Yu Yang

Biography

Yu Yang was born in 1930 in Huang County, rural Shandong Province, China. Hardship forced him to migrate with his mother to northeast China to live with his grandmother's family. He began his acting career in 1943 after successfully playing a homeless child in the film "The Watch," which led to him working as a child actor at the Manchurian Film Association for two years. In 1948, he transferred to the Northeast Film Studio. In 1954, he enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy for specialized acting studies. He later served as an actor and director at the Beijing Film Studio, head of the actors' troupe, vice president and then president of the China Film Performance Art Society, and chairman of the China Film Association. After the fall of the Gang of Four, he directed and starred in films including "The Handcuffed Passenger." In 1991, he received a special government allowance from China's State Council in recognition of his contributions. He starred in dozens of films portraying vivid and distinctive characters, becoming one of China's most beloved and celebrated film actors. He passed away in Beijing in March 2025 at the age of 95.