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Yuan Li (Chinese: 袁立; pinyin: Yuán Lì; born 12 July 1973) is a Chinese actress and philanthropist.

Yuan rose to fame for her role in the television drama Never Close Eyes (1998), for which she won the Supporting Actress at the 18th Golden Eagle Awards. She starred in the four seasons of television series The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan (2002–2008) and won the Best Supporting Actress at the 20th Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance in the film Pure Sentiment (2002).

Since 2011, Yuan has shifted her focus to charitable work, including establishing the Yuan Li Foundation for pneumoconiosis patients—a sensitive topic in China due to its link to government negligence regarding workers’ rights. She converted to Christianity around 2013. Following years of increasingly outspoken views on social issues, religion, and the COVID-19 pandemic, her Weibo account was suspended in 2020, effectively blacklisting her in China. In 2021, her Twitter account was suspended after she expressed support for Donald Trump while attacking Joe Biden and his family

Life

Early life

Yuan was born Yuan Li (袁莉; Yuán Lì) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang on July 12, 1973, with her ancestral home in Jiangyin, Jiangsu. She graduated from Beijing Film Academy, majoring in acting.

Acting career

Yuan had her first experience in front of the camera in 1996, and she was chosen to act as a support actor in History of Han Dynasty, a film starring Zhang Tielin.

After playing minor roles in various films and television series, Yuan rose to fame after portraying Ouyang Lanlan in the television series Never Close Eyes, alongside Lu Yi, she won the "Best Supporting Actress" at the 18th China Golden Eagle Awards.

In 2000, Yuan starred as Du Xiaoyue in The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan, a historical television series co-starring with Zhang Guoli, Zhang Tielin and Wang Gang, which were highly praised by audience.

In 2002, Yuan played the role of An Ran in Cao Baoping's film Pure Sentiment, for which she received a "Best Supporting Actress" at the 20th Hundred Flowers Awards.

In 2010, Yuan acted with Andy Lau and Gong Li in Chen Daming's film What Women Want.

On September 19, Yuan became a spokesperson of the Red Cross Society of China.

Personal life

In 1993, Yuan met businessman Xu Wei (徐威), with whom she had a 12-year relationship until 2005. They had a rumored son born in the late 1990s, but they never confirmed.

Yuan married her first husband Zhao Ling (赵岭), a Chinese actor, on September 9, 2005. They divorced in 2007.

On November 30, 2011, Yuan married her second husband Blaine Willis Grunewald, a Canadian Mormon missionary. Grunewald studied Chinese at Northeast Normal University from 2003 to 2004, and obtained a Bachelor of Laws from Fudan University in 2009. He briefly worked for Lehman Bush, a firm co-founded by Neil Bush and Edward Lehman. They divorced in 2015.

On 26 March 2019, Yuan announced that she had married her third husband Liang Taiping (梁太平), a poet.

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards

References

1. "China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World" 张国立袁立李亚鹏黄圣依 揭最雷人的荧幕情侣. Chinadaily (in Chinese). 2014.
2. 盘点大牌女星吸烟豪放照 袁立派头似大姐大(图). NEN (in Chinese). 2014.
3. "中國藝人袁立或皈依基督教 喜愛遠志明牧師良言". www.gospelherald.com.hk. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
4. 自由時報電子報 (2021-01-21). "中國女星挺川普酸拜登 遭推特封殺 - 自由娛樂". 自由時報電子報 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
5. 北影校花成名史 袁立许晴蒋勤勤黄圣依江一燕赵薇 (in Chinese). 2014.
6. ^ 《张怡宁老公昔日恋情曝光 传曾与袁立同居生一子》. ifeng.com (in Chinese). 2009-10-21.
7. "张怡宁老公与袁立的儿子已10岁? 遭网友调侃(图)——中新网". www.chinanews.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
8. 《袁莉公开承认已婚 洋老公示爱：我的唯一》. Ifeng (in Chinese). Lin Fang. 2011-12-28.
9. 《袁立外国老公Blaine身份揭秘 为小布什弟弟公司CEO》. cocoren.com (in Chinese). 2011-12-02.
10. Ruan Jiaqi (阮佳琪), ed. (26 March 2019). 45岁袁立迎来第三段婚姻. guancha.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 6 February 2020.

External links

• Yuan Li on Sinablog
• Yuan Li on Weibo (in Chinese)

• 1973 births
• Actresses from Hangzhou
• Actresses from Zhejiang
• Beijing Film Academy alumni
• Living people
• Chinese film actresses
• Chinese television actresses