# Nie Yuan

Nie Yuan (born 17 March 1978) is a Chinese actor best known for his numerous television performances, some of his more notable roles include: Qi Tianlei in Wrong Carriage, Right Groom (2000); Hu Fei in Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain (2006); Li Ke in Carol of Zhenguan (2007); Zhao Yun in Three Kingdoms (2010), Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West (2011) and Qianlong Emperor in Story of Yanxi Palace (2018).

## Early life

Nie was born in Zhenyuan County, Guizhou. His parents named his elder brother and him "Zhen" and "Yuan" respectively to remind them not to forget their hometown (Zhenyuan). When Nie recalled his adolescent days, he saw himself as a "youth-at-risk" then – he secretly joined the Guiyang Dance Class without informing his parents; when he was around 15 and 16 years old, he smoked, got into fights, and ran away from home. His worried parents sent him to enlist in the People's Liberation Army. Nie later enrolled in the Shanghai Theatre Academy after completing his service in the army. However, he behaved insolently in the academy and was almost expelled for poor conduct, but a teacher appealed for him to stay. After this incident, he became more mature and changed his rebellious ways.

## Career

Nie first started acting when he was still in the Shanghai Theatre Academy. He was a "highly productive" actor, as he described in his own words, "In times when I was playing with my life, I could finish filming one episode in two days. I tried completing filming a 140 episodes television drama and one movie in a year. This can be taken as a record."
In 2000, after graduating from the academy, Nie and his first girlfriend, actress Huang Yi, collaborated in the television drama Wrong Carriage, Right Groom. Nie did not receive much acclaim for his performance while in contrast, Huang Yi was very successful. In 2001, Nie worked on Tianxia Liangcang with director Wu Ziniu, and was noted for his outstanding performance. Following that, Nie acted in the period dramas Love Legend of the Tang Dynasty, Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story, Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties, Hanxue Baoma, Jingcheng Sishao, Han Women, and Carol of Zhenguan, and experienced a surge in popularity for his portrayal of good-looking young men dressed in ancient Chinese costumes.
In 2004, Nie was named by the Chinese media as one of the "Mainland's New Four Young Actors", along with Huang Xiaoming, Tong Dawei and Yin Xiaotian. That year, producer Zhang Jizhong was searching for someone to portray the lead character Yang Guo in his wuxia television series The Return of the Condor Heroes. Nie was a popular choice for "Yang Guo" and he participated in the audition as well, but eventually lost the role to Huang Xiaoming, who was not as popular as him then. Huang Xiaoming's performance in The Return of the Condor Heroes propelled him to fame, while in contrast, Nie did not advance much in his career. It was said that Nie and Huang developed a rivalry over the incident, but in a 2010 interview, Nie admitted that he did feel depressed when he lost the opportunity to act as Yang Guo, but also stated that his feud with Huang Xiaoming is not true.
In 2006, Nie starred in the wuxia drama Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain.
From 2008 onwards, Nie's career took an upturn when he starred in the television series Three Kingdoms (2010) as military general Zhao Yun and Journey to the West (2011) as Tang Sanzang, adaptations of two of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He then acted in the films The Flowers of War as a soldier, The Last Supper as military general Xiang Zhuang, Avalokitesvara as Tang Emperor Li Yi, and Brotherhood of Blades as an eunuch.
Nie gained renewed recognition with his portrayal of Qianlong Emperor in the hit palace dramas Story of Yanxi Palace.
He later starred as Lu Buwei in the historical drama The Legend of Haolan.
Nie participated in the period drama series “Legacy” which will premiere exclusively on WarnerMedia’s regional streaming service HBO Go at an unspecified date later in 2021. “Legacy” is a 1920s-set drama that chronicles the lives of the wealthy Yi family and three sisters who vie to inherit their father’s shopping mall business. In a time of upheaval and uncertainty, the three sisters set aside their differences to keep the business afloat and save their family.

## Personal life

When he was in his third year at Shanghai Theatre Academy, Nie met actress Huang Yi and started a relationship with her. They also acted together as a couple in the television drama Wrong Carriage, Right Groom. They broke up later as they pursued their respective careers.
Around 2003, Nie started a new relationship, this time with Liu Yun, whom he first met when they were working together in the television series Hanxue Baoma. They were later paired up again in Dahan Jinguo (2004). Nie and Liu separated in 2006, and they did not want to mention anything about their relationship again.
On September 28, 2008, Nie married actress Yang Guang. Their wedding was held in Beijing and more than 300 guests were invited. They divorced in 2012.
In early 2014, Nie married actress Qin Ziyue, who had a minor role in Journey to the West (2011). Their daughter was born on May 8 of that year.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | | 滕王阁传奇 | Wang Bo | Television film |
| 2000 | | 刀锋 | Fang Xiao | Television film |
| 2002 | Ghosts | 凶宅幽灵 | Jiang Hongbin | |
| 2004 | Love Message | 简讯一月追 | Tan Qiang | Cameo |
| 2005 | The Road | 芳香之旅 | Liu Fendou | |
| 2005 | Abao's Story | 阿宝的故事 | Luo Wei | |
| 2006 | Hidden Tiger | 卧虎 | Policeman | |
| 2006 | Eastern Legend | 东方海盗传奇 | Young Tang Lang | Cameo |
| 2007 | | 大爱无垠 | Zhu Yibing | |
| 2007 | Wonder Women | 女人本色 | Cheng Bicong | |
| 2008 | Fit Lover | 爱情左灯右行 | Wu Dawei | |
| 2011 | The Lost Bladesman | 关云长 | Han Fu | |
| 2011 | The Founding of a Party | 建党伟业 | Chen Qimei | |
| 2012 | The Flowers of War | 金陵十三叉 | Chinese soldier | |
| 2012 | The Last Supper | 王的盛宴 | Xiang Zhuang | |
| 2013 | Avalokitesvara | 不肯去观音 | Li Yi | |
| 2013 | Return the Money | 啊朋友还钱 | Lu Dajun | |
| 2013 | Target Locked | 目标战 | Lin Haonan | |
| 2014 | Brotherhood of Blades | 绣春刀 | Zhao Jingzhong | |
| 2017 | The Warriors | 勇士 | Yang Chengbin | |
| 2017 | 96 Hours | 生死96小时 | Zhao Yong | |
| 2018 | The Blizzard | 道高一丈 | Song Chao | |
| 2018 | Phantom from the Deep | 古墓兽影 | Wu Kui | |
| 2018 | Endless Loop | 黑暗迷宫 | | |
| 2018 | Chinese Peacekeeping Forces | 中国蓝盔 | Chen Guoqiang | |
| 2019 | For Love with You | 一切如你 | | |
| 2019 | Spy Wolf Chameleon | 碟狼之变色龙 | | |
| 2019 | Mao Zedong 1949 | 决胜时刻 | Luo Ruiqing | |
| 2019 | Towards The River Glorious | 打过长江去 | | |

### Television series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | | 百年浮沉 | Pei Yexiang | |
| 1999 | | 嫂娘 | Yunlin | |
| 1999 | Smart Kid | 机灵小不懂 | Zhengde Emperor | |
| 1999 | Love Letter | 情书 | Lü Bin | Cameo |
| 2000 | Wrong Carriage, Right Groom | 上错花轿嫁对郎 | Qi Tianlei | |
| 2000 | | 夏日恋语录 | Dali | Cameo |
| 2000 | | 夺命网路 | Xu Bo | Cameo; alternative title Ai Buxuyao Chengnuo (愛,不需要承諾) |
| 2001 | | 天下粮仓 | Qianlong Emperor | |
| 2001 | | 如影随形 | Zuo Xiaobing | Cameo |
| 2001 | Love Legend of the Tang Dynasty | 大唐情史 | Bianji | |
| 2001 | | 非常情网 | Tian Jiang | |
| 2001 | Lü Bu and Diaochan | 吕布与貂蝉 | Cao Cao | Alternative title Diewu Tianya (蝶舞天涯) |
| 2002 | Four Marshals | 四大名捕斗将军 | Wuqing | |
| 2002 | The Eight Hilarious Gods | 笑八仙 | Da'erguai | |
| 2002 | | 军港之夜 | Xiao Ming | |
| 2003 | Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story | 倩女幽魂 | Qiye | |
| 2003 | Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties | 隋唐英雄传 | Luo Cheng | |
| 2003 | High Flying Songs of Tang Dynasty | 大唐歌飞 | An Qingxu | |
| 2003 | | 龙凤奇缘 | Fu Jun | |
| 2003 | Life Concern | 人命关天 | Chen Tianhua | |
| 2003 | | 青天衙门 | Lin Youqing | Cameo |
| 2004 | | 汗血宝马 | Zhao Xizhu | |
| 2004 | | 京城四少 | Tiedan | |
| 2004 | Han Women | 大汉巾帼 | Fu Shen | |
| 2004 | | 凌云壮志包青天 | Wang Chao | Cameo |
| 2004 | | 谁主中原 | Chongzhen Emperor | |
| 2004 | The 100th Bride | 第100个新娘 | Xiaogang | |
| 2004 | Carol of Zhenguan | 贞观长歌 | Li Ke | |
| 2005 | Eonian Hero | 逐日英雄 | Ouyang Hanqiang | |
| 2005 | | 殷商传奇 | Zu Mawang | Cameo |
| 2005 | Leave like the Wind | 像风一样离去 | Fan Yifeng | |
| 2006 | Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain | 雪山飞狐 | Hu Fei | |
| 2006 | Red Streamer | 红幡 | Zhang Ziqing | |
| 2006 | Met As Strangers, Once Acquainted | 相逢何必曾相识 | Zhou Xinyan | Cameo |
| 2006 | Ming Dynasty | 大明天下 | Mu Yunzhou | Cameo |
| 2006 | Drifting Life | 人间浮沉 | Wu Shu | |
| 2006 | Project A | A计划 | young Tang Lang | Cameo |
| 2006 | | 男人的天堂 | Zhong Shan | |
| 2007 | | 戴着面具跳舞 | Suona | |
| 2007 | Flags of Our Fathers | 父辈的旗帜 | Zhong Hao | |
| 2007 | | 天下兄弟 | Liu Dong | |
| 2009 | Shooting from Behind | 枪声背后 | Ye Zhenglong | |
| 2010 | Three Kingdoms | 三国 | Zhao Yun | |
| 2010 | Hi Neighbourhood | 嗨！芳邻 | Gardener | |
| 2011 | Journey to the West | 西游记 | Tang Sanzang | |
| 2012 | Sheath Knife | 刀出鞘 | Liu Yunxiang | |
| 2014 | Deng Xiaoping at History's Crossroads | 历史转折中的邓小平 | | Cameo |
| 2014 | | 花红花火 | Chen Sanpao | |
| 2015 | Flying Swords of Dragon Gate | 龙门飞甲 | Zhao Huai'an | |
| 2015 | The Legend of Xiaozhuang | 大玉儿传奇 | Hong Taiji | |
| 2016 | Will of Steel | 心如铁 | Long Ma | |
| 2017 | | 东方有大海 | Deng Shichang | |
| 2018 | Hidden Dragon | 潜·龙 | Yang Youxin | |
| 2018 | Story of Yanxi Palace | 延禧攻略 | Qianlong Emperor | |
| 2019 | The Legend of Haolan | 皓镧传 | Lü Buwei | |
| 2019 | The Plough Department of Song Dynasty | 大宋北斗司 | | Cameo |
| 2019 | Can't Hide The Sun | 掩不住的阳光 | | |
| 2019 | The Listener | 心灵法医 | Ming Chuan | |
| 2019 | Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures | 金枝玉叶 | Qianlong Emperor | |
| 2020 | Knock on the Happiness Door | 幸福还会来敲门 | Huang Zili | |
| 2020 | The Heritage | 传家 | Xi Weian | |
| 2021 | | 前行者 | Tang Xianping | |
| 2022 | Left Right | 亲爱的小孩 | Xie Tianhua | |
| 2022 | The Wind Blows From Longxi | 风起陇西 | Feng Ying | |
| 2022 | Stories of Lion Rock Spirit | 狮子山下的故事 | Xie Fei | |
| 2022 | | 风云战国之枭雄 | Tian Dan | |
| 2022 | Our Ten Years | 我们这十年 | Fang Xingui | |
| 2023 | Calming Waves | 定风波 | Su Shi | |
| 2023 | Only for Love | 以爱为营 | Guan Xiangcheng | |
| 2024 | | 山花烂漫时 | Zhou Shanqun | |
| 2024 | | 暗夜与黎明 | Zheng Yang | |

## Discography

| English title | Chinese title | Notes |
| "Love You Til the End" | 愛你愛到底 | Theme song of Red Streamer; performed together with Hu Ke |
| Legend | 傳說 | Ending theme song of Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain |
| "Whose Bride Are You" | 你是誰的新娘 | Opening theme song of Leave like the Wind |

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2009 | 12th Golden Phoenix Awards | Society Award | — | Won | |
| 2018 | 5th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actor (Web series) | Story of Yanxi Palace | Won | |