Chen Kun, also known as Aloys, is a Chinese actor and singer. Born on February 4, 1976 in Chongqing. His parents divorced when he was young and his mother worked very hard to raise her three sons. The hardships in childhood made him a sensitive and self-esteemed young man. In order to help his mother to make both ends meet, Chen Kun began to work part-time in high school. He started as a typist at the municipal office and later as a solo singer at night clubs. He showed early talent in singing and was strongly recommended by his vocal trainer and mentor to join the famous China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble (now China National Song and Dance Ensemble) at Beijing in 1995. In 1996, he was admitted to Beijing Film Academy where he took off as a promising young actor. Some of his roles most loved by the Chinese audience are Chen Zikun in TV drama "The Love Story in Shanghai", Jin Yanxi in TV drama "The Noble Family", Wang Sheng in film "Painted Skin" and Chiang Ching-kuo in the film "The Founding of a Republic". One of his best known roles to the international audience was Luo Ming in French film "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress."
As the leading man in "A West Lake Moment", Chen kun won a nomination for the best actor at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards in 2005. His performance in "The Knot" brought him a Huabiao Film Award (the main national film award in China) as best actor in 2007. His recent portrait of Chiang Ching-kuo in the 2009's mega blockbuster "The Founding of a Republic" received high remarks from critics and brought him sweeping popularity among audiences. Chen Kun has now become one of the most sought-after actors in the industry. He played leading roles in five films in the year of 2009 alone. He will give his first performance as a villain in "Let the Bullet Fly", a black comedy directed by the internationally known actor-director Jiang Wen. Apart from acting, Chen Kun is a also a well established singer. After the success of his first album "Osmosis" in 2004, he became a professional singer and was received well by fans and critics. He released his second album "To Come True Again" in 2006, which won him the Most Popular Male Vocalist at MTV Asia Awards. He is going to release his third album on 23rd December 2009.
Outside mainland China, Chen Kun also enjoys popularity in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. Representing Chinese films, he travelled to film festivals in France, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea and Russia. |