ziyi zhang

Ziyi Zhang's first experience of the entertainment industry was with dance. Although Zhang mostly stars in kung-fu films, she actually has no formal training in the art. She relies on her background in dance to make the fight scenes realistic in her movies.

Zhang has been featured in many Chinese films, but her American film debut was in Rush Hour 2, with Jackie Chan. She did not speak English at the time and Chan would serve as a translator for Zhang and Rush Hour director Brett Ratner.

This year Zhang stars in the critically acclaimed film Memoirs of a Geisha, which has earned her a nomination for Actress In A Leading Role - Drama.