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1-50 of 90
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Born in Shanghai, China, as Chen Baolian, Pauline Chan emigrated to Hong Kong at age 12 with her mother when her parents divorced. A beautiful young girl, it didn't take long for photographers and agents to notice her and she began modeling at 15. In 1990 she entered the Miss Asia beauty pageant. She didn't win, but her striking looks, lithe body and classy bearing attracted the attention of several producers in Hong Kong's adult film industry. At age 18 she made her adult-film debut and her enthusiastic performances shot her to the top of the Chinese porn field. In 1997 she hooked up with a much older man, a Taiwanese millionaire, and they had a short (two-year) but stormy relationship. After their break-up in 1999, Chan's personal and professional lives began to unravel. She had had a drug problem for several years and it got worse--during one television interview in which she was apparently high on drugs she actually tried to commit suicide. A series of brushes with the law ensued, resulting in her being deported from several countries, and she was briefly sent to prison in the UK for assault. These and other incidents pretty much pulled the plug on her film career.
She moved back to her hometown of Shanghai and in July of 2002 gave birth to a baby boy. Motherhood didn't solve her problems, however, and on July 31, 2002, she leaped out of the window of her 24th-floor apartment and plunged to her death.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Shou-Liang was born in China in 1953 before moving to live in Taiwan when he was three. When he was 16 he had taken up motorsports and had begun racing motorcycles and cars professionally. Shortly after this he got into acting for films. Spotting that most stuntmen in Taiwan specialised in martial arts and such, Ko became one of the first stuntmen to focus on stunts involving motorcycles and cars. This area of work soon allowed him to work behind the camera as a stunt arranger. Outside of movie work his most memorable achievement came in 1997 when he used a modified Mitsubishi to jump 50 metres over China's yellow river. The jump was carried live on television and he dedicated it to the handover of Hong Kong back to China. He also announced his retirement and spent his time raising money for charities. He was also a singer and enjoyed fishing.- Actress
Ruan Lingyu was born Ruan Fenggen on April 26, 1910 in Shanghai, China. Her father died when she was a child and her mother worked as a maid to support them. When she was sixteen Ruan started acting as a way to earn money. She made her film debut in the 1927 Chinese language film A Married Couple In Name Only. Ruan fell in love with Zhang Damin, a gambler who had been disowned by his wealthy family. She would financially support him during their relationship. In 1930 she signed a contract with Lianhua Studios and starred in the film Spring Dream of an Old Capital. It was a huge hit and made her one of China's biggest stars. Her success continued with starring roles in Little Toys, Homecoming, and The Goddess. She was called "China's Greta Garbo". Ruan broke up with Zhang and started dating Tang Jishan, a married tea tycoon. He bought her a mansion in Shanghai and she became his mistress. Her ex-lover Zhang sued her in 1934 claiming she was his wife and owed him money.
The scandal made front page headlines and from then on then tabloid press became obsessed with her personal life. Unfortunately her relationship with Tang was rocky and he started abusing her. She was devastated when he threw her beloved dog out of a window. Ruan was cast in the 1935 drama New Women. It was based on the life of Ai Xia, an actress who had committed suicide. When New Women premiered in February of 1935 there was a backlash from journalists who objected to their negative portrayal. On March 8, 1935 Ruan committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates. She was just twenty-four years old. A note was found that said "Gossip is a fearful thing". More than one hundred thousand fans attended her funeral. Three female fans were so overcome with grief that they committed suicide during her funeral procession. She was buried at Fu Shou Yuan Cemetery in Shanghai. Two new "suicide" notes written by Ruan were found in 2001. In these notes she writes that Tang broke her heart and Zhang shamed her publicly.- Producer
Qi Lin was a producer, known for Ferrari (2023), Three-Body (2023) and Three-Body (2022). Qi died on 25 December 2020 in Shanghai, China.- Frances Trego Montgomery was a prolific writer of children's stories during the early twentieth century. She is best known for her popular "Billy Whiskers" series, which were about the misadventures of a mischievous but somewhat short-tempered goat. Many children, including the future President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, loved the books--twenty-five in all--and couldn't get enough of them. Other books by Mrs. Montgomery included an early science fiction book for children called "The Wonderful Electric Elephant." She died on board the Cunard liner S.S. Franconia while on an around-the-world tour; she had planned to write a book about her travels.
- Kimi Qiao was born on 15 October 1987 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor, known for Magic Card (2015), Stay with Me (2016) and Wo men de shi nian (2016). He died on 16 September 2016 in Shanghai, China.
- Yunzhu Shangguan was born in 1922 in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. She was an actress, known for Tian tang chun meng (1947), Taitai Wansui (1947) and Li ren xing (1949). She died in 1968 in Shanghai, China.
- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Yu Sun was born on 21 March 1900 in Chongqing, Sichuan, China. He was a director and writer, known for The Big Road (1935), Wild Rose (1932) and Lian hua jiao xiang qu (1937). He died on 11 July 1990 in Shanghai, China.- Gao Ye was born on 9 March 1918 in Yichang, Hubei, China. He was an actor, known for Wu ming shi (1947), Liao yuan (1962) and The Gold and Silver River Band (1953). He died on 20 September 2010 in Shanghai, China.
- Actress
- Writer
- Art Department
Yi Qin was born on 31 January 1922 in Shanghai, China. She was an actress and writer, known for Shanghai wu yan xia (1982), The Beautiful Kokonor Lake (2017) and A Japanese Spy (1943). She was married to Yan Jin and Tianguo Chen. She died on 9 May 2022 in Shanghai, China.- Writer
- Actress
Xun Lu was born on 25 September 1881 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. She was a writer and actress, known for New Year Sacrifice (1956), Cheng da sao (1954) and Ah Q zheng zhuan (1958). She died on 19 October 1936 in Shanghai, China.- Max Mohr was born on 17 October 1891 in Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany. He was a writer, known for The Strange Case of Captain Ramper (1927). He was married to Käthe Westphal. He died on 19 November 1937 in Shanghai, China.
- Yuan-Feng Su was an actor, known for Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins (1991), Mie men zhi huo (1982) and Nu Shao Lin si (1979). He died on 6 April 2023 in Shanghai, China.
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Yigong Wu was born on 1 December 1938 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. He was a director and actor, known for My Memories of Old Beijing (1983), Evening Rain (1980) and Que li ren jia (1992). He died on 14 September 2019 in Shanghai, China.- Actor
- Director
Wei Li was born on 25 October 1919 in Shijiazhuang, China. He was an actor and director, known for Spring in a Small Town (1948), Shan lin zhong tou yi ge nu ren (1986) and Ju Dou (1990). He died on 21 August 2005 in Shanghai, China.- Actor
- Make-Up Department
Zhi Cheng was born on 3 February 1926 in Wuhan, Hubei, China. He was an actor, known for Biao (1949), The 'Magic-Cat' and the 'Tough-Spider' (1989) and Ye dian (1947). He died on 14 February 1995 in Shanghai, China.- Li Keqiang was born in July 1955 in Hefei, Anhui, China. He was married to Cheng Hong. He died on 27 October 2023 in Shanghai, China.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Legal
Toby Simkin is a Broadway / West End / Theatre/ Film producer with over 4 decades of award-winning experience and a proven track record in all aspects of commercial entertainment production & operations globally. Toby Simkin resides in North America and Australasia.
On Broadway, the Tony® Award winning productions on Broadway of "I Am My Own Wife" (and London & US tour), "Long Day's Journey Into Night" starring Vanessa Redgrave & Brian Dennehy, "Death of a Salesman" starring Brian Dennehy (including London) and productions of "The Crucible" starring Liam Neeson and "Victor/Victoria" starring Julie Andrews. Also on Broadway he was Production Supervisor for the Liverpool / Toronto / Broadway transfer of "Blood Brothers", along with management or marketing for over 120 Broadway shows where he is also is credited with leading the Broadway theatre industry into cyberspace in the early 1990s.
Globally, Toby produced or managed many other shows including "The Female of the Species" starring Eileen Atkins (London), "The Rocky Horror Show" (South Korea and Singapore), "Jekyll and Hyde" (South Korea and Taiwan), "Jane Eyre" (China), "Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA (China), FAME (China), various "Savion Glover" shows (Off Broadway & tours), "The Three Tenors" (Vancouver), Vaclav Havel's "Temptation" (London), The Shanghai Ballet's "White Haired Girl" (tour) Liza Minnelli concert (Vancouver), "The Promised Love" symphonic recording (Leningrad), "Relatively Speaking" (Washington DC), "The Long and the Short and the Tall" (Australia) plus many more shows in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia.
Toby is also Producer of the award-winning motion pictures, "Three Grams of a Dream (2012)" & "Dong's Photo Exhibition (2012)" and the TV show "DJ's LollyGag Garden (2004)" as well as the upcoming movie "Sacrifice". Toby has extensive multi-cultural experience globally, and experience from design concept through final performance, with hands on experience with all facets of theatrical production and operations.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Legendary Chinese actress and singer Zhou Xuan was born on 1 August (year of birth uncertain as either 1918 or 1920) in Jiangsu province, China and originally named Su Pu.
At 3, she was sold by her uncle (by deceit) to the Wang family and thereafter her name changed to Wang Xiaohong. Later she was sent to a Zhou family, and there her name again changed to adopt the new family name. The then Ms. Zhou Xiaohong joined the Mingyue singing troupe in 1932 (when she was around 12 or 13 years of age) where she adopted the stage name "Zhou Xuan" (Xuan meaning "beautiful jade" in Chinese). She started singing on radio and at 14 was selected as the second most popular female singer in China. She soon earned the nickname as "The Golden Voice".
In 1936, she starred in the movie Street Angel (1937)(Street Angel) which would bring her to fame. In the movie, she played a singer and sang what would become 2 of her most popular hits, "The Four Season Song"(Si Ji Ge)and "The Wandering Female Singer"(Tian Ya Ge Nu). She then began to earn a reputation both as an actress and a singer. And went on to make a total of 43 movies in her lifetime.
Reportedly, by her own confession, despite the many movies she acted in, she was unhappy with most of them. Her favorite remained her role in the "Angel". Other major works include, "Recall To Jiangnan", "Night Inn" and "The Secret History of the Qing Dynasty" (info on movie titles from China Radio International).
Her love life however was disappointing. She first married musician/composer Yan Hua and it ended after 8 years in 1941. However, she continued making stage, radio and film appearances during this time, in a total of 16 films between 1939 - 1941.
In 1946, after World War II she moved to Hong Kong to star in "Recall To Jiangnan" in which she played the roles of two different women at the same time. One an innocent country girl, the other a spoiled party-going girl.
From here on, her popularity increased and soon went beyond China and to South East Asia.
Around this time or shortly before, Zhou Xuan met Zhu Huaide, a cloth merchant and lived together in Hong Kong. When she became pregnant and thought of marriage, she began to realize that Zhu was insincere and announced their separation in the press.
She returned to the newly established People's Republic Of China in 1950 to star in "The Peaceful Pigeon", her last movie (one which she would never complete).
Later in Shanghai, she gave birth to her first son, Zhou Min.
Then came the third man in her life -- the art designer for "The Peaceful Pigeon". The love affair ended with her heart broken, and another son, Zhou Wei.
Thereafter, she suffered a nervous breakdown, and was regularly admitted to hospitals and mental institutions. She died on 22 September 1957, officially due to brain encephalitis.
Her songs remain popular to this day and have been remade by many other singers including greats like Taiwanese Queen of Love Songs, Cai Qin, the late Teresa Teng and the late Anita Mui.
Zhou Xuan is estimated to have recorded over 200 songs (114 of them for the movies) and was one of the first Chinese singers to sing with a microphone.
Several of her evergreen songs include "Shanghai Night"(Yeh Shanghai) and "When Will You Come Again" (He Ri Jun Zai Lai).
Her second son Zhou Wei has written a book with his wife, Chang Jing: "Zhou Xuan's Diary", where he provided insights into the legendary singer's life which many didn't know.
Zhou Wei and Chang Jing's daughters have both taken a similar path. The oldest, Zhou Xiao Xuan is a pianist and has worked with the Shanghai Media Company. The youngest, Amanda Zhou, is a former figure skater and now also an actress.
In June 2004, Hong Kong director Kar-Wai Wong announced he has planned a movie biographing this wonderfully talented actress and singer. Award-winning Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung and Chinese actress Jie Dong have been cast in the starring roles as the elder and younger Zhou Xuan respectively.- Actor
- Music Department
Xinfang Zhou was born on 14 January 1895 in Jiangsu, China. He was an actor, known for Zhan jing tang (1937), Song shi jie (1956) and Zhou xin fang de wu tai yi shu (1961). He died in 1975 in Shanghai, China.- Zifeng Liu was born in December 1938 in Henan, China. He was an actor, known for The Red Violin (1998), The Black Cannon Incident (1985) and Tiangou (2006). He died on 7 May 2022 in Shanghai, China.
- Actress
- Director
Hongmei Zhang was born on 31 July 1927 in Shanghai, Republic of China. She was an actress and director, known for Spring in a Small Town (1948), Death Ray on Coral Island (2023) and Fei xiang tai ping yang (1982). She was married to Ran Ding. She died on 6 December 2005 in Shanghai, China.- Miki Shen was born on 30 July 1983 in Shanghai, China. She was an actress, known for Di liu ling yi ge dian hua (2006), The Land with No Boundary (2011) and All's Well, Ends Well 2009 (2009). She died on 9 September 2018 in Shanghai, China.
- Actress
Xia Ai was born on 29 November 1912 in Tianjin, China. She was an actress, known for Feng nian (1933), Zhifen shichang (1933) and Chun can (1933). She died on 15 February 1934 in Shanghai, China.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Qiong Liu was born on 16 October 1913 in Beijing, China. He was an actor and director, known for Li Huiniang's Revenge (1981), Master Qiao Mounts the Sedan (1959) and Si shen yu shao nu (1987). He died on 29 April 2002 in Shanghai, China.- Actor
- Director
Jin Tao was born on 22 January 1916 in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. He was an actor and director, known for The Spring River Flows East (1947), The Queen of Spades (1978) and Diary of a Nurse (1956). He died on 28 September 1986 in Shanghai, China.- Director
- Writer
Wei Te was born on 22 August 1915 in Shanghai, China. Wei was a director and writer, known for Where is Mama? (1960), Feelings of Mountains and Waters (1988) and The Monkey King Conquers the Demon (1985). Wei died on 4 February 2010 in Shanghai, China.- Shu Chen was born in 1920 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor, known for The Last Emperor (1987), Shanghai Triad (1995) and Cut the Evil's Claw (1954). He died on 17 October 2006 in Shanghai, China.
- Yu-Kun Teng was born on 15 October 1946 in Taiwan. Yu-Kun was a writer, known for Mei hua (1976), The Breakthrough (1982) and Si qiu (1974). Yu-Kun was married to Leanne Lau and Mei Chin. Yu-Kun died on 4 July 2011 in Shanghai, China.
- Fei Han was born in 1919 in Beijing, China. He was an actor and producer, known for Sorrows and Joys of a Middle-Aged Man (1949), Master Qiao Mounts the Sedan (1959) and Master Qiao Mounts the Sedan (1960). He was married to Li, Wanqing. He died on 4 January 1985 in Shanghai, China.
- Jinglu Sun was born on 22 March 1923 in Hubei, China. She was an actress, known for Caravans with Ring (1954), Master Qiao Mounts the Sedan (1959) and Romance of a Calligrapher (1982). She died on 2 January 1989 in Shanghai, China.
- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Philip So was an actor and director, known for Indecent Beast (1994), One Drop of Blood per Step (2000) and Hong men jue e zhe (1985). He died on 6 April 2023 in Shanghai, China.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Hung-Yi Chang was born on 30 April 1950 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He was a composer, known for Full Moon in New York (1989), Jade Love (1984) and The Loser, the Hero (1985). He died on 11 May 2006 in Shanghai, China.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Jay Speiden was a writer and producer, known for Internet Superstar (2008), Web Drifter (2008) and Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (2003). He died on 11 December 2016 in Shanghai, China.- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Jinqing Hu was born in March 1936 in Changzhou, Jiangsu, Republic of China. He was a director and writer, known for Yu bang xiang zheng (1984), The Brave Little Toaster (1987) and The Stronger Get Hooked (1988). He died on 13 May 2019 in Shanghai, China.- Xiao Feng was born in 1932 in Zibo, Shandong, China. He was an actor, known for Lan guang shan guo zhi hou (1979), Liang ge xun luo bing (1958) and Southern Lands in the North (1963). He died in July 1998 in Shanghai, China.
- Yelu Gu was born in 1916 in Jiangsu Province, China. He was an actor, known for Nu yong shi (1948), Chuan Guo Mi Zhao (1988) and Ge nu zhi ge (1948). He died on 23 December 2009 in Shanghai, China.
- Yin Ying was born on 28 March 1916 in Beijing, China. She was an actress, known for Shi zi jie tou (1937), Bao jian xiang (1939) and Haitang Hong (1936). She died on 19 January 1942 in Shanghai, China.
- Yang Bai was born on 22 April 1920 in Beijing, China. She was an actress, known for The Spring River Flows East (1947), Shi zi jie tou (1937) and Dong Mei (1960). She was married to Junxiang Zhang and Junchao Jiang. She died on 18 September 1996 in Shanghai, China.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Script and Continuity Department
Qianli Qian was born on 15 March 1915 in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Nie Er (1960), Shi zi jie tou (1937) and Street Angel (1937). He died on 31 July 2009 in Shanghai, China.- Xianzhai Wang was born in 1900 in Vladivostok, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He was an actor, known for Huo shao hong lian si (1928), Haitang Hong (1936) and Shengsi fuqi (1931). He was married to Zhuru Yuan. He died on 27 October 1941 in Shanghai, China.
- Min Sun was born in 1905 in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. He was an actor, known for Jiang yang da dao (1929), Nan wei le mei mei (1926) and Si qian jin (1937). He died in 1950 in Shanghai, China.
- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Xiaoqiu Zheng was born in 1910 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor and director, known for Xi fen fei (1941), Huo shao hong lian si (1928) and The Boxer from Shandong (1927). He died on 13 September 1989 in Shanghai, China.- Actress
- Writer
Zongying Huang was born on 13 July 1925 in Beijing, China. She was an actress and writer, known for Crows and Sparrows (1949), Jia (1957) and Xi ying chun (1949). She was married to Dan Zhao, Cheng Shuyao and Yi Fang. She died on 14 December 2020 in Shanghai, China.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shuqin Huang was a director and writer, known for Woman Demon Human (1987), Wei cheng (1990) and Wo ye you ba ba (1997). She was married to Zheng Changfu. She died on 21 April 2022 in Shanghai, China.- Emily Y. Chang was born in 1953 in Taiwan. She was an actress, known for Ce ma ru lin (1985), Yuan nu (1988) and A Brighter Summer Day (1991). She died on 27 December 2016 in Shanghai, China.
- Writer
- Producer
Jin Ba is one of China's most acclaimed modern novelists. Born into a wealthy family, he received a broad education in China, graduating in 1925, and traveling to France in 1927-28. Early in life he became a committed anarchist and socialist, and in France wrote his first novel, Miewang [destruction] (1929), a tale of romance and revolution. Ba is best known for his trilogy Jiliu [torrent] (1931-40); its first volume, Jia, was translated into English as Family (1958). Enormously popular with China's young readers at the time, these semi-autobiographical novels attack the traditional Chinese family structure, pitting age against youth and Confucian orthodoxy against individualism in a saga of familial decline. His other works include two other trilogies (1931-33; 1941-45), many single novels, e.g., Han ye (1947, tr. Cold Nights, 1978), short stories, essays, and his memoirs, Suixiang lu (1979, partially tr. Random Thoughts, 1984).- Yang Likun was born in a family of 11 children (she's number 9, hence the nickname "Xiaojiuer", i.e., "Little Nine"). She joined Yunnan Province Singing & Dancing Troupe at the tender age of 11. She had only appeared in two musicals, Five Golden Flowers (1958) and Ashima (1964), and yet she became Judy Garland of China at her time. Unfortunately, early fame brought her trouble during the Cultural Revoluation as she was accused for being anti-revolutionary, tortured and turned insane. She entered a mental hospital in 1970 when she was only 28 - and she was unable to return to show business after that. After her death, two tombs were erected in Shanghai and Kunming respectively, each burying half of her ashes.
- Yue Yuan was born in 1932 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor, known for Hao shi duo mo (1980), Xia dao lu ping (1989) and Troubled Laughter (1981). He died on 15 October 2018 in Shanghai, China.
- Jian'er Zhu was born on 18 October 1922 in Tianjin, China. He was a composer, known for Haishang fengbao (1951), Red Crag (1965) and Long xu gou (1953). He died on 15 August 2017 in Shanghai, China.