Introduction
Yu Nan (Chinese: 余男; born 5 September 1978) is a Chinese actress. Born in Dalian, Yu Nan studied at the Beijing Film Academy, where she graduated in 1999.
Career
Yu Nan started acting at the age of 4, playing role of a little girl with a handkerchief tied to her dress. Later, instead of following her family's advice to study foreign languages and get a university degree, Yu enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy in 1995.
Her feature film debut in Lunar Eclipse (1999) by Wang Quan'an. Her feisty performance as a shy, retiring wife by day and a wild party animal by night won her Best Actress at the Deauville Asian Film Festival. The recognition caught the attention of French producers, who cast her in Rage (2003).
She subsequently starred in three more films with Wang Quan'an. Jingzhe (2003) earned her Best Actress accolades at the Golden Rooster Award and Paris International Film Festival in 2003; Tuya's Marriage (2006), the Golden Bear winner at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, won her the Best Actress prize from the Chicago International Film Festival for her portrayal of a shepherdess who seeks a new husband after her first one falls ill; and Weaving Girl (2009), which won Jury Special Grand prix and the FIPRESCI prize from the 2009 Montreal World Film Festival.
Yu Nan has also worked with other major Chinese directors, including Wang Xiaoshuai in In Love We Trust (2008), which won the Best Screenplay Silver Bear prize at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival, Lee Yun-chan's in My DNA Says I Love You and Ning Hao, in his Chinese Western film, No Man's Land (2013).
Helped in part by her fluency in Mandarin, French, and English, Yu Nan has played in several international productions, such as the Canadian-Chinese film Diamond Dogs (2007), and the Hollywood films Speed Racer (2008) and The Expendables 2 (2012).
Known for her success in art house films, Yu also starred in commercial films. In Deadly Delicious (2008), she plays a frustrated wife who discovers her husband's extramarital affair and wants him to pay a price for his infidelity; and also starred in Design of Death (2012), playing a mute widow. Yu's most notable work in recent years include Silent Witness (2013) and Wolf Warriors (2015).
Festivals
Yu Nan has served as a jury member at several international film festivals:
- Pusan International Film Festival in 2007
- Chicago International Film Festival in 2008
- Golden Rooster Awards in 2009
- Shanghai International Film Festival in 2009
- Berlin International Film Festival in 2010
- Shanghai International Film Festival in 2013
Filmography
| Year | Title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Lunar Eclipse | 月蚀 | Ya Nan | |
| 2003 | Rage | 狂怒 | Chinh | |
| 2004 | Jingzhe | 惊蛰 | Ermei | |
| 2006 | Tuya's Marriage | 图雅的婚事 | Tuya | |
| 2007 | My DNA Says I Love You | 基因决定我爱你 | Marlene | |
| Diamond Dogs | 权杖 | Anika | ||
| 2008 | In Love We Trust | 左右 | Dong Fan | |
| Deadly Delicious | 双食记 | Li Chunyan | ||
| Speed Racer | 极速赛车 | Horuko Togokahn | ||
| 2009 | Weaving Girl | 纺织姑娘 | Lily | |
| Looking for Jackie | 寻找成龙 | Director | ||
| 2010 | Wind Blast | 西風烈 | Nora | |
| 2011 | Lost Child | 寻人奇事 | Zhang Xiaoyue | |
| Sleepless Fashion | 與時尚同居 | Qi Xi | ||
| 2012 | Design of Death | 杀生 | Ma Guafu | |
| The Expendables 2 | 敢死队 2 | Maggie Chan | ||
| 2013 | Beloved | 亲爱 | Xui Nin | |
| Feed Me | 哺乳期的女人 | A woman | ||
| Silent Witness | 全民目击 | Zhou Li | ||
| Angel Warriors | 铁血娇娃 | Bai Xue | ||
| No Man's Land | 无人区 | Ye Bali | ||
| 2014 | Beijing Love Story | 北京爱情故事 | Zhang Lei | |
| The Taking of Tiger Mountain | 智取威虎山 | Qang Lian | ||
| 2015 | Wolf Warriors | 特种兵之战狼 | Long Xiaoyun | |
| Lovers and Movies | 爱我就陪我看电影 | Ruo Yao | ||
| 2016 | Pleasure. Love. | 男欢·女爱 | Hu Yajie | |
| Blood of Youth | 少年 | Han Yun | ||
| 2017 | Lord of Shanghai | 上海王 | Xiao Yuegui | |
| Lost in the Moonlight | 夜色撩人 | Jie Zi |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4th Deauville Asian Film Festival | Best Actress | Lunar Eclipse |
| 2003 | 23rd Golden Rooster Awards | Best Actress | Jingzhe |
| 2004 | 19th Paris International Film Festival | Best Actress | |
| 11th Beijing College Student Film Festival | |||
| 2005 | 10th Golden Phoenix Awards | Society Award | |
| 2007 | 43rd Chicago International Film Festival | Best Actress | Tuya's Marriage |
| 2008 | 8th Chinese Film Media Awards | Best Actress | |
| 15th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Students' Choice Award for Favorite Actress | Deadly Delicious |