Ge You

Ge You (born April 19, 1957) is a Chinese actor. One of the most critically acclaimed performers in China, Ge is known for his signature bald head, comic timing, and intelligent, subtle acting. Ge became the first Asian actor to win the Cannes Best Actor Award for his role in Zhang Yimou's To Live (1994). He is also known for TV sitcoms Stories From The Editorial Board (1992) and I Love My Family (1994); films After Separation (1993), Farewell, My Concubine (1993), The Emperor’s Shadow (1996), The Dream Factory (1997), Big Shot's Funeral (2001), Cell Phone (2003), A World Without Thieves (2004), The Banquet (2006), Sacrifice (2010), and the film series If You Are the One (2008–2023).

Ge's father, Ge Cunzhuang, was an actor who appeared in Little Soldier Zhang Ga, Red Flag Composition, Daqing Artillery Team. Ge's mother Shi Wenxin was a script editor at the Beijing Film Studio. Ge's younger sister Ge Jia, who studied philosophy and German literature, is a writer living in America.

After graduating from middle school, Ge went to the suburbs of Beijing to farm pigs. At the age of 25, he joined the Art Troupe of the National Federation of Trade Unions and became a stage actor. In 1984, Ge played a small role in Sheng Xia and His Fiancée.

Ge was propelled to fame when he starred in the film The Troubleshooters (1988), adapted from Wang Shuo's popular novel of the same name, for which Ge was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor. In 1992, he starred in the TV sitcom Stories From The Editorial Board. He gained international acclaim for his role in the film To Live (1994), directed by Zhang Yimou and adapted from the novel by Yu Hua. For the film, he became the first Chinese to win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed with a series of critically acclaimed films such as Steel Meets Fire (1991), The Spring Festival (1991), which won him the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Farewell My Concubine (1993). Since 1997, he has established a successful collaboration with director Feng Xiaogang.

Ge met He Cong, then an art teacher, in 1985. They married in 1988.