Joe Chen

Joe Chen
Background information
Chinese name	陳喬恩 (traditional)
Chinese name	陈乔恩 (simplified)
Pinyin	Chen Qiao En (Mandarin)
Jyutping	Can Kiu Jan (Cantonese)
Pe̍h-ōe-jī	Tân Kiâu-un (Hokkien)
Origin	Hsinchu, Taiwan Republic of China
Born	(1979-04-04) April 4, 1979 Hsinchu, Taiwan Republic of China
Other name(s)	小紅恩、教主、球恩
Occupation	Actress, Singer, Writer, Host
Label(s)	Chen Qiao En Studios
Years active	2001－
Associated acts	Ming Dao, Wallace Huo
Website	Joe Chen on Sina Weibo

Joe Chen Chiao-en (traditional Chinese: 陳喬恩; simplified Chinese: 陈乔恩; pinyin: Chén Qiáo'ēn, Chen Chiao-en, born 4 April 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, actress, writer and model.

Joe rose to fame in 2005 with the idol drama series The Prince Who Turns into a Frog. She received critical acclaim for her role in Fated to Love You at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards, where she was nominated for Best Actress. Known as the "Queen of Idol Dramas", Joe starred in a number of popular idol dramas, including 100% Senorita, A Game About Love, Ying Ye 3 Jia 1 and the Chinese series The Queen of SOP.

In 2013, her popularity rose in China, where she gained a large number of fans for her role as Dongfang Bubai in the Chinese wuxia series Swordsman. Chen also entered the Forbes China Celebrity 100 List for the first time.^[1] She established her status as an A-list-er with her roles in popular dramas and movies The Monkey King (2014), Cruel Romance (2015), Destined to Love You (2015) and Stay with Me (2016). As of 2015, she is listed by Forbes as the 61st most influential celebrity in mainland China.^[2]

Career

2001–2009: Career Beginnings and Rise to Fame

Joe Chen began working as a model and assistant in 2001. She entered the entertainment industry after winning 1st place on Sanlih E-Television's talent show. In 2002, she began her acting career by taking on a supporting role in the drama series Lavender. She also became a host for SET variety shows Zhong Guo Na Me Da and Zong Yi Qi Jian, alongside famous Taiwanese hosts Jacky Wu and NONO. In 2003, she attracted the attention of SET's executive Zong Limei, who cast her in 100% Senorita. This was her first leading role. The drama garnered high ratings, and introduced Joe to Taiwanese audiences.

In 2004, Joe debuted with Taiwanese girl group 7 Flowers. The group released their first single, an OST for the drama series Top On The Forbidden City. Joe continued hosting variety programs with her members as well as their label-mate seniors 5566. In 2005, the girl group released their album Seven Flowers and performed at numerous events.

Joe's rise to fame arrived when she starred in the drama series The Prince Who Turns into a Frog in 2005. The drama became an instant hit; Joe and her co-star Ming Dao were dubbed as the 'dream combination, perfect lovers'. The series was aired in various parts of Asia, gaining her more recognition and popularity. She later made a cameo appearance in the Philippines drama Sugo as Richard Gutierrez's love interest.

From 2006 to 2007, Joe continued to host Taiwanese variety programs and gained success. The game show Mao Xian Qi Bing, which she was part of, broke the 100% ratings mark. Thus, the production team specially introduced a new show for her called Xing Nan Da Zhu Chu. Joe's chemistry with her co-host Sam Tseng made the new program another success, and it became one of the few food-related variety programs to have an extend in broadcast length. Joe also acted in the idol dramas A Game About Love and Ying Ye 3 Jia 1; the latter reunited her with Ming Dao.

In 2008, Joe starred in the drama series Fated to Love You opposite Ethan Juan. The drama achieved a segment rating of 8.13, breaking the record previously set by The Prince Who Turns into a Frog with 7.05.^[3] Broadcasting rights of the show were sold to 15 countries, and the drama was covered by America's Wall Street Journal.^[4] Joe's performance in the drama garnered her a nomination for Best Actress in a TV Series at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards, and the Best Actress (Contemporary) at the 4th Huading Awards. Due to the success of the series as well as her previous TV dramas, Joe was given the title of "Queen of Idol Dramas". Her popularity also reached an all-time high in Asia.

In 2009, Joe made her foray into mainland China by starring in the Hunan TV drama The Girl in Blue, which was adapted from an online novel. The same year, her contract with her label ended, she decided to focus her acting career in China.

2010–2012: Forays in China

Joe was invited by director Fan Xiaotian to star in the comedy drama Youthful and Vibrant Zhu Nine Sister. She then joined the cast of Breaking the Waves, a movie tribute to the Olympics. However, the movie was not released till 4 years later. The same year, she was confirmed for the role of Princess Iron Fan in the 3D movie adaption of the Journey to the West. This would be Joe's first time participating in a 3D movie. A wax figure of Joe as the Princess Iron Fan was made and displayed at the Madame Tussaud Hong Kong museum.

In 2011, Joe made her feature film debut in the Barbara Wong's romance film The Allure of Tears. The same year, she filmed the palace drama Beauties of the Emperor, in which she played the Han Empress Lü Zhi. Though the character was often portrayed evil, Joe's depiction of the Empress was a kind-hearted one. Beauties of the Emperor was released in 2012; this also marks her 3rd collaboration with Ming Dao.

Joe made her return to idol dramas after 3 years in the modern romance drama The Queen of SOP in 2012. The drama was popular with the audience and became the highest-rated drama for Hunan TV's 2012 prime-time slots. She also released an OST for the drama titled "Like to be Lonely", which topped the Baidu music charts for two weeks.

In 2013, Joe made her debut in musical theatre; her first starring role was in the novel-adapted production The Woman on the Breadfruit Tree, based on Amy Cheung's novel of the same time. She played the main character Chen Yun, and portrayed her love story and growth from 22 years old to 28 years old. The play was screened in People Theater and Beijing Poly Theater, and achieved exemplary ticketing sales. In 2015, when the play went on another Chinese tour, Joe's performance was noticed and she won the 4th Denny Awards for Best Actress.

2013–2016: Mainstream Popularity in Mainland China

Joe rose to mainstream popularity in China after starring in the Chinese wuxia drama Swordsman, adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. This was her first time acting in a wuxia drama. She portrayed the anti-heroine Dongfang Bubai, who was originally meant to be depicted by a male. Though there were initial doubts due to the new characterization, Joe later won the hearts of the audience through her complex and rich portrayal of her character, and gained a large number of fans. She won Most Popular Actress at the 5th TV Drama Awards Made in China.

In 2014, Joe starred in Han Han's road-trip comedy film The Continent, where she played a down-to-earth and hardworking girl. Next, The Monkey King starring Joe as one of the main characters Princess Iron Fan was released after 4 years. Both films were successful at the box office and grossed over US$100 million.

In 2015, Joe starred in the Chinese republican drama series Cruel Romance opposite Huang Xiaoming. The drama became popular with the audience, achieving high ratings throughout its run and becoming a hot topic online.^[5] Joe was awarded Best Actress (Modern) at the 17th Huading Awards for her performance.

She then starred in military romance drama Destined to Love You, written by Tong Hua, which is also set during the republican era. The drama was also successful in ratings, and placed #1 in the prime-time slots.

The same year, Joe participated in Patrick Kong's Hong Kong film Return of the Cuckoo, as well as Annie Yi's directorial debut The Queens, starring alongside Korean actress Song Hye-kyo. She reunited with The Queen of SOP co-star Hans Zhang in youth romance film Youth Never Returns, and made an appearance in another youth movie, the highly popular Our Times, as the adult version of the female protagonist (Lin Truly). Joe then starred in Forever Love, a film detailing the development of Beijing city in the last fifty years. She was also cast in her first English production, the China-New Zealand 3D fantasy-adventure film The Wonder.

In 2016, Joe paired up with Wang Kai for the modern romance drama Stay with Me. She then starred in the web drama Candle in the The Tomb, adapted from the novel Ghost Blows Up the Candle. In July, she was cast alongside Tong Dawei in the romance drama Love Actually. In August, it was announced that Joe will play Dugu Qieluo in the upcoming drama The Unique China Queen.

Filmography

Film

Television

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Awards

Personal life

Chen is Taiwanese Hakka from Hsinchu County. She has two brothers, one elder and one younger.

Chen has group of close celebrity friends collectively known as An Corporation. It includes 6 other Taiwanese stars Ady An, Shone An, Esther Liu, Bianca Bai, Linda Liao and Kimi Hsia. She is also known to be good friends with Qiao Renliang.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe Chen.

• Joe Chen on Sina Weibo (Chinese)
• Joe Chen at the Internet Movie Database