Michelle Chen
Michelle Chen Yanxi (born Chen Mei-hsuan; 31 May 1983) is a Taiwanese actress and singer. Chen is best known for starring in the 2011 film You Are the Apple of My Eye, which broke box office records for Chinese-language films in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Chen is also known for the films Hear Me (2009), Badges of Fury (2013), Pali Road (2015), as well as the TV series The Romance of the Condor Heroes (2014).
Michelle Chen | |||||||||||
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Born | May 31, 1983 | ||||||||||
Nationality | Taiwanese | ||||||||||
Alma mater | University of Southern California | ||||||||||
Occupations |
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Years active | 2007–present | ||||||||||
Spouse | |||||||||||
Children | 1 | ||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 陳妍希 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 陈妍希 | ||||||||||
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Musical career | |||||||||||
Genres | Pop | ||||||||||
Early life
Michelle Chen was born and raised in Taipei. After middle school, she studied at Southwestern Academy in California in the United States, eventually graduating from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2005. She speaks English and Chinese (Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien) fluently. In 2006, while visiting family in Taiwan, Chen caught the eye of renowned producer Angie Chai (柴智屏), who was responsible for the success of talent such as F4 and Rainie Yang, among other popular idols. Chen wanted to break into music at the time, but due to the slow growth of the industry, was persuaded instead by Chai to start her career in acting.[1]
Career
2007
Chen signed a contract with the company Comic Dialogue Theme by Angie Chai. Initially she wanted to be a singer, but the company wanted her to try to advance in the field of cinema. She therefore played supporting roles in several films and television series and caught attention for her lovely and cute looks, but did not leave much impression.
2009
She starred in the movie Hear Me as a swimming athlete with hearing disabilities. Her acting captured people's hearts and helped her clinch the nomination for the "Best New Actress Award" at the 46th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards.
2011
After seeing success with her debut film Hear Me, Chen starred in the hit Taiwanese film You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011). The film was written and directed by Giddens Ko, produced by Angie as executive, and based on Ko's novel. In the film, Chen plays the role of Shen Chia-yi. The film broke records at the box office, becoming the 4th highest grossing domestic Taiwanese film. In the film's soundtrack, she also wrote and sang the song ( " 孩子氣 " ). For her performance in the film, Chen was also nominated for a "Best Actress" award at the 46th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards.
Due to the success of You Are the Apple of My Eye, Michelle Chen was cast in the lead role of the film Badges of Fury starring Jet Li , Donnie Yen and Simon Yam.
2013
In May, Chen released her debut album Me, Myself, and I. Including some self-composed songs, the album received an average response from critics and music listeners.
2014
After termination of the contract with the company Comic Voice Tri in 2012, Chen was cast as Xiaolongnü in The Romance of the Condor Heroes. Her casting announcement was met with widespread opposition from the public, with criticisms leveled at her appearance, which is not as light and angelic as the description of Xiaolongnu in the book.
2015
Michelle Chen starred in two new series set for release in 2015. In the movie Young For You, she role in He plays Qiu Zi, and drama. The Legend of Qin (animated TV series) role in Duanmu Rong shoulder.
2016 to present
In 2016, she starred in Pali Road where she played the role of Lily with actor Jackson Rathbone. The movie, filmed and set in Hawaii, was a collaboration between the US and China.
Personal life
In 2015, Michelle Chen began dating her The Romance of the Condor Heroes co-star Chen Xiao. On July 19, Michelle married Chen Xiao in Beijing, and another wedding banquet was held in Taipei on July 21, 2016.[2] Chen gave birth to their first son in 2016, named him Chen Muchen.[3] The pair will also star in Quentin Lee's Morning, Paris! (巴黎早安), a romantic comedy that was filmed in September 2015 and set for a 2016 release.[4][5][6]
Michelle Chen has an older sister.[7]
Filmography
Film
Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Hear Me | 聽說 | Lin Hsiao-peng | |
Ego's Mask | ||||
2011 | Tempest of First Love | 初戀風暴 | Chuang Kai-en | |
You Are the Apple of My Eye | 那些年,我們一起追的女孩 | Shen Chia-yi | ||
2012 | The Soul of Bread | 愛的麵包魂 | Chiu Hsiao-ping | |
Ripples of Desire | 花漾 | Bai Xiaoxue | ||
2013 | Together | 在一起 | Jojo | |
Badges of Fury | 不二神探 | Angela | ||
2014 | Lock Me Up, Tie Him Down | 完美假妻168 | Reporter | cameo |
Urban Games | 城市游戏 | Dai Rui | ||
Café. Waiting. Love | 等一個人咖啡 | customer | cameo | |
2015 | 12 Golden Ducks | 12金鴨 | Suk-fun | cameo |
This Is Me | 年少轻狂 | Qiu Yingzi | ||
Go Lala Go 2 | 杜拉拉II:追婚记 | Carrie | cameo | |
2016 | Run for Love | 奔爱 | Lily | Segment: "Artificial Sunlight" (人造阳光) |
Scandal Maker | 外公芳龄38 | Tang Hui Ru | ||
Morning, Paris! | 巴黎早安 | Chantel | ||
Pali Road | 夏威夷之恋 | Lily Zhang | ||
2018 | The Shadow Play | 风中有朵雨做的云 | Lian Ah-yun | |
2021 | A Trip With Your Wife | 跟你老婆去旅行 | Xiao Yi |
Television series
Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | Why Why Love | 換換愛 | Jiang Xiao-nan | |
2008 | Wish to See You Again | 這裡發現愛 | Pan Neng-xian | |
Miss No Good | 不良笑花 | Jiang Mi | ||
2010 | Drunken Red Dust | 醉紅塵 | Lei Jin-yi | |
Channel-X | 國民英雄 | Lo Shan-shan | ||
2011 | Moment in Macau | 鏡海風雲 | Ni Jing-ya | |
Remember, About Us | 記得,我們有約 | Jiang Mu-yun | ||
Lin Bei | 珍愛林北 | Lin Hsiao-ni | ||
2014 | The Romance of the Condor Heroes | 神鵰俠侶 | Xiaolongnü | |
2015 | The Legend of Qin | 秦時明月 | Duanmu Rong | |
2016 | City Still Believe in Love | 北上广依然相信爱情 | Huang Yiran | |
2021 | Got Old Recently | 大妈的世界 | Sheng Qianshi | |
2023 | Warm and Sweet | 温暖的甜蜜的 | Qi Jiayi | |
Teresa Teng | 但愿人长久 | Teresa Teng | ||
Variety show
- 2011–12 Miss Traveler (WOMAN愛旅行) on Chinese Television System — co-host (3 episodes)
- 2015 Yes! Coach (报告!教练) on Dragon Television — reality show contestant
Discography
Studio albums
Me, Myself, and I | |
---|---|
Studio album | |
Released | May 2013 |
Genre | Pop |
Length | 35:10 |
Language | Mandarin, English |
Label | Linfair Records |
All lyrics are written by Michelle Chen[8]
No. | Title | Music | Language | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Shu Gong De Xiao Cheng Gu Shi" (叔公的小城故事; "Great-Uncle's Story of a Small Town") | Michelle Chen & Shih Chia-hao | Mandarin | 3:28 |
2. | "Clueless Boy" | Michelle Chen | English | 3:34 |
3. | "Sorry" | Michelle Chen | English | 3:08 |
4. | "Xuan Ya Shang De Mei Gui" (懸崖上的玫瑰; "The Rose on the Cliff") | Michelle Chen & Stanley Wang | Mandarin | 3:37 |
5. | "Zhijue" (直覺; "Intuition") | Michelle Chen | Mandarin | 3:15 |
6. | "Beautiful" | Michelle Chen | Mandarin & English | 3:25 |
7. | "Fangxiang" (方向; "Direction") | Michelle Chen & Diks Lau | Mandarin | 3:48 |
8. | "I Lost My Sanity" | Michelle Chen | English | 3:12 |
9. | "Wei Guang" (微光; "Faint Light") | Michelle Chen & Lee Shan-hao | Mandarin | 3:14 |
10. | "Dear Friend" | Michelle Chen | Mandarin & English | 3:06 |
Other songs
All songs are in Mandarin.
Song | Lyrics | Music | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
"Gong Xin Ji" (攻心計; "Mind Game") — Lollipop F ft. Michelle Chen | Owodog, 小色, Michelle Chen | Lee Tzu-nung | included in Lollipop F's album Four Dimensions |
"Hai Zi Qi" (孩子氣; "Childish") | Michelle Chen | insert song of You Are the Apple of My Eye | |
"Piao Liu Ping" (漂流瓶; "Drift Bottle") — Ko Chen-tung ft. Michelle Chen | Lee Hsuan-Le | included in Ko Chen-tung's album Be Yourself | |
"Ai De Mian Bao" (愛的麵包; "The Bread of Love" — ft. Anthony Neely & Chen Han-tien) | Michelle Chen | Skot Suyama | theme song of The Soul of Bread |
"Ni Shou Zhong De Jiang Hu" (你手中的江湖; "The Martial World in Your Hands") | Fran | theme song of the mobile game San Jian Hao | |
"Ni Wo" (你我; "You and Me" — duet with Chen Xiao) | Yu Zheng | Tan Xuan | theme song of The Romance of the Condor Heroes |
"Ai Ru Chu Jian" (愛如初見; "Love Like First Sight" — duet with Chen Xiao) | Chen Xi | Dong Dongdong | theme song of the mobile game Shen Diao Xia Lü |
"Hua La La" (嘩啦啦) | Michelle Chen | He Liang | theme song of This Is Me |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | 46th Golden Horse Awards | Best New Performer | Hear Me [9] | Nominated |
2011 | 48th Golden Horse Awards | Best Leading Actress[10] | You Are the Apple of My Eye | Nominated |
2012 | New York Asian Film Festival | Asia Rising Star[11] | — | Won |
6th Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | You Are the Apple of My Eye | Nominated | |
Favorite Actress | Nominated | |||
Changchun Film Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Chinese Film Media Awards | Favorite Performance | Won | ||
Favorite Actress | Nominated | |||
LeTV Awards | Most Influential Movie Actress | Won | ||
Chinese Music Awards | Best Movie Actress | Won | ||
2015 | 17th Huading Awards | Best Actress (ancient drama) | The Romance of the Condor Heroes | Won |
2016 | 19th Huading Awards | Best Actress (ancient drama) | The Legend of Qin | Nominated |
2019 | 2nd Cultural and Entertainment Industry Congress | Best Supporting Actress (Film) | The Shadow Play | Nominated |
References
- "Biography : Michelle Chen". imdb. Archived from the original on 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
- "Condor Heroes stars Michelle Chen and Chen Xiao turn from reel to real lovers". The Straits Times. 2015-08-27. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015.
- "Michelle Chen gives birth to a boy, five months after marrying her Condor Heroes co-star Chen Xiao". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
- "China Film Group Wakes to Quentin Lee's 'Morning, Paris!'". 2014-11-18. Archived from the original on 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
- "Morning, Paris! (2015) on Chinese Movie Database". Archived from the original on 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- "《巴黎早安》". Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- "陳妍希 大無畏". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
- Track 1 contains Chen singing a part from Teresa Teng's famous 1978 song "Xiao Cheng Gu Shi" (小城故事; "The Story of a Small Town"), whose lyricist was Chuang Nu.
- (in Chinese) Archived 2015-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
- (in Chinese) Archived 2015-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Kolesnikov, Sonia. "Taiwanese Actress Michelle Chen to Release 1st Album in May, Want to Act With Andy Lau | BLOUIN ARTINFO". Sea.blouinartinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2014-04-21.