Hu Jun

Hu Jun, born in 1972 in Beijing into an artistic family, is a descendant of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner. His father, Hu Baoshan, was a baritone singer; his mother, Wang Yiman, was a stage actress; and his uncle, Hu Songhua, was a famous tenor. Hu Jun is the only son in the family. His father set strict demands during his childhood, and he was often subjected to corporal punishment.

In 1987 Hu Jun was admitted to the Acting Department of the Central Academy of Drama as a member of the first acting class and served as class monitor. While at school he sang "O Sole Mio" in the original Italian. After graduating, he was assigned to the Beijing People’s Art Theatre as a stage actor.

His performing career began in 1990 with the film The Wolf and the Angel. In 1995 he starred in the stage play Military Train, his first role as the leading man. The following year he appeared in the film East Palace, West Palace, playing policeman Xiao Shi; the film screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, and Hu Jun won the Best Actor award at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy for his performance. That year he also appeared in a number of supporting roles in film and television.

In 2002 Hu Jun starred in Stanley Kwan’s film Lan Yu alongside Liu Ye, portraying the gay lover Chen Handong. He won the Best Actor award at the 7th Golden Bauhinia Awards and was nominated at the 38th Golden Horse Awards. In 2003 he took on the heroic role of Qiao Feng in the costume martial-arts drama Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and he also appeared in Infernal Affairs II that year.

In 2006 he played a middle-aged man who had an extramarital affair in the film Curiosity Killed the Cat, earning the Entertainment Awards’ Movie Actor of the Year prize. That same year he portrayed Xiang Yu in the TV series Chu–Han Contention and played Zhu Yuanzhang in the historical drama Zhu Yuanzhang. In 2007 he appeared as Fuchai in Woxin Changdan.

In 2008 Hu Jun took part in the film Red Cliff as Zhao Yun and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Horse Awards. In 2009 he appeared in Bodyguards and Assassins, his first villainous role, featuring a shaved-head look. In 2010 he played the fake Zhang Mazi in Let the Bullets Fly and starred in the TV series Golden Marriage: Trials and Tribulations.

In 2012 he starred in the TV series Lone Hero (Gujun Yingxiong), playing the high-IQ soldier Che Daokuan; the show ranked highly in ratings. He subsequently continued to appear in numerous films, TV series and stage plays, steadily building his experience. In 2019 he portrayed composer Xian Xinghai in the film The Musician and won the Golden Screen Award for Best Actor.

In recent years Hu Jun has played important roles in several films and TV series, including The Battle at Lake Changjin, Xue Zhong Han Dao Xing (The Snowy Path of the Gallant Blade), and Goodbye, That Day. He has also frequently participated in variety shows and public welfare activities and has served as an honorary ambassador for multiple causes.

On the family front, Hu Jun proposed to Lu Fang in Rome, Italy, in 1999. The couple welcomed a daughter, Hu Jiujiu, in 2001 and a son, Hu Haokang, in 2008. Coming from a deep artistic background, Hu Jun leads a simple and modest personal life and has been involved in few scandals.