Vivian Wu
Vivian Wu or Wu Junmei (; born February 5, 1966) is a Chinese actress. Her big break came in 1987, appearing in the biographical film "The Last Emperor". She later went to starring in films "Iron & Silk" (1990), "The Guyver" (1991), "Heaven & Earth" (1993), "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III" (1993), "The Joy Luck Club" (1993), and most notable playing the leading roles in "The Pillow Book" (1996) and "The Soong Sisters" (1997). In 2020, she stars as Dr. Lu Wang in the Netflix science fiction drama "Away". Early life. Wu was born in Shanghai, China. Wu is the daughter  of Zhu Manfang, one of the leading actresses in China during the 1940s and 1950s. Wu attended Shanghai Shixi High School and began acting at the age of 16 in Shanghai Film Studio. In 1987, she attended the Hawaii Pacific University, studying tourism. Career. In 1985, then 18-year-old Wu was given an audition for the role of Wenxiu in Bernardo Bertolucci's 1987 film "The Last Emperor". Six months later, she was chosen for the role, making her big screen debut. Wu later went on to star in the drama film "Shadow of China" (1989), directed and co -written by Mitsuo Yanagimachi, followed by the action comedy "Iron & Silk" (1990). The following year, she appeared in the poorly received superhero comedy film "The Guyver" with Mark Hamill. She was chosen by "People" as one of The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1990. Wu gained some critical acclaim after appearing in "The Joy Luck Club" (1993) directed by Wayne Wang, and playing the leading role in the erotic drama film "The Pillow Book" (1996). Wu also played Mitsu in the 1993 film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III". She played historical figure of Soong Mei-ling in  the 1997 historical drama film "The Soong Sisters", and "The Founding of a Republic" (2009) and well as on 2011 television series "Departed Heroes". Beside films, Wu has also worked in television, making guest appearances in shows, such as "The Untouchables", "L.A. Law", "Tales from the Crypt", "", "JAG", "Murder, She Wrote", "", "ER", and "Ghost Whisperer". She also starred in the live action video game "Supreme Warrior" (1994). As May–Lin Eng in "Eve and the Fire Horse" (2005), Wu received a Genie Award nomination. She also appeared in the video game "Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb" as Mei  Ying. She is one of the original four judges of Hunan TV's "Worlds's got Talent". In 2020, Wu made her return to Hollywood productions after nearly 25 years, with a starring role as Chinese astronaut Lu Wang, in the Netflix science fiction drama "Away" opposite Hilary Swank. Personal life. Wu married Cuban-born director and producer Oscar Luis Costo in 1994.