Sun Honglei

Sun Honglei (; born 16 August 1970) is a Chinese actor, known for portraying tough, earthy characters. He is known for his roles in films The Road Home, Zhou Yu's Train (2003), Forever Enthralled (2008), The Warring State (2011), and in TV series Zheng Fu (2003), Lurk (2008), which earned him the Best Actor at the Feitian Award, the Golden Eagle Award and the Magnolia Award , The Road We Have Taken (2009), Men (2011), and To Be a Better Man (2016).

Early life Sun was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, on 16 August 1970. Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the streets and eventually gave up his studies entirely to pursue dancing as a career, eventually performing with a modern dance troupe for several years. Later, Sun became a popular local nightclub singer and host before going into acting. In 1995, Sun attended the Central Academy of Drama, where he graduated in 1997. He has since gone on to star in numerous TV dramas and films, winning many awards for his stage work. Sun is probably best known to Asian cinema fans for his supporting performances in Seven Swords, Triangle and Blood Brothers. Since October 2011, Sun has played the starring role in the popular Chinese series 'Nanren Bang' (男人帮), portraying urban romantic life from a male perspective.

Acting career In 1998, Sun played a minor character in the drama Never Close The Eye adapted from Hai Yan's novel of the same name. In 1999, Sun starred in his first film, The Road Home, and officially entered the film industry.

From 2001 to 2002, the TV dramas Like Fog, Like Rain, Like Wind and Behind the Glamour were broadcast successively, gradually making the audience familiar with his portrayal of the elder brother role. He gained further recognition with his role as a cold-blooded murderer in the crime drama Conquer.

Sun won his first major award at the Beijing College Student Film Festival with his role in the film Zhou Yu's Train.

In 2005, Sun co-starred in Tsui Hark's martial arts film Seven Swords.

In 2006, Sun headlined the television series Halfway Couple, which earned high ratings and acclaimed. Sun won the Best Actor at the Shanghai Television Festival for his performance.

In 2008, Sun starred alongside Zhang Ziyi in the arthouse film Forever Enthralled.

In 2009, Sun starred in the spy war drama Lurk which was a major hit in China. The series propelled him as one of the top television actors in China, earning him Best Actor accolades at the Shanghai Television Festival, Flying Apsaras Awards and China TV Golden Eagle Award. The same year, he starred in the epic historical drama The Road We Have Taken based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Jiang Qitao; which earned high acclaim when it aired.

In 2010, Sun starred in the romantic comedy film If You Are the One 2 directed by Feng Xiaogang. The film was released on June 22 and topped the weekly box office chart in its first week with a revenue of 25 million yuan.

In 2011, Sun starred in the historical film The Warring States as military strategist Sun Bin.

In 2015, Sun starred in the youth film The Ark of Mr. Chow directed by Xiao Yang.

On January 15, 2016, the comedy-mystery film Royal Treasure, starring Sun Honglei, was released. The film's box office exceeded 100 million yuan within six days of its release.

In February 2021, Sun Honglei provided the voice for the character Haifangzhu in the film The Yinyang Master.

In October 2022, Literature and Art in the War of Resistance, the first original documentary drama by the China National Theatre Company, premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts Drama Theatre. Sun Honglei played the role of Mr. Jinshan and admitted in an interview that the role was quite a challenge.

Personal life On 1 October 2014, Sun announced he and Wang Jundi are tying the knot and the wedding was held in Paris. Their daughter was born on 16 December 2017.

Filmography

Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes 1999The Road Home Luo Yusheng / narrator Sorry Baby Drunk driver cameo 2000 Happy Times motel guest cameo 2002 Zhou Yu's Train Zeng Lama 2005 Manhole Cover Tang Daxing Seven Swords Fire-Wind (Fenghuo Liancheng) 2006 Invisible Target Cheng Xiwang 2007 Blood Brothers Brother Hong cameo Triangle Mo Zhongyuan Mongol Jamukha / Zha Muhe 2008 Forever Enthralled Qiu Rubai The Underdog Knight Love Rival 2009 The Founding of a Republic reporter cameo My Fair Gentleman Zeng Tiangao A Simple Noodle Story Zhang San 2010 If You Are the One 2 Li Xiangshan Welcome to Shama Town Tang Gaopeng 2011 The Warring States Sun Bin 2012 I Do Yang Nianhua Lethal Hostage Drug Dealer 2013 Drug War Zhang Lei Silent Witness Lin Tai 2014 One Step Away Fu Jingnian When a Peking Family Meets Aupair 2015 The Ark of Mr. Chow Zhou Zhiyong 2016 Royal Treasure Himself

Television series

Awards Year Award Category Nominated work Ref. 200310th Beijing College Student Film FestivalBest Actor Zhou Yu's Train 200713th Shanghai Television Festival Best Actor Halfway Couple 20082nd Asian Film AwardsBest Supporting ActorMongol 2009 15th Shanghai Television Festival Best ActorLurk 27th Flying Apsaras AwardsOutstanding Actor 201025th China TV Golden Eagle Award Best Actor Best Performing Arts Award Audience's Choice for Actor 2013 1st China International Film Festival LondonBest Actor Silent Witness 201552nd Grand Bell AwardsBest Foreign Actor