. In 2008, he gained widespread attention playing the second male lead Xiang Nan in the hit drama "Struggle," which was also his second collaboration with his wife. In 2009, he entered the film industry with his first leading role in "Getting By," which won awards at the Shanghai and Tokyo International Film Festivals, and he received the Most Noticed New Actor award at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival. That year he also starred in "Love in Sun Moon Lake" and appeared in the hit drama "Dwelling Narrowness," further raising his profile. In 2010, he co-starred with Jet Li in "Ocean Heaven" playing an autistic youth, earning him comparisons to Dustin Hoffman and winning awards at the Huabiao Awards, Shanghai International Film Festival, and Beijing College Student Film Festival. He also starred in the drama "Snow Leopard" winning Best Actor at the Sichuan TV Festival and Golden Eagle Awards. In 2011, he starred in "Naked Marriage Age" and also served as script planner, winning Best Actor at the 2011 National Drama Awards. He starred in "Love Is Not Blind" which achieved remarkable box office success for a low-budget film, winning him the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor, making him the first post-80s actor to receive this honor. In 2013, he starred in Stephen Chow's "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" which broke Chinese-language box office records with $215 million worldwide. That same year his studio co-produced "Little Daddy" where he starred and made his directorial debut.