# Wu Yanshu

Wu Yanshu (Chinese: 吴彦姝; born 1938) is a Chinese actress. Wu is considered a National Class-A Actor in China.
Wu first garnered recognition for her acting in 2016, when her performance in Finding Mr. Right 2 and earned her a Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her film breakthrough came in 2017 with her performance as the grandmother in the drama film Love Education, for which she received Best Supporting Actress nominations at the 54th Golden Horse Awards, 37th Hong Kong Film Awards and 12th Asian Film Awards. For her role in Relocate, she won a Best Supporting Actress at the 31st Golden Rooster Awards, the Chinese equivalent of the Academy Awards.

## Early life

Born in 1938, Wu worked at Shanxi Drama Theatre since the 1960s. Premier Zhou Enlai invited her to perform Liu Hulan in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. She retired in 2003. In 2011 she moved to Beijing, living with her daughter.

## Career

Wu's first major film credit was Stream Is Singing, playing the role of Gao Xiaoling. The drama film was produced by Changchun Film Studio.
In 1982, she guest-starred on Men of a Certain Age, a drama film starring Da Shichang and Pan Hong.
Wu had a supporting role in the comedy television series The Story of Xi Gengtian (2006), which starred Lin Yongjian as Xi Gengtian.
In 2011, Wu had a cameo appearance in Journey to the West, adapted from Wu Cheng'en's classical novel of Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature.
Wu appeared as Yu Lan in Love is Not Blind (2013), a romance drama starring Yao Di and Zhang Mo.
In 2016, Wu played the role of Tang Xiuyi in Xue Xiaolu's film Finding Mr. Right 2, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards.
Wu had key supporting role in the 2017 Love Education, directed by Sylvia Chang. She was praised for her role and earned critical acclaim for her performance. And she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 54th Golden Horse Awards, 37th Hong Kong Film Awards and 12th Asian Film Awards. At the same year, Wu's performance in the feature film Relocate which garnered her a Best Supporting Actress at the 31st Golden Rooster Awards.

## Personal life

Wu's husband was a composer and chairman of Shanxi Provincial Musicians Association. Her daughter is a screenwriter.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 1959 | Stream Is Singing | 流水欢歌 | Gao Xiaoling |
| 1982 | Men of a Certain Age | 人到中年 | Aunt Bai |
| 2011 | The Faithful Brothers | 信义兄弟 | Mother |
| 2016 | Finding Mr. Right 2 | 北京遇上西雅图之不二情书 | Tang Xiuyi |
| 2017 | Relocate | 搬迁 | Old Mrs. Ma |
| 2017 | Love Education | 相爱相亲 | Grandmother (Yue Zengshi) |
| 2018 | Last Letter | 你好，之华 | Chen Guizhi |
| 2018 | Animal World | 动物世界 | Old woman |
| 2019 | | 温暖之城之红日亭 | Grandma Jin |
| 2019 | Fagara | 花椒之味 | Grandmother |
| 2019 | The Whistleblower | 吹哨人 | Gao's wife |
| 2020 | | 旦后 | Lin Bo'er (old) |
| 2021 | Embrace Again | 穿过寒冬拥抱你 | Xie Yongqin |
| 2021 | Tracing Her Shadow | 又见奈良 | Chen Huiming |
| 2021 | A Hustle Bustle New Year | 没有过不去的年 | Song Baozhen |
| 2021 | All About My Mother | 关于我妈的一切 | Grandmother |
| 2021 | The Bamboo Hat | 红尖尖 | Grandmother |
| 2021 | | 不老奇事 | Su Lingfang |
| 2022 | Only Fools Rush In | 四海 | |
| 2022 | | 请别相信她 | |
| 2022 | Song of Spring | 妈妈 | Mother |

### TV series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 2002 | Love of Life and Death | 生死之恋 | Mother Wang |
| 2006 | The Story of Xi Gengtian | 喜耕田的故事 | Mother of Xuan Zhu |
| 2009 | At Middle Age | 人到中年 | Aunt Bai |
| 2010 | Cellphone | 手机 | Mother of Wu Yue |
| 2011 | Journey to the West | 西游记 | Pilanpo Bodhisattva |
| 2012 | Police Story of Yingpan Town | 营盘镇警事 | Mother of Dang Yu |
| 2013 | Raise Children to Provide Against Old Age | 养儿防老 | Grandma |
| 2013 | Love is Not Blind | 失恋三十三天 | Yu Lan |
| 2014 | Government Audit | 国家审计 | Mother of Zhou Weihai |
| 2017 | Seeking Mr. Right | 北京遇上西雅图 | Grandma |
| 2018 | When We Were Young | 人不彪悍枉少年 | grandmother of Hua Biao |
| 2018 | Madhouse | 疯人院 | Zhao Yi |
| 2019 | My True Friend | 我的真朋友 | Chen Bijun |
| 2020 | My Best Friend's Story | 流金岁月 | Jiang Nansun's grandmother |
| 2020 | Shichahai | 什刹海 | Aunt Zhong |
| 2021 | Faith Makes Great | 理想照耀中国 | Yan Hongying (old) |
| 2021 | | 美好的日子 | Mrs. Jiang |

## Theater

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 1960s | Liu Hulan | 刘胡兰 | Liu Hulan | |
| 1960s | Sentinels Under Neon Lights | 霓虹灯下的哨兵 | Lin Yuanyuan | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| Beijing International Film Festival |||||
| 2022 | Song of Spring | Best Actress | Won |
| Golden Horse Awards |||||
| 2016 | Finding Mr. Right 2 | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2017 | Love Education | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| Golden Rooster Awards |||||
| 2017 | Relocate | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
| Hong Kong Film Awards |||||
| 2018 | Love Education | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| Asian Film Awards |||||
| 2018 | Love Education | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |