Tao Jin

Biography

Tao Jin (1917–1986), originally named Tao Weiluan, with the courtesy name Su Mu and the art name Mingcheng, was a Chinese film actor, screenwriter, and director. Born in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, into the prominent Tao family, his grandfather Tao Xiaopei served as prefect of Jingzhou. His biological father Tao Yifeng worked in the Ministry of Education of the Beijing government of the Republic of China. Tao Jin grew up in Beijing and became one of China's foremost film performance artists. In 2005, he was honored by the China Film Performance Art Society as one of the hundred outstanding actors in the hundred-year history of Chinese cinema. He is regarded as a pioneer who contributed significantly to the development of film acting art in China.