Gao Yuanyuan

Gao Yuanyuan (, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress. She gained attention in 2000 for appearing in a lozenge commercial and achieved her early success with the role of Zhou Zhiruo in the wuxia series The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Her other notable works include the films Shanghai Dreams (2005), City of Life and Death (2009), Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011), Caught in the Web (2012), But Always (2014), as well as the television series We Get Married (2013).

She ranked 64th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 40th in 2014, 76th in 2015, and 86th in 2017.

Career Gao Yuanyuan was born in Beijing and graduated from China Institute of Industrial Relations. Gao entered the entertainment industry in 1996. Gao, unlike other mainland Chinese actresses, did not graduate from any drama academic institutions. Rather, she started acting in a television commercial for Meadow Gold ice-cream after being spotted on the street at Beijing's Wangfujing shopping district.

Gao made her debut in the 1997 film Spicy Love Soup. Thereafter, she starred in Beijing Bicycle (2001), which won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and romance film Spring Subway (2002).

Gao made inroads into the international market with the film Shanghai Dreams (2005), directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, which won the Prix de Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. She was then picked by Jackie Chan to star in the action comedy movie Rob-B-Hood (2006). Chan has characterized Gao as having the "freshest look and chaste spirit no Hong Kong actress could approach".

Gao next starred in the romance film Love in the City (2007) opposite Shawn Yue, where she plays a deaf-mute kindergarten teacher. Her performance won her the Newcomer Award at the 11th Golden Phoenix Awards.

Gao was then cast in City of Life and Death (2009), directed by Lu Chuan and based on the events of the Nanjing Massacre. Departing from her "girl-next-door" image, Gao played a middle-aged teacher who helped Nanjing people survive the horrors of the Japanese atrocities in 1937. Gao called the role a "turning point" in her career, stating that she had never started taking acting seriously until she worked on the film. City of Life and Death won the top prize at the 2009 San Sebastian Film Festival.

In 2010, Gao starred alongside Korean actor Jung Woo-sung in the romantic film A Season of Good Rain directed by Hur Jin-ho, as well as the omnibus romance drama film Driverless. The following year, she starred in Johnnie To's romantic comedy Don't Go Breaking My Heart alongside Daniel Wu.

In 2012, Gao starred in Chen Kaige's Caught in the Web where she plays a young woman who commits suicide after she becomes embroiled in a social media controversy. The film was especially popular among young viewers, drawing more than six million viewers and praise from critics.

Gao returned to television in 2013 with the television series We Get Married, playing a "leftover" (Sheng nü) unmarried woman who gets entangled with a man who has a phobia of marriage. The series was a commercial hit, and was the highest rated drama of 2013. For her performance, Gao won the Best Actress Award at the 18th Beijing Chunyan Awards. Gao reprised her role in the film adaptation of the drama.

Gao then starred alongside Nicholas Tse in the romantic film But Always (2014). She won the Best Foreign Actress Award at the 52nd Grand Bell Awards.

In 2017, after a two-year hiatus, Gao acted in Juno Mak's film Sons of the Neon Night, which was shelved until its release in 2025.

Other activities Gao was a torch-bearer in the Nanjing leg of the torch relay for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Gao was appointed as California's tourism ambassador to China in 2013. She was picked as she "embodies the California brand and spirit and will share her authentic passion for California with the Chinese public, inspiring their California dreams".

In 2020, Gao became the brand ambassador for Michael Kors.

Since 2021, Gao became the brand spokesperson for French high-end jeweller Chaumet.

Personal life Gao married Taiwanese actor Mark Chao in 2014, after collaborating in the film Caught in the Web. They had a daughter, Rhea Chao, born in June 2019, one month after announcing that Gao was pregnant. Gao has been a vegetarian since 2009.

Filmography Film YearEnglish title Chinese title Role Notes 1997 Spicy Love Soup 爱情麻辣烫 He Ling 2001 Beijing Bicycle 十七岁的单车 Xiaoxiao 2002 Spring Subway 开往春天的地铁 Tian'ai 2005 Shanghai Dreams 青红 Wu Qinghong 2006 Rob-B-Hood 宝贝计划 Melody 2007 Love in the City 男才女貌 Qin Xiaoyou Unfinished Girl 第三个人 Xiao Ke 2008 In Love We Trust 左右 School teacher Cameo xXx:A Forbidden Love Story xXx：被禁锢的爱 Short film Ocean Heaven 海洋天堂 Da Fu's mother Cameo Driverless 无人驾驶 Xiao Yun Color Me Love 爱出色 Herself Cameo 2011 Don't Go Breaking My Heart 单身男女 Cheng Zixin 2012 Romancing in Thin Air 高海拔之恋II Ding Yuanyuan Caught in the Web 搜索 Ye Lanqiu 2013 Blind Detective 盲探 Ting Ting 2014 But Always 一生一世 An Ran Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 单身男女2 Cheng Zixin 2015 Let's Get Married 咱们结婚吧 Ye Wenwen 2024 G for Gap 走走停停 Feng Liuliu 2025 Sons of the Neon Night 风林火山 Therapist 2026 All The Good Eyes 森中有林 Wang Xiuyi

Television series

Theater Year English title Chinese title Role Notes/2007 Glamorous Encounter艳遇 Lin Momo 2008 Hamlet 1990 哈姆雷特1990 Ophelia

Awards and nominations Year Nominated work Award Category Result 2007 Love in the City 11th Golden Phoenix Awards Newcomer Award 2008 Rob-B-Hood 29th Hundred Flowers Awards Best Actress 2012 Don't Go Breaking My Heart 31st Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress 12th Chinese Film Media Awards Most Anticipated Actress 2013 Caught in the Web 4th China Film Director's Guild Awards Best Actress 2014 Let's Get Married 20th Shanghai Television Festival Best Actress But Always 6th Macau International Movie Festival Best Actress 2015 Let's Get Married 18th Chunyan Awards Best Actress 52nd Grand Bell Awards Best Foreign Actress 2016 We Get Married 27th China TV Golden Eagle Awards Audience's Choice for Actress