You Benchang (; born 16 September 1933) is a

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

actor. You is known for his roles as

Ji Gong Daoji (, 22 December 1130 – 16 May 1209, born Li Xiuyuan), popularly known as Ji Gong (), was a Chan Buddhist monk who lived in the Southern Song. He purportedly possessed supernatural powers through Buddhist practice, which he used to hel ...

in the television series ''

'', which earned him a Best Actor Award at the 4th Golden Eagle Awards.

Early life and education

You was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu on 16 September 1933, and primarily studied in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

. When he was a child, a fortune teller said that he could not live to be 13 years old unless he became a monk. So when he was 6 years old, his parents sent him to Fazang Temple () in Shanghai, where he received ordination as a monk under Master Xingci (). And he got the

dharma name A Dharma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and Pabbajjā, monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The name is ...

"Chengpei" (). In 1951, You joined the Nanjing Song and Dance Troupe after high school. You entered

Shanghai Theatre Academy Shanghai Theatre Academy () is a municipal public college for dramatic art education in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. History On December 1, 1945, the Shanghai Municipal Experimental Drama ...

in 1952, majoring in acting.

Career

After graduating in 1956 he was assigned to the

National Theatre Company of China The National Theater of China or National Theater Company of China (), based in Beijing, is China's national theatrical company, founded on December 25, 2001 with the merger of China National Youth Theater () and China National Experimental Theate ...

as an actor. You joined the Chinese Dramatists Association in 1980. In 1984, You performed a famous

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

named ''Shower'' () in the annual

CCTV New Year's Gala The ''CMG New Year's Gala'', formerly known as the ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'' (), is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). I ...

. You first rose to prominence in 1986 for playing

in the television series ''

''. The series reached number one in the ratings when it aired in China. In 2009, You had a minor role as Tang Pangzi in ''

The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman ''The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman'' () is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Wuershan. The film is made up of three inter-twining stories. The first about a butcher who takes revenge on a swordsman for humiliation, the second is about a ...

'', which starred

Masanobu Andō is a Japanese actor. Ando has appeared in films such as Takeshi Kitano's '' Kids Return'' (1996), Kinji Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale'' (2000), Takashi Miike's '' Sukiyaki Western Django'' (2007), and Chen Kaige's '' Forever Enthralled'' (2008). ...

as Yaba. You participated in many films, such as ''

Reign of Assassins ''Reign of Assassins'' is a 2010 ''wuxia'' film directed by Su Chao-pin and co-directed by John Woo. The film is shot in China and set during the Ming Dynasty. The film stars Michelle Yeoh, who plays an assassin who tries to return to a normal lif ...

'', ''

The University Days of a Dog ''The University Days of a Dog'' (一只狗的大学时光) is a 2010 Chinese comedy film. The director is (卢正雨), and the lead actor is Joker Xue. The run time is 96 minutes. It was produced by the Beijing Shengshi Bang Wei Culture Media C ...

'', and '' Painted Skin: The Resurrection''. In 1994, You founded the Beijing Benchang Movie & TV Cultural Co., Ltd. On 28 July 2009, You became a monk at the Great Light Temple, in

Suifenhe Suifenhe () is a county-level city in southeastern Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, located where the former Chinese Eastern Railway crosses the border with Russia's town of Pogranichny, Primorsky Krai. In January 2014, Sui ...

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

. In 2021, he made a guest appearance as a Buddhist monk on the

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

''Lie Detector''. In 2023, Director

Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure o ...

choose You for the part of ''

Blossoms Shanghai ''Blossoms Shanghai'' (), also known as ''Blossoms'', is a Chinese television series directed and produced by Wong Kar-wai. It is adapted from the novel ''Blossoms'' written by Jin Yucheng. The series is set in Shanghai in the 1990s and stars Hu G ...

'', which enjoyed great popularity. You was praised for his performance as Ye Shu, A bao (

Hu Ge Hu Ge ( zh, c=胡歌, born 20 September 1982), also known as Hugh Hu or Hugo Hu, is a Chinese actor and singer. He rose to fame for his role as Li Xiaoyao in '' Chinese Paladin'' (2005), and has since starred in a succession of popular televi ...

)'s guide, mentor, and partner.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:You, Benchang 1933 births People from Taizhou, Jiangsu Shanghai Theatre Academy alumni Male actors from Jiangsu Living people Chinese male television actors Chinese male film actors