Fan Bingbing (
Chinese: 范冰冰, born 16 September 1981 in
Yantai) is a Chinese actress. From 2013 to 2017, she was included as the highest-paid celebrity in the ForbesChina Celebrity 100 list after ranking in the top 10 every year since 2006.[3][4][5] She appeared on
Time magazine's list of the
100 most influential people in 2017.
In 2018, Fan disappeared for three months, reportedly during an investigation into her tax affairs by the Chinese authorities. She was reportedly fined a sum greater than her net worth.[6] She subsequently appeared on social media, offering a public apology over
tax evasion, for which she was fined more than
CN¥883 million (US$127 million).[7][8][9]
Early life
Fan was born and raised in the east chinese coastal city
Yantai. Her father, Fan Tao, is a singer while her mother, Zhang Chuanmei is an actress.[10] She graduated from the Star Academy of the
Shanghai Xie Jin-Hengtong School of Arts.[11][12]
Career
1996–2006: Early roles and Cell Phone
Fan debuted in the television series Powerful Woman and played minor roles for two years, before gaining attention in 1999 for her supporting role as Jin Suo in the first two seasons of the Chinese television series My Fair Princess, adapted from
Taiwanese writer
Chiung Yao's story.[13] She was recommended by
Hong Kong actress
Leanne Liu to join the cast.[14] The comedic period drama enjoyed widespread success in Asia, making Fan a household name in the region.[15]
In 2003, she starred in Cell Phone, which became China's
highest-grossing film of the year and received critical acclaim at the
Hundred Flowers Awards. Fan signed an eight-year contract with Chiung Yao's company, which produced My Fair Princess. However, as the company had yet to establish any branches in mainland China, many mainland Chinese television advertising firms had to make calls to Taiwan for negotiations, resulting in a waste of time and effort. When Fan and her mother tried to contract, Chiung Yao's company asked for
CN¥1 million in compensation; eventually the court ordered Fan to pay CN¥200,000 because the contract was illegal due to her age.[16] Fan won a Best Actress Award at the 27th
Hundred Flowers Awards,[17] and an Outstanding New Actress nomination at the 10th
Huabiao Awards.[18]
For the first half of 2012, Fan attended many fashion shows in Paris.[32][33][34] On 16 May, she attended the opening ceremony of the
65th Cannes Film Festival as the only East Asian global spokesperson on behalf of
L'Oréal Paris.[35]Forbes ranked Fan third on the 2012
Forbes China Celebrity 100 List based on her success in that year.[36] In the film Double Xposure, which was released in China on 29 September,[37] she portrays a girl who, after suffering trauma during childhood, experiences visual hallucinations after witnessing her father kill her mother. Most film critics praised to Fan's performance,[38][39] and she won the
Huading Awards for Best Actress.[40] The film was a financial success, with a domestic gross of more than CN¥100 million,[41] which broke the box office record for a domestic art film in China. On 12 December, Fan appeared in Lost in Thailand, in which she did an unpaid cameo so as to "help" her first-time filmmaker friend,
Xu Zheng. The film broke the box office record for Chinese films in China to become one of the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time.[42]
2013–present: International ventures and established actress
In 2013, Fan appeared as Dr. Wu's assistant, Wu Jiaqi, in the mainland Chinese version of Iron Man 3, which was released on 1 May.[43][44] The same year, she starred alongside
Aarif Rahman in the romantic comedy One Night Surprise, which aired on
Chinese Valentine's Day. The low-budget film became a commercial success and received positive reviews.[45] On 9 December 2013, the Chinese e-commerce giant
Alibaba Group's B2C business
Taobao announced that Fan topped the list of the most valuable celebrities for boosting online business and said that Fan influenced approximately US$74 million in sales on its ecommerce website.[46] On 22 December, Fan received the Best Actress Award and the Hottest Figure Award at the
Baidu Hot Ceremony.[47] In 2014, Fan portrayed the mutant
Blink (Clarice Ferguson) in the American superhero film X-Men: Days of Future Past.[48] She also announced that she has a four-film contract with
20th Century Fox, yet she has not appeared in another X-Men film since.[49] The film was released globally and resulted in increased international fame and recognition for Fan.[50][51] On 31 May,
Barbie announced the launch of the Fan Bingbing Celebrity Specialty doll in Shanghai.[52]Louis Vuitton also chose Fan as the first Asian actress to be provided with a specially tailored dress for their red carpet.[citation needed]
In the series The Empress of China, Fan portrays the titular character
Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history.[51] The 82-episode TV series was broadcast on
Hunan Television from 21 December 2014 to 5 February 2015, and recorded the highest ratings for the year.[53] The same year, she starred in
wuxia fantasy film The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom.[54] In 2015, Fan joined the
China Central Television (CCTV) variety show as a judge in Amazing Chinese and as a contestant in the
reality television show Challenger's Alliance.[55] Fan won the Best Actress award at the 1st Berlin Chinese Film Festival for her role in the film.[56] She was ranked fourth on Forbes World's Highest-Paid Actresses list for 2015.[57]
Just 4 days later, she released her own brand Fan Beauty Secret first moisturizing mask.[74] Fan was in attendance at the Shanghai Beauty Summit on 12 July[75] and the 12th China Cosmetic Summit on 22 July.[76]
The tax incident has had some noticeable impact on Fan's livelihood; while many of her business endorsements remain, her film and television works could not be released in mainland China, the role Fan played in
L.O.R.D 2 was modified by CG, and The Legend of Ba Qing (巴清传), a drama with Fan in a star role, which was shelved after completion.
Due to the 2021 floods in Henan Province, she donated 1 million yuan to help people in the disaster-stricken areas and donated books worth 2 million yuan to 14 schools in Xinjiang.[citation needed]
On 13 May 2010, Fan wore a "Dragon Robe" on the red carpet of the
63rd Cannes Film Festival.[92][93] The dress, co-designed by Chinese designer Laurence Hsu and Fan herself, features two leaping dragons and crashing waves on the hem, in the bright yellow color that was exclusively used by
emperors in ancient China. The dress was collected by the
Victoria & Albert Museum in London on 12 March 2012.[94] Laurence Hsu announced that the dress shown at the museum is a modified version of the original, which was bought by
Madame Tussauds.[95]
On 11 May 2011, Fan wore a crane dress on the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the
64th Cannes Film Festival.[96]
On the red carpet of the opening ceremony of the
65th Cannes Film Festival, Fan wore an elegant pale strapless gown designed by her friend Christopher Bu, decorated with bright floral designs and stories about the
Four Beauties of ancient China.[97] Inspired by a porcelain vase, the ancient vibe of her dress was complemented by her hairstyle, which made her look like a young maiden in the
Tang dynasty.
Due to these appearances in Cannes, Fan has attracted notable media attention. In recent years, Fan received various invitations from fashion brands such as
Valentino,
Giorgio Armani S.p.A.,
Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A., Atelier
Versace, Christian
Dior and
Louis Vuitton, to attend fashion shows in Paris, Beijing and Shanghai. On 3 July 2012, she closed the
Stéphane Rolland's Haute Couture show in Paris,[98] and was featured in the fashion show's finale.[99] On July 31, 2012, she was ranked number nine on
Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed list 2012.[100][101][102] On 19 September, she was honoured with the Personal Style Award by
Elle (USA Edition).[103] On December 2, 2012, she became the Asian ambassador of
Louis Vuitton "Epi Alma" series of handbags.[104][105] On 5 December, she was awarded "The Most Beautiful Woman of the Year" by the magazine
Esquire (China Edition).[106]
Fan was ranked on Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed list 2015[119] and 2016.[120]
On July 3, 2023, Fan closed the
Georges Hobeika's Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2023 show at Paris Haute Couture Week.[121] On October 2, 2023, Fan closed the closed out the catwalk for the
Mugler's Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear show.[122]
Personal life
On 29 May 2015, it was announced on
Li Chen's social media that he and Fan Bingbing were dating. On 16 September 2017, the couple got engaged after he proposed to Fan at her birthday party.[123] The couple announced their separation on 27 June 2019.[124]
Fan has a younger brother named
Fan Chengcheng who is one of the members of the boy group
Nine Percent and
NEXT.[125] Since August 2010, Fan has helped more than 340 children with congenital heart disease receive medical treatment in Beijing and Shanghai.[126]
Tax evasion incident
On 28 May 2018, TV anchor
Cui Yongyuan leaked a redacted contract via social media that disclosed Fan being paid CN¥10 million for her four days of work on the then-upcoming Feng Xiaogang film Cell Phone 2. The following day, Cui published a second redacted contract showing an amount of CN¥50 million for the same job, suggesting that the smaller contract was intended for reporting to tax authorities to avoid being taxed for her full compensation of CN¥60 million.[127][128] This disclosure prompted
Jiangsu Provincial and
Wuxi City tax authorities to investigate a suspected case of tax evasion. Fan's studio issued a statement denying that she had ever signed separate contracts for a single job, and stated that they would cooperate fully with authorities in the investigation and would address public concerns.[129][130]
Questions, concerns, and rumors about Fan's whereabouts grew when she was not seen after a last public appearance on 1 July 2018, and a lack of activity on social media after 23 July. As Fan was presumed missing, unconfirmed rumours suggested that Fan had been arrested.[6][131] In August 2018, Fan's manager Jersey Chong stated via social media that Fan was never arrested.[132] Fan broke her public silence on 3 October 2018 with a statement on social media, apologizing to the public for tax evasion after the Chinese authorities ordered her and her companies to pay about CN¥883 million (US$127.4 million) in taxes and penalties to avoid criminal prosecution.[133][131]
^"第三届知名校友". yscm.shnu.edu.cn.
Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
^上海师范大学谢晋影视艺术学院简介. Xin Jin Film and Television Art College of Shanghai Normal University (in Chinese). Archived from
the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
^范冰冰报恩邀刘雪华演创业作 曝当年本该演紫薇. Sohu (in Chinese). 19 August 2007.
Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
^范冰冰:刘雪华把我推荐给琼瑶. eastday.com (in Chinese). 22 April 2003. Archived from
the original on 24 December 2004. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
^Misovic, Tijana (22 September 2023).
"Nežna je noć". Harper's Bazaar Srbija.
Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
^"范冰冰成LV首位亚洲形象大使" [Fan Bingbing becomes LV's first Asian image ambassador]. MadisonBoom (in Chinese). 10 December 2012.
Archived from the original on 25 March 2024.
^范冰冰代言酩悦香槟:“范爷”形象点亮外滩 [Fan Bingbing endorses Moët & Chandon: "Fan" image lights up the Bund]. Sina Style (in Chinese). 12 April 2013.
Archived from the original on 25 March 2024.
^"LV为范冰冰度身定制戛纳晚礼服-奢侈品频道" [LV tailor-made Cannes evening dress for Fan Bingbing-Luxury Channel]. Sohu (in Chinese). 21 May 2013.
Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. 从"龙袍"、"鹤裙"再到去年的"china瓷",范冰冰每次出场戛纳都能带来一阵惊艳。此次亮相戛纳,她却低调很多。值得一提的是,这是路易•威登第一次为亚洲女星度身打造红毯礼服。 [From "dragon robe", "crane skirt" to last year's "china porcelain", Fan Bingbing can bring a surprise every time she appears in Cannes. During this appearance in Cannes, she was much more low-key. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time Louis Vuitton has tailored a red carpet dress for an Asian actress.]
^"LV全新廣告 范冰冰與超模攜手演繹經典Alma手袋" [LV's new advertising Fan Bingbing and supermodel work together to interpret the classic Alma handbag]. ELLE Taiwan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 16 April 2013.
Archived from the original on 25 March 2024.
^"突发 - LVMH旗下娇兰宣布范冰冰为全球代言人" [Breaking - Guerlain, a subsidiary of LVMH, announces Fan Bingbing as global spokesperson]. FashionNetwork China. 24 August 2020.
Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
^Kim, Ji-hye (27 September 2022).
"김민하X판빙빙, 아시아콘텐츠어워즈서 라이징스타상·인기상 수상" [Kim Min-ha and Fan Bing-bing win the Rising Star Award and Popularity Award at the Asia Content Awards] (in Korean). SBS Entertainment News.
Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022 – via Naver.
^Yang, Yong-eun (14 October 2022).
"제17회 2022 아시아모델페스티벌 인 의정부', 14일부터 사흘간 의정부에서 개최" [The 17th 2022 Asian Model Festival in Uijeongbu', held in Uijeongbu for three days from the 14th]. Straight News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
In 2010, the list started to include Chinese celebrities born in
Hong Kong,
Taiwan, and other countries. Prior to that it only included celebrities born in
mainland China.