# Zhao Dan

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For the Chinese female skeleton racer, see [Zhao Dan (skeleton racer)](/source/Zhao_Dan_(skeleton_racer)).

**Zhao Dan** (June 27, 1915 – October 10, 1980) was a Chinese film actor.

## Career

Zhao became famous working in the [Mingxing Film Company](/source/Mingxing_Film_Company) in the 1930s including playing opposite [Zhou Xuan](/source/Zhou_Xuan) in *[Street Angel](/source/Street_Angel_(1937_film))* (1937). After the [Sino-Japanese War](/source/Second_Sino-Japanese_War), Zhao began a creative relationship with director [Zheng Junli](/source/Zheng_Junli), with films such as the 1948 anti-[Kuomintang](/source/Kuomintang) drama-comedy, *[Crows and Sparrows](/source/Crows_and_Sparrows)*.

Zhao remained on the mainland following the Communist victory in 1949 and continued to make films throughout the 1950s and 1960s notably in [biographical films](/source/Biographical_film) playing historical figures of [Nie Er](/source/Nie_Er), [Lin Zexu](/source/Lin_Zexu) (both directed by Zheng Junli) and [Li Shizhen](/source/Li_Shizhen).

Zhao joined [Chinese Communist Party](/source/Chinese_Communist_Party) in 1957. During the [Cultural Revolution](/source/Cultural_Revolution), he was persecuted and imprisoned for 5 years. He died of pancreatic cancer in Beijing in 1980.

## Personal life

Zhao was married to Ye Luxi (Rose Ye) in 1936. When he was arrested by [Sheng Shicai](/source/Sheng_Shicai) in [Xinjiang](/source/Xinjiang) in 1939, it was rumored that he was killed. Thus Ye married the playwright Du Xuan. After the war, he was released and returned to Shanghai. He married actress [Huang Zongying](/source/Huang_Zongying) in 1948.

## Selected filmography

### As actor

Year English Title Chinese Title Director Role 1933 Twenty-Four Hours in Shanghai 上海二十四小时 Shen Xiling 1937 Street Angel 马路天使 Yuan Muzhi Xiao Chen 1937 Crossroads 十字街头 Shen Xiling Zhao 1947 Far Away Love 遙遠的愛 Chen Liting Xiao Yuanxi 1947 Rhapsody of Happiness 幸福狂想曲 Chen Liting 1949 Crows and Sparrows 烏鴉与麻雀 Zheng Junli Little Broadcast 1949 Women Side by Side 丽人行 Chen Liting Zhang Yuliang 1950 The Life of Wu Xun 武训传 Sun Yu Wu Xun 1951 The Married Couple 我们夫妇之间 Zheng Junli 1956 Li Shizhen 李时珍 Shen Fu Li Shizhen 1958 Lin Zexu 林则徐 Zheng Junli Lin Zexu 1959 Nie Er 聂耳 Zheng Junli Nie Er

### As director

Year English Title Chinese Title Notes 1947 The Dress Returns to Glory 衣锦荣归 1953 Bless the Children 为孩子们祝福 1964 An Evergreen Tree 青山恋 Also known as Precious Green Mountains

## Further reading

- Zhang, Yingjing (2008). "Zhao Dan: Spectrality of Martyrdom and Stardom". *Journal of Chinese Cinemas*. **2** (2): 103–111. [doi:10.1386/jcc.2.2.103_1](https://doi.org/10.1386/jcc.2.2.103_1)

## External links

- [Zhao Dan](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0955486/) at IMDb
- [A Man of Many Faces](https://web.archive.org/web/20060901055847/http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-10/22/content_43947.htm)
- [Zhao Dan](http://www.dianying.com/en/person.php?personid=ZhaoDan) at the Chinese Movie Database

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zhao Dan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Dan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Dan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.