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Xu Zheng is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer and Production Design Chinois born on 18 april 1972

Xu Zheng

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Nationality Chine
Birth 18 april 1972 (52 years)

Xu Zheng (born April 18, 1972) is a Chinese actor, director and filmmaker, best known for his comedic roles.

Xu found fame portraying the titular pig Zhu Bajie in the silly TV series Sunny Piggy (2000), opposite his future wife Tao Hong. He became well-known after starring in other comedy TV dramas like Li Wei the Magistrate (2001) and Love Through Different Times (2002), as well as comedy films Call for Love (2007) and Lost on Journey (2010). His directorial debut film Lost in Thailand (2012) which he also starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced with a $4 million budget, grossed over $200 million to set the box office record for a Chinese film. Xu has appeared in most of Ning Hao's films, including Breakup Buddies (2014), also one of the highest-grossing films in China.

Biography

Growing up in Shanghai, Xu Zheng performed regularly in Children's Palace theatres. After graduating from Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1994, he became a member of the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre where he gradually distinguished himself on stage. He starred in Chinese versions of The Liar (as Lelio), Long Day's Journey into Night (as Jamie), Much Ado About Nothing (as Antonio), and Art (as Serge), as well as many Chinese plays. He also directed at least 3 plays as early as 1998.

While focusing on theatre, Xu Zheng also ventured into television dramas and films, but his first few roles were very minor. His big break came in 2000 with the wacky romance TV series Sunny Piggy, in which he portrayed the dimwitted protagonist Zhu Bajie. Sunny Piggy received high ratings nationally, paving way for other popular TV dramas such as Li Wei the Magistrate (2001) and Love Through Different Times (2002).

Since appearing in Ning Hao's Crazy Stone (2006), Xu began to turn more and more to comedy films, starring in Call for Love (2007) and One Night in Supermarket (2009). He also worked with Ning Hao again in Crazy Racer (2009) and No Man's Land (2013).

After the 2010 comedy road film Lost on Journey that Xu starred in with Wang Baoqiang became a major hit, Xu invited Wang Baoqiang to co-star with him again for a new film. As a first-time director, Xu had a difficult time selling his story, meeting with 3 different production companies before convincing Beijing Enlight Pictures to invest US$4 million. Huang Bo, Xu's good friend and frequent co-star in Ning Hao's films, also joined the project. Released in December 2012, Lost in Thailand raked in over US$200 million from 32 million people to become the highest-grossing domestic film in China's history. Shot mainly in Thailand, the film greatly boosted tourism to the country, and Xu received a private meeting with the then-Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2013.

In 2014, Ning's comedy road film Breakup Buddies starring Xu and Huang Bo grossed over US$195 million as another top-grossing domestic film. Xu's second directorial feature Lost in Hong Kong, yet another comedy road film, will be released in 2015.