Zhang Ziyi

Zhang Ziyi (; ; born 9 February 1979), sometimes credited Ziyi Zhang, is a Chinese actress and model. Known for playing independent and strong-willed characters, she is the recipient of various accolades. Born and raised in Beijing, Zhang was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama in 1996. That year, she made her acting debut in the television film ''Touching Starlight'' (1996). After her breakout role in Zhang Yimou's ''The Road Home'' (1999), which won her the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Hundred Flowers Awards, she gained international recognition for her performance in the wuxia martial arts film ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' (2000).

Zhang made her Hollywood debut as a villain in the 2001 action comedy film ''Rush Hour 2'' with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. That year she also starred as a princess in the South Korean historical drama film ''Musa''. She reunited with Yimou in the critically acclaimed films ''Hero'' (2002) and ''House of Flying Daggers'' (2004). For her work in ''2046'' (2004), she won best actress at the 2005 Hong Kong Film Awards. Her most critically acclaimed works are the period drama film ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' (2005), which earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role; and the martial arts film ''The Grandmaster'' (2013), for which she won 12 different Best Actress awards to become the most awarded Chinese actress for a single film.

Having starred in some of the most celebrated martial arts films of all time, Zhang is widely considered one of the greatest martial arts stars in the history of cinema. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan actresses of China. From 2004 to 2010, she ranked in the Top 5 of ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list every year. In 2008, she was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Cinema award at the 11th Shanghai International Film Festival. One of the most recognisable Asian actresses in the Western world, ''Time'' called her "China's gift to Hollywood" in 2005. That same year, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 Most Influential People. In 2013, she received the French Cultural Order at the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Outside her film career, Zhang has modeled for multiple high-end fashion brands. Provided by Wikipedia