Huang Xiaoli

Huang Xiaoli, born in 1936 in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, is a Chinese stage and screen actor. He graduated from Beijing Huiwen High School in 1956 and was then admitted to the performance department of the Central Academy of Drama. After graduating in 1960, he was assigned to the Central Experimental Theatre, where he began his acting career.

Early in his career, Huang served as the artistic director for the children's play "The Great Hygiene Drill," performed by a juvenile TV performance troupe. In 1962 he took part in the radio drama Red Crag, playing the role of Chen Songlin. In 1966 he transferred to the Jiangxi Provincial Drama Troupe and worked there until returning to the Central Experimental Theatre in 1978 to continue stage acting. In 1981 he played the villain Mr. Tang, who kidnaps Sun Yat-sen, in the play The London Ordeal of Sun Yat-sen, and he portrayed the justice-driven Li Chuanshi in the play Spring Dawn in the Ancient Capital.

In 1982 Huang played the character Xiao Di in the play Soul and Flesh, a performance that earned him the Acting Second Prize at an arts performance organized by the Ministry of Culture for institutions directly under the CPC Central Committee. He began working in television in 1987, and in the late 1980s and early 1990s received several honors for his work on stage and in film, including the inaugural China Drama Golden Lion Award (1989) and the Excellent Actor Award in evaluations of troupes affiliated with the Ministry of Culture (1991).

His body of work spans television, film, and theatre. Television credits include Li Chuntian's Spring (2011) and Four Generations Under One Roof (2009). Film credits include The Founding Ceremony (1989) and Three Unwed Mothers (2012). Notable stage productions include The Old Curmudgeon, The Peach Blossom Fan, and The Charm of Night. In the late 2000s he continued to appear in numerous screen works and also did voice work and stage performances.

Huang Xiaoli was a member of the Chinese Dramatists Association and the Chinese Theatre Research Society, and he represented the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles at its 6th National Congress. Over his career he received multiple awards and honors, including national-level art prizes and a special allowance granted by the Ministry of Culture.

On the personal side, his wife is actress Cao Lile; they have a son and a daughter, and their children include actor Huang Lei, whose wife Sun Li is also in the performing arts. Huang Xiaoli’s career is marked by a wide range of character portrayals and a notable influence in the theatre and film community.