Chinese actress
Ni Ni (Chinese: 倪妮; pinyin: Ní Nī, born 8 August 1988) is a Chinese actress best known for portraying Yu Mo in the 2011 film The Flowers of War, directed by Zhang Yimou; and Ling Xi in the 2019 television series Love and Destiny. She is considered to be one of the “New Four Dan Actresses” by Southern Metropolis Daily.[1]
Early life
Ni was born on 8 August 1988 in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. She graduated from the Communication University of China, Nanjing, majoring in television broadcasting and hosting.[2]
Career
Ni made her debut in Zhang Yimou's war film The Flowers of War, playing the lead female character "Yu Mo".[3] She received acclaim for her performance in the film and rose to fame.[4]
In 2012 and 2013, Li starred in the mystery film Redemption alongside Liu Ye,[5] romance film Love Will Tear Us Apart and road-trip drama film Up in the Wind.[6][7]
In 2014, Ni starred in the coming-of-age film Fleet of Time.[8][9] In 2015, Ni starred alongside Angelababy in the Chinese remake of Bride Wars.[10]
In 2016, Ni starred in the Chinese-French fantasy The Warriors Gate, written by Luc Besson.[11]
The same year, she starred in the romantic comedy film Suddenly Seventeen, directed by Zhang Yimou's daughter.[12]
In 2017, Ni starred in fantasy action film Wu Kong,[13] as well as science fiction wuxia film The Thousand Faces of Dunjia directed by Tsui Hark.[14]
In 2018, Ni starred in her first television drama, The Rise of Phoenixes alongside Chen Kun. She released her first single, "Why to No Avail" as part of the soundtrack of the series.[15][16] Forbes China listed Ni under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields.[17]
In 2019, Ni returned to the big screen in the crime heist film Savage.[18] She then made her theater debut in the play One One Zero Eight directed by Stan Lai.[19] The same year, Ni starred in the fantasy romance drama Love and Destiny alongside Chang Chen.[20] The series received positive reviews, and Ni gained acclaim for her portrayal of a fairy maiden that went through numerous struggles to attain happiness.[21]
In 2020, Ni starred alongside Andy Lau in the action thriller Shock Wave 2.[22] The same year she returned to television in CCTV-8's My Best Friend's Story, which earned her a Magnolia Award for Best Actress nomination at the 27th Shanghai Television Festival.[23]
In 2021, Ni starred in romantic-drama film Yanagawa, directed by Korean-Chinese filmmaker Zhang Lü. For her highly praised performance in this film, she was nominated for Best Actress at the 35th Golden Rooster Awards.[24] In the same year, Ni was cast in the drama Night Wanderer, adapted from the popular time-travel themed novel "Ye Lv Ren" (夜旅人) by Zhao Xi Zhi alongside Deng Lun.[25]
In 2022, Ni made her return to the big screen in Lost in the Stars alongside Zhu Yilong, a mystery crime film was produced by Chen Sicheng. The film was then released theatrically in early 2023 and became a huge commercial success when it grossed over ¥3.524 billion at the box office in China[26][27] and won her the Golden Deer Award for Best Actress at the 18th Changchun Film Festival.[28]
Endorsements
Ni has been the Chinese ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2011[29] and now a global spokesperson for Jaeger-LeCoultre.[30] She was named as the global ambassador for SK-II in 2013.[31]
In 2014, she was selected to be the brand ambassador for Uniqlo in China,[32] and now a global spokesperson for Uniqlo.[33]
She was the official global ambassador of Tiffany & Co. between 2017 and 2019.
Ni has been the official brand ambassador of Gucci since 2017[34] and a global ambassador for Gucci's Eyewear since 2019.[35] Since 2022, she has been announced as Global Brand Ambassador of Gucci.[36]
Ni has been the global ambassador of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics since 2019[37] and a global ambassador of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel since 2021.[38]
Since 2022, French luxury beauty house Lancôme announced Ni as their Global Skincare and Fragrance Ambassador.[39][40]
