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]

Ni Ni
倪妮
Ni Ni at the 35th Golden Rooster Awards in November 2022
Born (1988-08-08) 8 August 1988 (age 35)
Alma materCommunication University of China, Nanjing
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
AgentNi Ni Studio
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese倪妮
Simplified Chinese倪妮

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]

In 2024, Ni was invited as a member of the jury for Asian New Talent Awards of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival.[29]

Endorsements

Ni has been the Chinese ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2011[30] and now a global spokesperson for Jaeger-LeCoultre.[31][32] She was named as the global ambassador for SK-II in 2013.[33][34][35]

In 2014, she was selected to be the brand ambassador for Uniqlo in China,[36] and became a global spokesperson for Uniqlo since 2019.[37]

She was the official global ambassador of Tiffany & Co. between 2017 and 2019.[38][39]

Ni has been the official brand ambassador of Gucci since 2017[40] and a global ambassador for Gucci's Eyewear since 2019.[41] Since 2022, she has been announced as Global Brand Ambassador of Gucci.[42] She became the global face of Gucci Eyewear through various collections' campaigns such as Spring Summer 2017,[43] Fall Winter 2017,[44] Spring Summer 2018,[45] Fall Winter 2018,[46] Sprring Summer 2019,[47] Fall Winter 2019,[48] Spring Summer 2020,[49] Spring Summer 2021,[50] Fall Winter 2021,[51] Spring Summer 2022,[52] Fall Winter 2022,[53] Spring Summer 2023,[54] Fall Winter 2023 [55] and Spring Summer 2024.[56] In January 2020, she became the global face of the Gucci's Chinese New Year with Mickey Mouse-themed collection campaign along with Earl Cave and Zoë Bleu that shot by American photographer and director Harmony Korine.[57] In January 2024, Ni starred as the global face of the Gucci's Valigeria campaign for the Savoy collection along with her co-star in the TV series Love and Destiny - Chang Chen.[58][59][60]

Ni had been the global spokesperson of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics since 2019[61][62] and a global ambassador of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel since 2021.[63]

Since 2022, French luxury beauty house Lancôme announced Ni as their Global Skincare and Fragrance Ambassador.[64][65]

In 2022, Ni had been the brand spokesperson of L'Oréal Hair-care.[66] Since 2024, Vaseline announced Ni as the brand spokesperson in the Asia-Pacific region.[67]

Filmography

Film

YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes/Ref.
2011The Flowers of War金陵十三钗Yu Mo[3]
2013Redemption杀戒Jiang Yue[5]
Love Will Tear Us Apart我想和你好好的Miaomiao[6]
Up in the Wind等风來Cheng Yumeng[7]
2014Fleet of Time匆匆那年Fang Hui[8]
2015Bride Wars新娘大作战Ma Li[10]
2016The Warriors Gate勇士之門Su Lin[11]
Suddenly Seventeen28岁未成年Liang Xia[12]
2017Wu Kong悟空传Ah Zi[13]
The Thousand Faces of Dunjia奇門遁甲Metal Dragonfly[14]
2019Savages雪暴Sun Yan[18]
2021Shock Wave 2拆弹专家2Pong Ling[22]
19211921Wang Huiwu[68]
Yanagawa漫长的告白Liu Chuan[69]
2023Lost in the Stars消失的她Chen Mai / Shen Man[70]
2024A Man and A Woman一个男人和一个女人a woman[71][72]

Television series

YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes
2018The Rise of Phoenixes天盛长歌Feng Zhiwei[15]
2019Love and Destiny宸汐缘Ling Xi[20]
2020With You在一起Ping XiaoanPart 2: Ferryman
My Best Friend's Story流金岁月Zhu Suosuo[73]
2021Medal of the Republic功勋Sun Yuqin[74]
2022The Heart of Genius天才基本法Qiu Yue (Guest Role)
2023Parallel World西出玉门Ye Liuxi
TBANight Wanderer夜旅人Zong Ying

Television show

YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes/Ref.
2015Wonderful Friends奇妙的朋友Cast member[75]

Short film and documentary

YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes/Ref.
2011Zhang Yimou and His Flowers of War张艺谋和他的金陵十三钗[76]
2013Touched心动[77]
Always Online爱在线Miao Miao[78]
F-TypeF-TYPE非你莫属DJ[79]
2014Cartier Wedding Series卡地亚2014婚礼系列[80]
2015卡地亚2015婚礼系列[81]
2017Dissecting Yourself解剖自己[82]
20181/2 Encounter1/2的相遇[83]
2019One One Zero Eight幺幺洞捌·妮行[84]

Theatre

YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes/Ref.
2019One One Zero Eight幺幺洞捌Shu Tong[19]

Discography

YearEnglish titleChinese titleAlbumNotes/Ref.
2015"Today You Will Marry Me"今天你要嫁给我Bride Wars OSTwith Angelababy, Chen Xiao & Zhu Yawen[85]
"Do You Hear Me"你有没有听到我Wonderful Friends OST[86]
2018"Why to No Avail"何奈何The Rise of Phoenixes OST[87]
2020"Dare Of The Awakening"[88]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryFilmResultRef.
Major awards
20126th Asian Film AwardsBest NewcomerThe Flowers of WarWon[89]
12th Chinese Film Media AwardsBest ActressNominated[90]
Best NewcomerNominated
Most Popular ActressWon[91]
21st Shanghai Film Critics AwardsBest ActressWon[92]
7th Chinese Young Generation Film Forum AwardsBest New ActressWon[93]
201315th Huabiao AwardsOutstanding New ActressNominated[94]
20179th Macau International Movie FestivalBest ActressWu KongNominated[95]
201824th Huading AwardsBest Actress (Ancient Drama)The Rise of PhoenixesNominated[96]
14th Changchun Film FestivalBest ActressSuddenly SeventeenNominated
20196th The Actors of China AwardsBest Actress (Emerald Category)The Rise of PhoenixesNominated[97]
26th Huading AwardsBest Actress (Historical drama)Love and DestinyNominated[98]
Golden Bud – The Fourth Network Film And Television FestivalBest ActressNominated[99]
20207th The Actors of China AwardsBest Actress (Emerald)Nominated[100]
202127th Shanghai Television FestivalBest ActressMy Best Friend's StoryNominated[101]
13th Macau International Movie FestivalBest Supporting ActressShock Wave 2Nominated[102][103]
202236th Hundred Flowers AwardsBest Actress1921Shortlisted[104]
35th Golden Rooster AwardsBest ActressYanagawaNominated[105]
202314th China Film Director's Guild AwardsBest ActressShortlisted[106]
18th Changchun Film FestivalBest ActressLost in the StarsWon[107]
8th Golden Crane AwardsBest ActressWon[108][109]
15th Macau International Movie FestivalBest ActressNominated[110]
202437th Hundred Flowers AwardsBest ActressPending[111]
Other awards
2012Entertainment Live Award CeremonyMost Anticipated Film FigureThe Flowers of WarWon[112]
3rd LeTV Entertainment AwardsMost Popular Film ActressWon[113]
Grazia Award NightTrend New Force of the YearWon[114]
2013Fashion Power AwardsMost Popular ActressWon[115]
2014China Content Marketing AwardsBest Image Brand EndorserAlways OnlineWon[116]
2015Sina Entertainment 15th Anniversary Award CeremonyOutstanding YouthWon[117]
2017China Screen RankingTrend of the YearWon[118]
2018Weibo Awards NightWeibo GoddessWon[119]
2019Cosmo Glam NightPerson of The Year (Dream)Won[120]
8th iQiyi All-Star CarnivalDrama Actress of the YearWon[121]
Sina Fashion AwardsPerson of the YearWon[122]
16th Esquire Man At His Best AwardsMost Beautiful Woman of the YearWon[123]
2023Tencent Video All Star Night 2023Quality TV Drama Actress of the YearWon[124]

Forbes China Celebrity 100

YearRankRef.
201772nd[125]
201964th[126]
202070th[127]

References