Zhao Dan
Encyclopedia
Zhao Dan (June 27, 1915 - October 10, 1980) was a Chinese
actor
popular in the golden age of Chinese Cinema
.
in the 1930s including playing opposite Zhou Xuan
in Street Angel
(1937). After the war
, Zhao began a creative relationship with director Zheng Junli
, with films such as the 1948 anti-Kuomintang
drama-comedy, Crows and Sparrows
.
Zhao remained on the mainland following the Communist
victory in 1949 and continued to make films throughout the 1950s and 1960s notably in biographical film
s playing historical figures of Nie Er
, Lin Zexu
(both films were directed by Zheng) and Li Shizhen
.
He joined Communist Party of China in 1957. During Cultural Revolution
, he was persecuted and imprisoned for 5 years. He died of pancreatic cancer in Beijing in 1980.
He was married to Ye Luqian in 1936. When he was arrested by Sheng Shicai
in Xinjiang
in 1939, it was rumored he had been dead. Thus Ye was married to playwright Du Xuan. After the war, he was released and returned to Shanghai. He later was married to Huang Zongying.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
popular in the golden age of Chinese Cinema
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
.
Biography
Zhao first became famous working in the Mingxing Film CompanyMingxing Film Company
Mingxing Film Company was one of the largest Chinese production companies during the 1920s, and 1930s in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The company lasted from 1922 until 1937 when it was closed permanently by the Second Sino-Japanese War.-History:...
in the 1930s including playing opposite Zhou Xuan
Zhou Xuan
Zhou Xuan was a popular Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's seven great singing stars. She is probably the most well-known of the seven, as she had a concurrent movie career until 1953.-Biography:...
in Street Angel
Street Angel (1937 film)
Street Angel is a Chinese film released in 1937. The film was directed by Yuan Muzhi and stars the popular singer Zhou Xuan.-Synopsis:The film deals with two sisters, Xiao Hong and Xiao Yun who have fled from the war in Northeast China to Shanghai, where they are living under the brutal thumb of...
(1937). After the war
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, Zhao began a creative relationship with director Zheng Junli
Zheng Junli
Zheng Junli was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Early years:...
, with films such as the 1948 anti-Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
drama-comedy, Crows and Sparrows
Crows and Sparrows
Crows and Sparrows was a 1949 Chinese film made by Kunlun Studios on the eve of the Communist victory and directed by Zheng Junli. Notable for its extremely critical view of corrupt Nationalist bureaucrats, the film was made as Chiang Kai-shek's Nanjing-based government was on the verge of...
.
Zhao remained on the mainland following the Communist
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
victory in 1949 and continued to make films throughout the 1950s and 1960s notably in biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
s playing historical figures of Nie Er
Nie Er
Nie Er , was a Chinese composer. He is known for composing the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, the March of the Volunteers. In numerous Shanghai magazines he went by the English name "George Njal"...
, Lin Zexu
Lin Zexu
Lín Zéxú ; 30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the Qing Dynasty.He is most recognized for his conduct and his constant position on the "high moral ground" in his fight, as a "shepherd" of his people, against the opium trade in Guangzhou...
(both films were directed by Zheng) and Li Shizhen
Li Shizhen
Li Shizhen , courtesy name Dongbi , was one of the greatest Chinese herbologists and acupuncturists in Chinese history. His major contribution to medicine was his 27-year work, which is found in his epic book the Bencao Gangmu...
.
He joined Communist Party of China in 1957. During Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, he was persecuted and imprisoned for 5 years. He died of pancreatic cancer in Beijing in 1980.
He was married to Ye Luqian in 1936. When he was arrested by Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai was a Chinese warlord who "ruled" Xinjiang province from April 12, 1933 to August 29, 1944....
in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
in 1939, it was rumored he had been dead. Thus Ye was married to playwright Du Xuan. After the war, he was released and returned to Shanghai. He later was married to Huang Zongying.
As actor
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 1933 in film -Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded.... |
Twenty-Four Hours in Shanghai | 上海二十四小时 | Shen Xiling Shen Xiling Shen Xiling was a Chinese film director.- Partial filmography :- External links :... |
|
| 1937 1937 in film The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US.... |
Street Angel Street Angel (1937 film) Street Angel is a Chinese film released in 1937. The film was directed by Yuan Muzhi and stars the popular singer Zhou Xuan.-Synopsis:The film deals with two sisters, Xiao Hong and Xiao Yun who have fled from the war in Northeast China to Shanghai, where they are living under the brutal thumb of... |
马路天使 | Yuan Muzhi Yuan Muzhi Yuan Muzhi was an actor and director from the Republic of China and later of the People's Republic of China.- Career :... |
Xiao Chen |
| 1937 1937 in film The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US.... |
Crossroads Crossroads (1937 film) Crossroads is a 1937 Chinese seriocomedy film directed by Shen Xiling and starring Bai Yang and Zhao Dan. The film exemplified the growing trend of Chinese films by the mid-1930s of incorporating references to the war with Japan... |
十字街头 | Shen Xiling Shen Xiling Shen Xiling was a Chinese film director.- Partial filmography :- External links :... |
Zhao |
| 1949 1949 in film The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello... |
Crows and Sparrows Crows and Sparrows Crows and Sparrows was a 1949 Chinese film made by Kunlun Studios on the eve of the Communist victory and directed by Zheng Junli. Notable for its extremely critical view of corrupt Nationalist bureaucrats, the film was made as Chiang Kai-shek's Nanjing-based government was on the verge of... |
烏鴉与麻雀 | Zheng Junli Zheng Junli Zheng Junli was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Early years:... |
Little Broadcast |
| 1949 1949 in film The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello... |
Three Women Three Women (1949 film) Three Women also known as Women Side-By-Side is a 1949 Chinese film directed by Chen Liting. The film, based on a play by the leftist writer Tian Han , tells the story of three women in contemporary China, a former revolutionary, a factory worker, and a Chinese Nora.- Cast :*Gao Zhongshi*Huang... |
丽人行 | Chen Liting | Zhang Yuliang |
| 1950 1950 in film The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush... |
The Life of Wu Xun The Life of Wu Xun The Life of Wu Xun is a 1950 Chinese film directed by Sun Yu and starring Zhao Dan. A black-white movie, it was produced by Kunlun Film Studio... |
武训传 | Sun Yu Sun Yu (director) Sun Yu was a major leftist film director active in the 1930s in Shanghai. One of the core directors of the Lianhua Film Company, Sun Yu made a name for himself with a series of socially conscious dramas in the early to mid 1930s... |
Wu Xun Wu Xun Wu Xun was a Chinese educational reformer who pioneered free popular education in the country. He became a hero of progressive culture in China, but in the 1960s during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution his reputation was attacked and his body was exhumed and burned.- Biography :Wu was born in... |
| 1951 1951 in film The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:... |
The Married Couple | 我们夫妇之间 | Zheng Junli Zheng Junli Zheng Junli was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Early years:... |
|
| 1956 1956 in film The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by... |
Li Shizen | 李时珍 | Shen Fu | Li Shizhen Li Shizhen Li Shizhen , courtesy name Dongbi , was one of the greatest Chinese herbologists and acupuncturists in Chinese history. His major contribution to medicine was his 27-year work, which is found in his epic book the Bencao Gangmu... |
| 1958 1958 in film The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946.... |
Lin Zexu | 林则徐 | Zheng Junli Zheng Junli Zheng Junli was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Early years:... |
Lin Zexu Lin Zexu Lín Zéxú ; 30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the Qing Dynasty.He is most recognized for his conduct and his constant position on the "high moral ground" in his fight, as a "shepherd" of his people, against the opium trade in Guangzhou... |
| 1959 1959 in film The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters.... |
Nie Er | 聂耳 | Zheng Junli Zheng Junli Zheng Junli was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Early years:... |
Nie Er Nie Er Nie Er , was a Chinese composer. He is known for composing the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, the March of the Volunteers. In numerous Shanghai magazines he went by the English name "George Njal"... |
As director
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 1947 in film The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25... |
The Dress Returns to Glory | 衣锦荣归 | |
| 1953 1953 in film The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A... |
Bless the Children | 为孩子们祝福 | |
| 1964 1964 in film The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released.... |
An Evergreen Tree | 青山恋 | Also known as Precious Green Mountains |
External links
- A Man of Many Faces
- Zhao Dan at the Chinese Movie Database