Actor

1992-05-05 · Xicheng District, Beijing · Male

9 series in the catalog

Zhang Yishan (Chinese: 张一山, born 5 May 1992) is a Chinese actor. He rose to fame as a child star for his role of Liu Xing in the sitcom Home with Kids (2004). He is also known for his roles in the TV series Yu Zui (2016) and The Deer and the Cauldron (2020).

Early life and education

Zhang was born and raised in Xicheng District, Beijing. When he was 5, his father sent him to Shichahai Martial Arts School to study kung fu. Through a teacher's recommendation, he was sent to a speech studio for children to study. There, he was noticed by a director who cast him in his first television project.

Zhang enrolled in Beijing Film Academy in 2011, majoring in acting. He graduated in 2014.

Career

Zhang began his career at the age 9 with a minor role in Little Soldier Zhang Ga. Under the recommendation of his co-star Li Yingqi, Zhang auditioned for a role in Home with Kids, and was cast in the role of Liu Xing. The sitcom hit national TV screens in 2004, and ran for four seasons till 2007. Zhang made a significant impression with the Chinese audience with his portrayal of a naughty but witty trouble-maker, and subsequently became a popular child star in China.

Zhang began working with several Chinese film directors. He has played in some twenty Chinese films and TV series, including the 2009 production Looking for Jackie starring veteran actor Jackie Chan, and patriotic tribute The Founding of a Party in 2010. Zhang won the New Performer Award at the Golden Phoenix Awards for his performance in Deng Enming's Childhood (2011).

Zhang transitioned from his child star fame with his breakout role in the critically-acclaimed crime thriller Yu Zui (2016), based on Chang Shuxin's popular novel. In 2017, Zhang starred in the youth romance drama Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day alongside Zhou Dongyu, based on the novel Beijing, Beijing by Feng Teng. The same year, he starred in Seven Faced Man, a remake of the Korean television series Kill Me, Heal Me. In late 2017, he began filming the drama Collision, directed by Guan Hu.

In 2018, Forbes China listed Zhang under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial impact in their respective fields.

In 2019, Zhang featured in Chong Er's Preach, in which he played Duke Hui of Jin. In 2020, Zhang starred as the protagonist Wei Xiaobao in The Deer and the Cauldron, a television series adapted from Jin Yong's classic wuxia novel of the same name. The series, affected by censorship and unfavorably compared with earlier adaptations, was critically panned and marked a setback to Zhang's career revival following Yu Zui.