Yi-Mou Zhang

About

Chinese film director, cinematographer, and writer who is known for directing films including Raise the Red Lantern (1991), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), Curse of the Golden Flower (2006), and The Great Wall (2016). He directed the opening and closing ceremonies for both the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

Before Fame

Prior to his film career, he worked as a farm laborer and then at a cotton textile mill. 

Trivia

He has an honorary doctorate degree from both Boston University and Yale University.

Family Life

He has been married three times and has four children.

Associated With

He worked with actors Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Andy Lau, and Willem Dafoe for his highest budgeted film, The Great Wall.