Liu Pei

Liu Bei, born in Beijing into an artistic family (her father a director and her mother a stage actress). Influenced by her family, she began studying Peking Opera at the Beijing Opera School. In 1985 she graduated from the Beijing Opera Art Vocational College with a major in Peking Opera, and was assigned to the Beijing Peking Opera Theater Youth Troupe as an actor. In 1986 she resigned to become a freelance actor.

In 1987 she acted in the TV series Gesar King, and in the same year played Cixi’s sister in the film The Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces. In 1991, in the TV series The Story of the Editorial Department, which starred Ge You and Lv Liping, she played the glamorous singer Shuangshuang. In 1992, while filming Bloody Jialing River, she injured her eye and, without anesthesia, underwent a four-hour operation; after the surgery she considered changing careers.

In 1993, on the recommendation of screenwriter Chen Yanmin, she appeared in director You Xiaogang’s Kyoto Chronicle, portraying the female secretary Zhang Wei. Later that year, in the film Guò Bǎ Yǐn (Having a Bit of Fun) with Wang Zhiwen and Jiang Shan, she played Jia Ling and won the China TV Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1997 she starred in the film Party A, Party B and won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress.

In 2001 she starred in the anti-corruption-themed TV drama Red Carnation and won the Golden Eagle Award for Favorite Actress. She then participated in filming the TV series Loyalty. In 2002 she starred in The Grand Mansion II, playing Bai Jiali. In 2003, she met director Zhang Li in Military Secrets and they became a couple; in 2006 they had a son, who lived with his mother, and in 2007 they divorced. She later reconciled with her first husband Zhang Jian and jointly raised their son, while also serving as stepmother to Zhang Ruoyun. In 2005 she starred in Women Not Bewildered, 2009 Wedding Dress, 2010 Cell Phone, and 2011 Going Into Business, each achieving varying degrees of influence and awards.

In 2013 she appeared in The New Editing Department Story, Rumors in the Mommy Circle, and Old Age, Dependence. In 2014 in the play The Balcony she won the Beijing Comedy Art Festival’s award for the Most Loved Cheerful Role by the Audience. In 2015 she starred in One Sentence Tops Ten Thousand Sentences, playing Niú Ai Xiāng, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards. In 2019 she acted in Love and Sesame Alley; the latter earned a nomination for Best Actress at the Shanghai Television Festival Magnolia Awards. In 2023 she led in the TV series Warm Spring Day (春日暖阳).