Chen Kun

Chinese actor, singer and producer


title: "Chen Kun" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1976-births", "21st-century-chinese-male-actors", "beijing-film-academy-alumni", "male-actors-from-chongqing", "singers-from-chongqing", "living-people", "chinese-mandopop-singers", "21st-century-chinese-male-singers", "chinese-male-film-actors", "chinese-male-television-actors"] description: "Chinese actor, singer and producer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Kun" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Chinese actor, singer and producer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameChen Kun
image寻龙诀.jpg
captionChen at Mojin: The Lost Legend Beijing Premier on December 18, 2015
birth_date
birth_placeChongqing, China
death_date
::

| name = Chen Kun | image = 寻龙诀.jpg | alt = | caption = Chen at Mojin: The Lost Legend Beijing Premier on December 18, 2015 | native_name = | native_name_lang = | pronunciation = | birth_date = | birth_place = Chongqing, China| alma_mater = Beijing Film Academy | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | body_discovered = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | burial_place = | burial_coordinates = | occupation = {{flatlist|

Chen has won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor, Huabiao Award for Outstanding Actor, and received a Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Actor. He ranked 68th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2014, 28th in 2014, 15th in 2017, and 52nd in 2019.

Biography

Early life

Chen Kun was born in Chongqing. He was raised by his maternal grandmother before reuniting with his mother at 11. His parents divorced soon after Chen's second younger brother was born, and Chen began working part-time in high school to support his mother. He started as a typist at the municipal office and later as a solo singer at night clubs. He showed early talent in singing and was strongly recommended by his vocal trainer and mentor to join the China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble (now China National Song and Dance Ensemble) in Beijing in 1995. In 1996, he was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, where he majored in acting.

Acting

1999–2004: Debut and rising popularity

Chen debuted in the 1999 film The National Anthem. He rose to prominence with a series of hit television dramas Love in Shanghai (2001), Pink Ladies (2002) and The Story of a Noble Family (2003), the last of which was adapted from the novel of the same name by Zhang Henshui.

Chen gained international recognition in 2002, after starring in Franco-Chinese romance film Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

2005–2016: Films and acclaim

Chen then starred in A West Lake Moment (2005), playing a love-seeking and idealistic young man who is not easily satisfied. He was nominated as Best Actor for his performance at the Golden Horse Awards. He next starred in The Music Box (2006), which earned him the Best Actor accolade at the Shanghai Film Critics Awards for capturing his screen character's years of arduous life and as well as his struggles and joys.

Chen rose to international prominence with The Knot (2007). He described the role as a "big challenge" to him, as he had to portray the maturing process of his character over 20 years. He also won Best Actor at the 2007 Huabiao Film Awards. He next starred in Gordon Chan's horror-adventure film Painted Skin (2008), which won him the Best Actor award at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Chen_Kun_2007.jpg" caption="work=China Daily}} In 2010, Chen established his own agency K Pictures (Dongshen Tonghua)."] ::

Chen starred in wuxia film Flying Swords of Dragon Gate directed by Tsui Hark in 2011. His dynamic portrayal of two distinct characters; the cold and cruel Yu Huatian and the witty and humorous Feng Lidao, won him Best Actor nominations at the Asian Film Awards and Hundred Flowers Awards. The dual roles marked a turning point in Chen's popularity and acting career, and has become one of his most representative works to date.

Chen played the role of Qian Xuesen in the biopic of the author released in 2012. He received critical acclaim for his capturing his character's growth from young to old, and was awarded the Best Actor award at the Shanghai Film Critics Awards for the second time. The same year, he starred in Painted Skin: The Resurrection, the sequel to Painted Skin. The film grossed over 700 million yuan ($109.8 million), becoming the highest-grossing Chinese-language movie of all time then.

Chen then starred in Bends, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Chen won the Best Actor award at the 2013 International du Film de Femmes de Sale held in Morocco. Chen was crowned as the "Weibo King" at the 2013 Sina Weibo Night for his popularity on the micro-blogging site.

Chen starred in fantasy epics in 2015; Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal as well as Mojin: The Lost Legend where he played Hu Bayi, the main character of the popular tomb-raiding novel series. Mojin was a huge commercial success, breaking the box office record for a local language IMAX film in China.

In 2016, Chen starred alongside Bai Baihe in crime caper film Chongqing Hot Pot. The film received acclaim and positive word-of-mouth, grossing 152 million yuan in four days. He also made a special appearance in the romantic comedy Beautiful Accident opposite his Rest on Your Shoulder co-star Gwei Lun-mei. The same year, Chen co-produced and starred in his first television variety Twenty Four Hours. The first episode was broadcast on January 21 on Zhejiang Television and ranked first in ratings.

2017–present: Return to television

In 2018, Chen starred in the period spy drama Lost in 1949 (also known as The Double, 脱身) as twin brothers from First Cuts Features' CEO and show runner Tang XiRu (唐郗汝) and Wang QiNan (汪启楠). He also starred in the costume drama The Rise of Phoenixes as a calculating and ambitious royal prince. These two dramas, co-produced by Chen, marked his return to the small screen after a decade, only to mixed reviews and low ratings. He also starred in fantasy film The Yinyang Master (2021), adapted from Ohmyoji game.

In 2021, he was selected as jury member at 11th Beijing International Film Festival for Tiantan Awards.

Music

Apart from acting, Chen is also an established singer. He frequently performs theme songs for his television series and has released three full-length studio albums. Chen made his debut as a singer in 2004 with the album Osmosis. He then released his second album Make It Come True Again, winning him Most Popular Male Vocalist at the MTV Asia Awards. To promote his third album Mystery&Me, he held his first solo concert in Beijing in February 2010. He wrote the lyrics to the single "Power to Go", which he released for a philanthropy program to advocate environmental awareness and protection.

Others

Since 2011, Chen set up a series of public charities named "Power to Go", aimed to encourage people to simply go outside and walk, in an effort to improve their health and spirit. The events were held on separate occasions in Qinghai and Tibet.

Chen is also a keen writer, having published and co-authored several books. His first book Suddenly Walked to Tibet (突然就走到了西藏) was published in 2011, and contains a collection of autobiographical essays. It was a huge commercial success, and Chen became the first and only actor to make it on to China's Writers Rich List. In 2012, he co-authored the book Heading East, in the Direction of Peace (往西,宁静的方向), the first in a series of five books promoting the charity program. In 2014, he published Strange Aquarius (鬼水瓶录), a short-story collection that takes inspiration from his Weibo posts and life story.

Endorsements

In 2012, Chen Kun's wax figure entered the Madame Tussauds Museum in Shanghai and became the second wax figure of a famous Chinese actor in the museum's collection. He has also been designated as China's Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF.

In 2014, he became the product ambassador of Huawei's honorary brand in China.

In 2015, Chen became the global ambassador of the Giorgio Armani brand and the luxury watch brand Baume & Mercier.

In 2017, he became the spokesperson for the skin care brand Fresh in China and the brand spokesperson for Motorola's new flagship mobile phone moto in 2018.

Personal life

Chen disclosed in his autobiography that he suffered from depression between 2003 and 2007.

While Chen has never had a public relationship, he mentioned on The Jin Xing Show that he had a girlfriend when he was 16 or 17 years old, describing it as a situation where "she loved me, but I didn't love her very much." He also mentioned an earlier, "undeveloped" first love.

Chen is unmarried but has a son, Chen Zunyou (Alex Chen), nicknamed Youyou, born in 2002. The birth mother's identity remains unknown. The earliest mention of Chen's son appeared in a Yangtze Evening Post report in October 2003, which stated that "Chen Kun adopted an abandoned child." In 2007, Southern Metropolis Weekly published a report titled "Neighbors Reveal: Chen Kun Has a Five-Year-Old Illegitimate Son Nicknamed 'Youyou'," after which the speculation that the child was Chen's biological son intensified. Chen's uncle instead said, "The child should be Chen Kun's younger brother's. At that time, Chen Yu (Chen Kun's younger brother) was not yet married, but he had a child and no job. Chen Kun has a very good relationship with his younger brother, so he adopted the child."

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes
1999The National Anthem国歌Nie Er
2002Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress巴尔扎克和小裁缝Luo Ming
2003Kung Fu Girls中国功夫少女组Tang ZhengSpecial appearance
2004Baober in Love恋爱中的宝贝Mao MaoGuest appearance
2005A West Lake Moment鸳鸯蝴蝶Ah Qin
2006The Music Box理发师Lu Ping
The Knot云水谣Chen Qiushui
2007The DoorJiang Zhongtian
2008Playboy Cops花花型警Lincoln Lin
Painted Skin画皮Wang Sheng
2009Mulan花木兰Wentai
The Founding of a Republic建国大业Chiang Ching-kuo
2010My Ex-wife's Wedding跟我的前妻谈恋爱Ma Yong
Let the Bullets Fly让子弹飞Hu Wan
2011The Founding of a Party建党伟业Zhou Enlai
Rest on Your Shoulder肩上蝶Yan Guo
Love on Credit幸福额度Zhang Quanco-producer
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate龙门飞甲Yu Huatian / Wind Blade (Feng Li Dao)
2012Hsue-shen Tsien钱学森Qian Xuesen
Painted Skin: The Resurrection画皮IIGeneral Huo Xin
2013Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon狄仁杰之神都龙王Wang BoGuest appearance
2014Bends过界男女Huang Zihui
2015Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal钟馗伏魔:雪妖魔灵2Zhong Kui
Mojin: The Lost Legend寻龙诀Hu Bayi
2016Chongqing Hot Pot火锅英雄Liu Bo
2017Beautiful Accident美好的意外Zhang Tao / Zi JunSpecial appearance, Executive Producer
2021The Yinyang Master侍神令Qing Ming
TBAThe Weary Poet诗眼倦天涯Ye Motian
Fengshen Trilogy封神三部曲Yuanshi Reverend
::

Television series

::data[format=table]

YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes
2001Love Story in Shanghai像雾像雨又像风Chen Zikun
Pink Ladies粉红女郎RomeoGuest appearance
Traveller Story旅人的故事Fang
Love in Sunshine爱在阳光灿烂时Ouyang Jun
2002Only You非你不可Ke Lei
The Noble Family买办之家Yu ZikunGuest appearance
2003The Story of a Noble Family金粉世家Jin Yanxi
Farewell Vancouver别了,温哥华Luo Yi
Red Carpet, Black Dream红色地毯黑色梦Lan Hao
Shuang Xiang Pao双响炮Xu HengGuest appearance
2004Ming Yang Hua Gu名扬花鼓Mingyang
Chinese Story中国故事Xiaodongsegment: Brother's Story (哥们的故事)
Yearning of the Sword长剑相思Yan Zhuiyun
2005True Love on Earth天地真情Lin ShijieGuest appearance
Eager for True Love渴望真爱Hu Ansegment: Absolute Privacy (绝对隐私)
Wind and Rain in Xiguan风雨西关Liang Jinkun
Hero of the Year好想好想谈恋爱Lu KunGuest appearance
2006The Conquest争霸传奇Fan Li
2007Zhu's Family Garden朱家花园Li Bowen
2008Love will be our Witness情证今生Zhou Hao
C'est La Vie, Mon Chéri新不了情Cheung Siu-kit
Remembrance of Dreams Past故梦Lu Tian'en
2018Lost in 1949 (also known as The Double)脱身Qiao Zhicai / Qiao Lijieco-producer
The Rise of Phoenixes天盛长歌Ning Yico-producer
2021Dream of a Salesman输赢Zhou Yue
2022The Wind Blows From Longxi风起陇西Chen Gong
::

Discography

::data[format=table title="Albums"]

YearEnglish titleChinese titleNotes
2004Osmosis渗透EP
2006Make It Come True Again再一次实现
2009Mystery & Me谜ME
::

::data[format=table title="Singles"]

YearEnglish titleChinese titleAlbumNotes
2005"Forgetting"忘却Feng Yu Xi Guan OST
2006"Conquest"争霸The Conquest OST
"It's Really Forever"真永远
2007"Always Together, Never Leaving"相随相依永不分离Zhu Jia Hua Yuan OST
2008"Beijing Welcomes You"北京欢迎你2008 Summer Olympics theme song
2011"Power to Go"Power to Go theme song
"Promise of Love"幸福宣言Love on Credit OST
2016"Looking for the Dragon Spell"寻龙诀Mojin: The Lost Legend OST
::

Accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Chen Kun

Endorsements and ambassadorship

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Chen_Kun_at_Baume_et_Mercier_Beijing_Event.jpg" caption="Chen at Baume et Mercier event in Beijing (October 12, 2016)."] ::

Chen was appointed as one of the goodwill ambassadors for China-ROK Exchange Year in 2007. He was also appointed as UNICEF Ambassador for China.

In 2012, Chen became the second Chinese male celebrity to have a wax figure of himself displayed at Madam Tussaud in Shanghai.

In 2014, he became the product ambassador of Huawei's Honor brand in China.

In 2015, Chen became the global ambassador of Giorgio Armani and luxury watch brand Baume et Mercier.

In 2023, he was named as Burberry's global brand ambassador, with his appointment marking a milestone for the brand in the Chinese market.

References

References

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  91. Zhang, Tianwei. (April 11, 2023). "Burberry to Appoint First Chinese Ambassador in Two Years". [[Women's Wear Daily]].
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1976-births21st-century-chinese-male-actorsbeijing-film-academy-alumnimale-actors-from-chongqingsingers-from-chongqingliving-peoplechinese-mandopop-singers21st-century-chinese-male-singerschinese-male-film-actorschinese-male-television-actors