Henry O

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Henry O (actually Jiang Xi Ren ) (born July 27, 1927 in Shanghai ) is a Chinese actor who now lives and works in the USA .

Life

O grew up in China, where he attended English and American mission schools. After several decades of experience as an actor and assistant artistic director in children's theater, he emigrated with his wife to the United States, where his grandchildren lived. From the end of the 1980s, O began to appear in international cinema productions. Almost without exception, he was set to the role of older Asians who he in award-winning dramas such as Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar winner The Last Emperor (1987) and Scott Hicks ' Snow Falling on Cedars (1999), as well as action movies like American Shaolin ( 1991), Romeo Must Die (2000) or Rush Hour 3 (2007). He was also represented with guest roles in well-known American television series such as The West Wing , Emergency Room - Die Notaufnahme or The Sopranos . His breakthrough as a film actor paved the way for his first leading role in Wayne Wang's drama Mr. Shi and the Song of the Cicadas in 2007 . The title role of a pensioner from Beijing who visits his daughter, who lives in the USA and who has given up any Chinese way of life, was represented in the competition of the Spanish Festival Internacional de Cine de Donostia-San Sebastián that same year . There, Wang's film was awarded the Golden Shell , the main prize of the film festival, while O was able to secure the actor's prize against the German Moritz Bleibtreu ( Free Rainer - your television lies ). In 2009 the actor was part of the cast of Roland Emmerich's disaster film 2012, alongside John Cusack , Thandie Newton , Woody Harrelson and Amanda Peet .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME O, Henry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jiang, Xiren (real name); Zhang, Zhi Yen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese actor
DATE OF BIRTH July 27, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Shanghai