# Zhang Guangbei

Zhang Guangbei (Chinese: 张光北; born 11 June 1959) is a Chinese actor, best known in television work for portraying Lü Bu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994) and Chu Yunfei in Drawing Sword (2006).

## Early life and education

Zhang was born in Beijing, on June 11, 1959, while his ancestral home in Sichuan. He has an elder sister and an elder brother. As a teenager, at the age of 12, he joined the choir of China National Radio. In 1976, the year the Cultural Revolution ended, he conscripted into military service, where he worked at North China Sea Fleet. Zhang returned to Beijing in 1980 and that year he entered Beijing Film Academy and majored in acting. Two years later, he was accepted to the Central Academy of Drama. After graduating in 1986 he was assigned to Beijing Film Studio.

## Acting career

Zhang first came to public attention in 1986 when he was a college student, appearing on Xie Jin's Hibiscus Town, a drama film starring Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing. It is based on a novel by the same name written by Gu Hua.
In 1987, Zhang played the role of Prince Gong in Wang Xuexin's film Two Dowagers, for which he received a Best Actor nomination at the 10th Hundred Flowers Awards. In the following year, he earned his second Best Actor nomination for his performance as Cheng Huan in Mutiny.
Zhang appeared in Hu Guang (1988), which earned him a Chinese Academy of Performing Arts Society Award.
In 1992, he portrayed Emperor Meiji in the historical television series Beiyang Fleet.
In 1993, Zhang starred in Siu Hung Cheung's action film The Assassin, opposite Zhang Fengyi, Rosamund Kwan, Max Mok.
Zhang gained national fame for his starring role as Lü Bu in the 1994 historical television series Romance of the Three Kingdoms, adapted from Luo Guanzhong's classical novel of the same title.
In 1996, he played the character King Zhuang of Chu on the television Eastern Zhou Dynasty Various Nations.
Zhang appeared as Zhou Xuan's husband Tang Di in the biographical television series Zhou Xuan, based on the real life of Zhou Xuan, who was one of China's Seven Great Singing Stars in the 1940s.
In 2000, he played the title role in The Sun Comes East, co-starring Wang Ying as Mao Zedong.
In 2001, he joined the main cast of Princess Wencheng as Gar Tongtsen Yulsung, a general of the Tibetan Empire who served as Great Minister during the reign of Songtsen Gampo.
Zhang co-starred with Sun Li and Tong Dawei in the 2002 television series Jade Goddess of Mercy as Bian Xiaojun.
In 2004, he co-starred with Huang Lina and Gui Yalei in Emperor Guangwu of Han as Emperor Guangwu of Han.
Zhang's big break came when Chen Jian and Zhang Qian cast him in Drawing Sword (2006), in which he played the Nationalist army official Chu Yunfei, a role which brought him much publicity.
In 2007, he had a lead role in The Benevolent is Invincible, this was his second time working with Li Youbin after Drawing Sword. That same year, he co-starred with Xiong Naijin, Anya and Wang Yan in the thriller film Letter Box as the amorous man Zheng Chuan.
In 2009, Zhang portrayed Han Xin in the historical television series The Han Triumph, directed by Huang Jianzhong.
Zhang starred in a historical television series called King of Silk (2010) with Jia Yiping and Ma Yili. He was cast as the political commissar in the romance film A Tibetan Love Song, opposite Alec Su, Ju Wenpei, Purba Rgyal, Ariel Aisin-Gioro, and Chen Maolin.
In 2011, he was cast in the comedy film The Kidnappers, playing the father of Wu Zhenlin's character. That same year, he had a minor role in the wuxia television series The Legend of Chu Liuxiang, which starred Ken Chang as Chu Liuxiang.
Zhang made a guest appearance in All for Love (2012), a romantic comedy film directed by Jiang Ping and written by Zhu Ping and Xu Yiwen, starring Ariel Aisin-Gioro, Che Yongli, Alec Su, and Ju Wenpei.
In 2013, he was cast in the war film Chinese Look with Song Chunli, Song Chuyan, Shu Yaoxuan, Zhang Qianru, and Erma Yina.
In 2015, it was reported that Zhang was in talks to appear as Chang Weisi, a major general, in the film adaption of the best-selling book The Three-Body Problem which will be directed by Panpan Zhang.

## Personal life

Zhang married actress Chen Wei (陈炜) in October 1989 in Beijing. Their daughter Zhang Sile (张思乐) was born in 1992 and is also an actress.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 1986 | Hibiscus Town | 芙蓉镇 | Li Mangeng |
| 1987 | Probation in the Army | 陆军见习官 | Xiang Fan |
| 1987 | Little Empreors of China | 中国的“小皇帝” | |
| 1987 | Two Dowagers | 两宫皇太后 | Prince Gong |
| 1988 | Bandits and the Black Swan | 强盗与黑天鹅 | Feng Ziqiao |
| 1988 | Hu Guang | 弧光 | Liu Kai |
| 1989 | Mutiny | 哗变 | Cheng Huan |
| 1989 | Woman Gangster in Blue | 蓝衫女匪 | Dongfang Hongfei |
| 1990 | Iron Soul | 铁血金魂 | Brother Fang |
| 1990 | Sacred Fire in a Remote Place | 天边有一簇圣火 | Liu Qingjian |
| 1991 | A Gentleman's Revenge | 君子复仇 | Li Donghai |
| 1992 | Dedicate All His Life | 九死一生 | |
| 1993 | Widows | 血染桃花水 | Laoda |
| 1993 | The Assassin | 杀人者唐斩 | Song Zhong |
| 1993 | Living with You | 与你同住 | Zhu Yitong |
| 2007 | Letter Box | 信箱 | Zheng Chuan |
| 2007 | Wu Yunduo | 把一切献给党：吴运铎 | Wu Yunduo |
| 2010 | A Tibetan Love Song | 新康定情歌 | Political commissar |
| 2010 | Lover Eternal | 巫山梦 | Zhang Qingfeng |
| 2011 | The Kidnappers | 非常绑匪 | Du Du's father |
| 2012 | All for Love | 三个未婚妈妈 | Guest |
| 2013 | Chinese Look | 正骨 | Guo Jiansan |
| TBA | The Three-Body Problem | 三体 | Chang Weisi |

### Television

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 1991 | The Birth of a Statue | 一个雕像的诞生 | Luo Shiwen |
| 1992 | — | 夜欲 | Zhao Liqiu |
| 1992 | Beiyang Fleet | 北洋水师 | Emperor Meiji |
| 1993 | Xiaodunzi | 小墩子 | Da Ben |
| 1993 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | 三国演义 | Lü Bu |
| 1994 | The Boundless Season | 季节苍茫 | Liu Housheng |
| 1994 | Scenery of the Small Building | 小楼风景 | Shengzi |
| 1995 | Walking into the Sun | 走进阳光 | Zheng Zihua |
| 1996 | — | 义胆情深 | Zhang Yongliang |
| 1996 | Eastern Zhou Dynasty Various Nations | 东周列国·春秋篇 | King Zhuang of Chu |
| 1997 | Song of Youth | 青春之歌 | Hu Meng'an |
| 1998 | — | 喜鹊东南飞 | Wu Gehua |
| 1999 | Zhou Xuan | 周璇 | Tang Ti |
| 2000 | The Sun Comes East | 日出东方 | Chiang Kai-shek |
| 2001 | Princess Wencheng | 文成公主 | Gar Tongtsen Yulsung |
| 2002 | Jade Goddess of Mercy | 玉观音 | Bian Xiaojun |
| 2002 | Bingtanghulu Crispy Sugar-Coated Fruit | 冰糖葫芦 | Muzi |
| 2002 | — | 心疼女人 | Zhang Tao |
| 2002 | Proud Son of Heaven | 天骄 | Fang Jie |
| 2004 | Akhal-teke Horses | 汗血宝马 | Master Tao |
| 2004 | Emperor Guangwu of Han | 汉光武大帝 | Emperor Guangwu of Han |
| 2005 | Drawing Sword | 亮剑 | Chu Yunfei |
| 2005 | — | 马鸣风萧萧 | Tie Haitang |
| 2006 | — | 虎穴剿匪 | Deng Ziqian |
| 2006 | Let's Remarry | 我们复婚吧 | Li Xuelei |
| 2007 | Xun Huisheng | 荀慧生 | Yang Xiaolou |
| 2007 | Fog Willow Town | 雾柳镇 | Tang Jing |
| 2007 | Secret Post in Canton | 羊城暗哨 | He Cunxi |
| 2007 | Bloody Xiangxi | 血色湘西 | Suo Yunchao |
| 2008 | The Benevolent is Invincible | 仁者无敌 | Li Wenbo |
| 2009 | The Han Triumph | 大风歌 | Han Xin |
| 2009 | — | 天地正气 | Guest |
| 2009 | Waiting until the Day of Victory | 等到胜利那一天 | Kuang Bingyi |
| 2010 | King of Silk | 经纬天地 | Tao Zhu |
| 2010 | Legend of Su San | 苏三传奇 | Su San's Father |
| 2010 | Eleven Steps | 十一级台阶 | Li Daqiang |
| 2010 | Suzhou Twelve Women | 姑苏十二娘 | Chen Shihao |
| 2010 | A Forward Contract | 远期的合约 | President Liao |
| 2011 | The Wife of Bandit | 匪娘 | Division commander |
| 2011 | Five Lakes and Four Seas | 五湖四海 | Minister Zhang |
| 2011 | Jade Goddess of Mercy | 新玉观音 | Zhong Guoqing |
| 2011 | Legend of the Gunman | 枪神传奇 | Ren Rujian |
| 2011 | — | 代号十三钗 | Japanese military official |
| 2011 | The Legend of Chu Liuxiang | 楚留香新传 | Old man |
| 2011 | — | 山里娘们山里汉 | Li Song |
| 2012 | Lone Wolf | 独狼 | Qi Fangliang |
| 2012 | Red Flow | 红流 | Chen Duxiu |
| 2012 | The Sun Comes Jiangnan | 日出江南 | Li Hongzhang |
| 2012 | The Wolf Man of the War Song | 战歌之猎狼人 | Feng Bingchen |
| 2012 | — | 碧血江湖儿女 | |
| 2013 | — | 七九河开 | Qin Xiangyang |
| 2013 | — | 0号刺杀 | |
| 2013 | Sirius Action | 天狼星行动 | Chu Tianfei |
| 2015 | Cop Power | 特警力量 | Xu Yuan |
| 2016 | The Red Flag thrown into West Wind | 红旗漫卷西风 | Qin Shengda |
| TBA | — | 问天录之少年钟馗 | |

## Film and TV Awards

| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
| 1987 | Two Dowagers | 10th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 1988 | Mutiny | 11th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 1989 | Hu Guang | Chinese Academy of Performing Arts Society Award | — | Won |
| 1990 | Sacred Fire in a Remote Place | Golden Rooster Awards | Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor | Nominated |