Joan CHEN

One of the most iconic Asian actresses in world cinema

One of the most iconic Asian actresses in world cinema, Joan CHEN made her film debut at the age of 14 in XIE Jin’s Youth (1977). She won Best Actress at the 3rd Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance in Little Flower (1980), only her second film. CHEN later moved to the United States to study at California State University, Northridge. During her time in the US, she landed a small role in Wayne WANG’s Dim Sum (1985) and a starring role in Tai-Pan (1986). After her performance as Empress Wanrong in Bernardo BERTOLUCCI’s The Last Emperor (1987) put her in the global spotlight, CHEN also wowed audiences around the world as Josie Packard in David LYNCH’s Twin Peaks (1990). In 1993, she returned to Chinese-language cinema with an audacious performance in Clara LAW’s Temptation of a Monk.  CHEN’s performance in Stanley KWAN’s Red Rose, White Rose (1994) earned the actress her first Golden Horse Award for Best Actress. In 1998, CHEN made her first foray into directing with Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl. The film won seven Golden Horse awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Film. In 2007, she won both the Golden Horse Award and the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress for Australian drama The Home Song Stories. In the same year, she won the Asian Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for JIANG Wen’s The Sun Also Rises.