Yan Shunkai (; 6 June 1937 – 16 October 2017) was a Chinese comedian, actor and film director.
Yan rose to fame after portraying Ah Q in The True Story of Ah Q, which was based on an episodic novella by Lu Xun, one of the pioneers of modern Chinese literature. He was awarded the Best Actor at the 6th Hundred Flowers Awards and earned "The Gold Stick Prize" at the Second International Comedy Film Festival of Vevey, Switzerland in 1982.
Biography Early life and education Born in Shanghai on June 6, 1937, Yan enrolled in the Central Academy of Drama in 1959, graduating in 1963.Yan Shunkai: a Well-Known Comedian , chinaculture.org, 17 January 2008. After graduation, he joined the Shanghai Farce Troupe ().
Career Yan first garnered recognition for his acting in 1980, when his performance in The True Story of Ah Q earned him a Best Actor award at the 6th Hundred Flowers Awards, the Chinese equivalent of the Golden Globes, and received "The Gold Stick Prize" at the Second International Comedy Film Festival of Vevey, Switzerland in 1982. The film is his film debut.
Yan co-starred with Liu Falu, Jin Kangmin, Niu Hong, Chen Qi and Fang Qingzhuo in the 1983 film Spring in the Hometown as a lame person.
In 1984, Yan starred as Du Xiaoxi in Wang Weiyi's drama film The New Stories Of Du Xiaoxi.
Yan appeared in the romance film The Female Director's Boyfriend (1986), in which he played Cui Hailong.
In 1988, Yan made his directorial debut The Story of Ah Tan, and he also starred as Ah Tan in the film.
In 1996, Yan starred with Lu Yanfang in the comedy film The Harmonious Gouple.
Yan appeared in Huang Jianzhong's Girls in the Red Chamber (2002), based on Cao Xueqin's classical novel Dream of the Red Chamber, as Jia She, one of the heads of the Jia family.
In 2003, he was cast in the romance television series Dear Angle with Chang Yue and Li Xiaolu.
Yan filmed in Legend of the Book's Tower, a wuxia television series starring Sharla Cheung, Nicky Wu, Allen Lin, and Tiffany Tang.
In 2006, Yan had a minor role in Pretty Girls in Jianghu. The drama stars Christy Chung, Du Chun, and Liang Guanhua.
In 2010, when he was 72, he starred as Wang Mugen, reuniting him with co-star Yvonne Yung, who played his daughter-in-law, in the television series My Ugly Dad.
Death Yan died on 16 October 2017, aged 80, in Shanghai.
Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes 1981 The True Story of Ah Q Ah Q 1983 Spring in the Hometown A lame person who named Zhu 1984 The New Stories Of Du Xiaoxi Du Xiaoxi 1986 The Female Director's Boyfriend Cui Hailong 1988 The Story of Ah Tan Ah Tan also director 1996 The Harmonious Gouple Mu Ahman 2000 A Widow's Romance Lao Wogua 2005 Silver Ornaments The old craftsman
TV series Year English title Chinese title Role Notes 1994 Mr. Wang and Xiao Chen Mr. Wang 1997 Shui Gen 2001 The old craftsman 2002 Girls in the Red Chamber Jia She 2003 Dear Angle Cheng Dongming 2004 Our Story Yan Fugen Legend of the Book's Tower Master Ao specialist 2005 Dead Men Do Tell Tales Censor Feng 2006 Pretty Girls in Jianghu His Royal Highness Zhu 2010 My Ugly Dad Wang Mugen
CCTV New Year's Gala Year English title Chinese title Cast members Notes 1983 A Monologue of Ah Q Playing the Piano Visiting the Factory Siqin Gaowa 1990 Fellow Sufferers Huang Hong 1992 Stars Sun Qixin, Liang Guyin, Chen Xu and Da Shichang 1993 Zhang San Zhao Lingqi, Yang Xinming, Xu Xiaofan and Ju Bo 1998 Road Du Ninglin, Zhao Lingqi and Jiang Xiaohan 1999 Father and Son Zhang Kaili, L Ding and Wang Xinyue 2004 Storytelling Hong Jiantao and Xiao Dingdang 2007 Lin Yongjian, Liu Xiaomei and Liu Guijuan
Film and TV Awards Year Nominated work Award Result Notes 1982 The True Story of Ah Q Second International Comedy Film Festival of Vevey, Switzerland - Best Actor 1983 6th Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Actor
References
External links