Feng Shaofeng

Feng Shaofeng , also known as William Feng, is a Chinese actor. Feng rose to fame with the time travel series Palace. He is also known for his roles in TV series Prince of Lan Ling (2013), Ice Fantasy (2016), The Story of Minglan (2018), and in films Wolf Totem (2015), for which he won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor, Tsui Hark's Detective Dee series and Cheang Pou-soi's The Monkey King series.

Feng ranked 33rd on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2012, 33rd on in 2013, 98th in 2015, 89th in 2017, and 88th in 2019.

Early life and education Feng Shaofeng was born Feng Wei in Shanghai as an only child. Influenced by his artistic mother, Feng began taking violin lessons and participating in various extracurricular activities when he was a child. Upon graduating from high school, he applied to the Shanghai Theater Academy and was accepted with scholarship.

Career Beginnings Feng made his acting debut in 1998, and has appeared in several television series, including Boy & Girl, Wind and Cloud 2, Assassinator Jing Ke, Sigh of His Highness, and The Conquest.

Feng gained more attention after starring in a grand production drama by Hong Kong's TVB and mainland China's CCTV, The Drive of Life. He then starred in the period drama Yun Niang alongside Ady An and Leanne Liu, which placed number one in ratings upon its premiere on SMG. Feng reunited with Ady An in Four Women Conflicts, and his performance in the series won him the Audience's Most Favorite Actor award at Fujian TV Station's "I Love My Drama" award ceremony. In 2010, he played the role of Liu Zhang in Beauty's Rival in Palace.

Rise in popularity Feng rose to mainstream popularity after starring in Palace (2011), one of the most popular Chinese dramas of the year. The same year, he starred in Daniel Lee's historical film White Vengeance where plays Xiang Yu, the powerful warlord. Feng's outstanding performance in the film led to him winning two awards - "Most Commercially Valuable Newcomer" and "Outstanding Performance" at the 2011 Harbin Film Festival.

Feng then starred in Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012), a sequel to Gordon Chan's 2008 box office hit Painted Skin. He next starred alongside Fan Bingbing in Double Xposure, a romantic thriller directed by Li Yu.

In 2013, Feng starred as the titular prince in the historical drama Prince of Lan Ling. The series earned high ratings in Taiwan, breaking the record set by Three Kingdoms, and earned increased recognition for Feng in the region. The same year, he starred in the action film Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon directed by Tsui Hark. Feng was voted the Most Popular Actor award at the 2014 Beijing Student Film Festival.

Success in films and TV productions In 2014, Feng starred alongside Tang Wei in The Golden Era directed by Ann Hui, which closed at the Venice International Film Festival. His portrayal of Xiao Jun, a left-wing author who is strong and not afraid to express his feelings, earned the praises of the director. Feng had requested not to be paid to support Ann, whom he has admired and wanted to work with her for many years. The same year, he starred in the road-trip comedy The Continent, directed by Han Han.

In 2015, Feng starred in the Chinese-French co-production Wolf Totem, adapted from Jiang Rong's 2004 best-selling novel by the same name. He plays a Chinese student who is sent to Inner Mongolia to teach shepherds and instead learns about the wolf population. Feng and co-star Shawn Dou bonded with the wolves by cleaning their cages and feeding them; and trained in horse-riding for their roles. The film earned Feng his first Best Actor trophy at the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards. The same year, he was cast in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel, The Three-Body Problem.

Feng then played Xuanzang in The Monkey King 2, which was released in February 2016. The same year, he starred alongside Victoria Song in fantasy drama Ice Fantasy, adapted from Guo Jingming's novel of the same name as well as the Chinese remake of My Best Friend's Wedding.

Feng returned to television with another fantasy drama The Starry Night, The Starry Sea (2017) alongside Bea Hayden. The same year, he starred alongside Liu Yifei in the fantasy comedy film Hanson and the Beast.

In 2018, Feng played the male lead in historical drama The Story of Minglan. He reprised his roles as Tang Sanzang and Yuchi in the films The Monkey King 3 and Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings respectively.

In 2022, he starred in wuxia film Song of the Assassins, which became a box office disappointment, and historical drama, The Imperial Age, portraying Yongle Emperor.

Personal life In May 2012, Feng announced his relationship with Ni Ni on Weibo; they parted ways after three years. In February 2016, Feng and Lin Yun were photographed together in Shanghai. Although neither of them confirmed the relationship, they were spotted on dates multiple times and reportedly broke up in January 2017.

On October 16, 2018, Feng announced his marriage to actress Zhao Liying. On March 8, 2019, he announced that their son was born. On April 23, 2021, Feng and Zhao announced their divorce.

Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes/ 2004 Brush Up My Sisters Dan 2006 Dragon Gate Station Hou Feng 2011 White Vengeance Xiang Yu 2012 Painted Skin: The Resurrection Pang Lang Double Xposure Liu Dong Threads of Time Chen Zilong Tai Chi 0 Chen Zaiyang Tai Chi Hero Chen Zaiyang 2013 Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon Yuchi Zhenjin Love Will Tear Us Apart Jiang Liangliang 2014 Snow Blossom Da Han filmed in 2004 The Continent Han Dong The Golden Era Xiao Jun One Day 2015 Wolf Totem Chen Zhen Dragon Blade Huo Qubing Special appearance Bride Wars Priest Cameo2016 The Monkey King 2 Tang Sanzang The Bodyguard Doctor Hu Cameo My Best Friend's Wedding Li Ran 2017 Hanson and the Beast Yuan Shuai (Hanson) Six Years, Six Days 2018 The Monkey King 3 Tang Sanzang Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings Yuchi Zhenjin 2019 Pegasus Cameo 2022 Only Fools Rush In Ordinary Hero Lin Li TBA The Three-Body Problem Wang Lin Song of the Assassins Qi Junyuan

Television series

Discography Year English title Chinese title Album Notes 2002 "Moon Flower" The Love Story in the Fantasyland OST 2011 "My Only Lover" 2012 "Song of Chu" White Vengeance OST with Liu Yifei "A Hundred Years of Revolution" Theme song for Fantasy Zhu Xian 2

Awards and nominations YearAwardsCategoryNominated workResult 2011 24th Harbin Film Festival Most Commercially Valuable NewcomerWhite Vengeance Outstanding Performance 2012 12th Chinese Film Media Awards Most Anticipated Actor White Vengeance 2013 13th Chinese Film Media Awards Double Xposure 10th Huading Awards Best Actor Prince of Lan Ling 2014 12th Huading Awards Best Actor (Mainland China)Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon 21st Beijing Student Film Festival Most Popular Actor 14th Chinese Film Media Awards Most Anticipated Actor 2015 22nd Beijing Student Film Festival Best Actor The Golden Era 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards Wolf Totem201926th Huading AwardsBest Actor (Historical drama)The Story of Minglan Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival Best ActorThe Story of Minglan, Great Age