Gong Beibi

Beibi Gong (born February 21, 1978 in Fujian, China) is a Chinese film and television actress. Beginning her acting career as a teenager after she was discovered for the lead role in the film You Are Not Sixteen, Gong later studied and graduated from the nationally prestigious Central Academy of Drama. She first gained recognition among audiences in China after starring in several popular TV series and feature films in both mainland China and Hong Kong. Due to her success while still a student, Gong was dubbed in the media at the time as "little Gong Li", who also graduated from the same acting college. After graduating, Gong continued diversifying her roles with different projects, including starring in and executive producing Bus 44, which gained her critical acclaim in China, Europe, and North America where it premiered and won awards at the Venice Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, Gong Beibi starred in the feature film Waiting Alone which opened to critical raves at the Tokyo Film Festival. The indie film was released nationwide in September 2005 and became a hit with audiences across China, and one of the best reviewed and most talked about Chinese films the year. Waiting Alone was nominated for several awards including "Best Picture" at the Chinese academy awards (Golden Rooster Awards). Gong Beibi's memorable performance in Waiting Alone, which Variety magazine called "impressive", garnered her a "Most Favorite Actress" nomination at the12th Beijing Student Film Festival. Gong's 2007 Chinese holiday ensemble comedy Call for Love was a success at the box office, she followed up with a special appearance in action director Benny Chan's Connected the Hong Kong action film remake of Cellular, and continued starring in TV series.