Jiang Wen (born 5 January 1963) is a Chinese actor and filmmaker. He directed and starred in films such as In the Heat of the Sun (1994), Devils on the Doorstep (2000), The Sun Also Rises (2007), and Let the Bullets Fly (2010). He is also known for his roles in television series A Native of Beijing in New York (1992) and in films Hibiscus Town (1986), Red Sorghum (1988), and Rogue One (2016). He is brother of actor Jiang Wu.
Early life, family and education
Jiang was born in Tangshan to a family of military personnel. He relocated to Beijing at the age of ten. In 1973, he attended Beijing No. 72 Middle School, where he studied alongside Ying Da. In 1980, he entered the Central Academy of Drama and graduated in 1984.
Career Acting After graduation, Jiang was assigned to China Youth Art Institute as an actor. That same year, he started acting both on the stage at the China Youth Theater and in films.
Jiang's debut role was in the film The Last Empress, portraying Puyi. He rose to prominence for his role in Hibiscus Town, directed by Xie Jin, which earned Jiang the Best Actor at the Hundred Flowers Awards. Jiang reunited with his Hibiscus Town co-star Liu Xiaoqing in the film Chun Tao, directed by Ling Zifeng. In 1988, Jiang starred along side Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's directorial debut Red Sorghum.
In the 1990s, Jiang starred in films such as Black Snow (1990), Li Lianying: The Imperial Eunuch (1991), The Emperor's Shadow (1996), and The Soong Sisters (1997). He reunited with Zhang Yimou in the film Keep Cool (1997). Jiang also acted in television, most notably in the television series A Native of Beijing in New York (1992), based on the novel Beijinger in New York.
In the 2000s, Jiang's notable credits include The Missing Gun, Green Tea, My Father and I, Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Jasmine Women and Letter from an Unknown Woman. He also played notable historical figures, Mao Renfeng in the propaganda film The Founding of a Republic; and Cao Cao in the historical war film The Lost Bladesman.
Jiang co-starred in the Star Wars anthology film Rogue One, released in December 2016. In the film, he portrays Baze Malbus, a native of the moon of Jedha who is drawn into the war against the Galactic Empire.
Writing and directing Jiang wrote and directed his first film in 1994, In the Heat of the Sun, adapted from a novel by Wang Shuo. A tale set in the Cultural Revolution, it won for its young lead actor Xia Yu the Best Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival and garnered six Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan.
In 2000, Jiang co-wrote and directed the black comedy film Devils on the Doorstep. The film premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival and clinched the Grand Prix but was subsequently banned in its home country; said to undermine the country because it "seriously distorts Chinese history". Jiang himself was banned from making films for seven years. In 2001 he was a member of the jury at the 23rd Moscow International Film Festival.
Jiang returned with his fourth feature The Sun Also Rises in 2007; a fantasy realism film which contains a polyptych of interconnected stories in different time-zones; the film received positive reviews from critics but bombed at the box office. He then collaborated with 10 other directors on the romance anthology film New York, I Love You.
Jiang's fifth feature, a Western-styled action comedy Let the Bullets Fly set a box office record by becoming the fastest Chinese-language film to break RMB100m mark ($15.15m) in Chinese cinemas; and received critical acclaim.
In 2013 he was named as a member of the jury at the 70th Venice International Film Festival. In 2014, Jiang directed the action comedy film Gone with the Bullets, which screened at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, Jiang directed the Republican-era spy comedy Hidden Man. The film was China's submission to the 91st Academy Awards. These two films together with Let the Bullets Fly form his gangster Beiyang trilogy.
Personal life
Family
Jiang Wen's father is Jiang Hongqi, a veteran of the Korean War. Described as taciturn and bookish, he played a minor role in his son's 2011 film, Let the Bullets Fly. Jiang's mother Gao Yang — "a cheerful, extroverted woman" — worked as a piano teacher. Jiang Wen is the eldest son in the family; in addition to his younger brother, Jiang Wu, he has a younger sister, Jiang Huan.
Close to his family, Jiang has a deep bond with his parents: whenever he is on site for shooting or acting, he arranges for them to come to his workplace so that he can spend time with them. Each movie he makes, he saves the best seats for them and asks for their opinions. Even on artistic composition, he sometimes resorts to them for advice. It was his parents' endorsement on the original novel of A Native of Beijing in New York that propelled Jiang into his performance. Later, during the filming of his first feature film, In the Heat of the Sun, Jiang again considered their evaluation of Xia Yu, before settling on him as the leading actor.
Relationships
In 1987, Jiang began a relationship with Liu Xiaoqing, when he was 24 and she was 37. Liu, who was then married to Chen Guojun, divorced in 1989 after Chen discovered the affair. After an eight-year relationship, during which they lived together for three years, Liu and Jiang separated amicably in 1994.
In 1995, Jiang began a relationship with Sandrine Chenivesse, a Doctor of Anthropology at the University of Paris, researching philosophy and Taoism in China, at an artistic event. They married in Paris in 1997 and had a daughter together, but the marriage remained discreet until their appearance on the red carpet of the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, Chenivesse announced their divorce, citing long-distance separation as the cause.
In 2001, during the filming of Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Jiang was introduced to cast member Zhou Yun, by fellow actress Zhao Wei. Later, Jiang recommended Zhou to the cast of The Music Box, but each left the crew after a creative difference between Jiang and the director Chen Yifei. Jiang and Zhou married in 2005 and have two sons together.
Filmography
Film Acting roles Year Title Role Notes 1986 The Last Empress Puyi Hibiscus Town Qiu Shutian Tears of the Bridal Sedan 1987 Red Sorghum My grandpapa 1989 Chun Tao Wen Chiang 1990 Black Snow Li Huiquan 1991 Li Lianying: The Imperial Eunuch Li Lianying 1993 Chinese policeman 1994 In the Heat of the Sun Ma Xiaojun (adult) 1996 Ying Zheng 1997 Keep Cool Bookseller Charlie Soong 2000 Devils on the Doorstep Ma Dasan 2002 Ma Shan 2003 Green Tea Chen Mingliang My Father and I Policeman Warriors of Heaven and Earth Lieutenant Li 2004 Jasmine Women Mr. Meng Letter from an Unknown Woman Writer / Mr. Xu 2007 Tang Yunlin 2009 Mao Renfeng 2010 Let the Bullets Fly Zhang Mazi 2011 Cao Cao 2014 Gone with the Bullets Ma Zouri 2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Baze Malbus 2018 Hidden Man Lan Qingfeng 2021 The Curse of Turandot Khan Cameo appearance 2025 You are the Best Lang Guoren
Filmmaking credits Feature film Year Title Director Writer Producer 1994 In the Heat of the Sun 2000 Devils on the Doorstep 2007 2010 Let the Bullets Fly 2014 Gone with the Bullets 2018 Hidden Man 2025 You are the Best
Short film Year Title Director Writer Producer 2008 New York, I Love You
Television series Year Title Role Notes 1993 Beijinger in New York Wang Qiming 1997 A Sentimental Story Producer 2005 Lotus Lantern Chenxiang 2006 Da Qing Fengyun Hong Taiji
Accolades Year Award Category Nominated work Notes1987 10th Hundred Flowers AwardsBest Actor Hibiscus Town1989 12th Hundred Flowers AwardsBest Actor Chun Tao2nd Golden Phoenix AwardsSociety Award Red Sorghum 1994 12th China TV Golden Eagle AwardBest Actor A Native of Beijing in New York1996 33rd Golden Horse Film Festival and AwardsBest Director In the Heat of the Sun Best Original Screenplay1998 17th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting ActorThe Soong Sisters 2000 53rd Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix Devils on the Doorstep2001 54th Cannes Film Festival France Culture Award - Foreign Cineaste of the Year 20033rd Chinese Film Media AwardsBest ActorThe Missing GunMost Popular Actor12th Shanghai Film Critics Awards Best Actor2004 4th Chinese Film Media Awards Most Popular ActorWarriors of Heaven and Earth11th Beijing College Student Film Festival Most Popular Actor200510th Golden Phoenix AwardsSociety Award 2007 44th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards Best Film Editing The Sun Also Rises2008 21st Tokyo International Film Festival Asian Film Award - Special Mention 201120th Shanghai Film Critics Awards Best ActorThe Lost Bladesman 48th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards Best Original ScreenplayLet the Bullets Fly 11th Chinese Film Media Awards Best Director 2012 3rd China Film Director's Guild Awards Best Director 201417th Shanghai International Film Festival Outstanding Contribution Award
References
Works cited Silbergeld, Jerome (2008), Body in Question: Image and Illusion in Two Chinese Films by Director Jiang Wen (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
External links TIMEasia article on Jiang Wen