Michelle Chen

Last updated
Michelle Chen
陳妍希
Michelle Chen.jpg
Chen at an event in Tainan, Taiwan, 2013
Born
Chen Mei-hsuan (陳玫璇)

(1983-05-31) May 31, 1983 (age 42)
NationalityTaiwanese
Alma mater University of Southern California (BS)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2007–present
Spouse
(m. 2016;div. 2025)
Children1
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Chén Yánxī
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping Can4 Jin4-hei1
Musical career
Genres Pop

Michelle Chen Yanxi (born Chen Mei-hsuan; 31 May 1983) is a Taiwanese actress and singer. Chen is best known for starring in the 2011 film You Are the Apple of My Eye , which broke box office records for Taiwanese films in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Chen is also known for the films Hear Me (2009), Badges of Fury (2013), Pali Road (2015), as well as the TV series The Romance of the Condor Heroes (2014).

Contents

Early life and education

Chen was born and raised in Taipei. She has an older sister. [1] After middle school, she attended the college-preparatory school Southwestern Academy in San Marino, California. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in business administration in 2005. [2]

In 2006, while visiting family in Taiwan, Chen caught the eye of producer and manager Angie Chai (柴智屏). Chen wanted to break into music at the time, but due to the slow growth of the industry, was persuaded instead by Chai to start her career in acting. [3]

Career

Chen signed a contract with the company Comic Dialogue Theme by Angie Chai. Initially she wanted to be a singer, but the company wanted her to try to advance in the field of cinema. She therefore played supporting roles in several films and television series and caught attention for her lovely and cute looks, but did not leave much impression.

In 2009, she starred in the movie Hear Me as a swimming athlete with hearing disabilities. Her acting captured people's hearts and helped her clinch the nomination for the "Best New Actress Award" at the 46th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards.

In 2011, after seeing success with her debut film Hear Me , Chen starred in the hit Taiwanese film You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011). The film was written and directed by Giddens Ko, produced by Angie as executive, and based on Ko's novel. In the film, Chen plays the role of Shen Chia-yi. The film broke records at the box office, becoming the 4th highest grossing domestic Taiwanese film. In the film's soundtrack, she also wrote and sang the song Haiziqi (孩子氣). For her performance in the film, Chen was also nominated for a "Best Actress" award at the 46th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards.

In 2013, due to the success of You Are the Apple of My Eye, Michelle Chen was cast in the lead role of the film Badges of Fury starring Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Simon Yam. In May 2013, Chen released her debut album Me, Myself, and I. Including some self-composed songs, the album received an average response from critics and music listeners.

In 2014, after termination of the contract with the company Comic Voice Tri in 2012, Chen was cast as Xiaolongnü in The Romance of the Condor Heroes . Her casting announcement was met with widespread opposition from the public, with criticisms leveled at her appearance, which is not as light and angelic as the description of Xiaolongnu in the book.

In 2015, Michelle Chen starred in two new series. In the movie Young For You, she played the role of Qiu Zi. In the TV series The Legend of Qin , she portrayed Rong Duanmu.

In 2016, she starred in Pali Road, where she played the role of Lily with actor Jackson Rathbone. The movie, filmed and set in Hawaii, United States.

Personal life

Chen's first boyfriend after entering the entertainment industry was a man by the name of Aron. Both had studied in the U.S. and returned to Taiwan in 2006. After a relationship of 1 year and 4 months, they broke up during Christmas the following year. Aron was later sentenced to 16 years for marijuana trafficking. Chen's single Sorry was written in memory of this relationship. [4]

In 2010, Chen dated Alan Ko for eight months. [5]

In 2015, Chen began dating her The Romance of the Condor Heroes co-star Chen Xiao. On July 5, 2016, they registered their marriage in the city of Beijing and held a wedding ceremony on July 19 at Yanqi Lake (雁栖湖) in Huairou, Beijing. They held the guining banquet (bridal visit to parents) in Chen's hometown of Taipei on July 21, 2016. [6] Chen gave birth to their son in 2016, named Chen Muchen (陈睦辰). [7] On 18 February 2025, the two announced that they were divorced. [8]

Filmography

Film

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes
2009 Hear Me 聽說Lin Hsiao-peng
Ego's Mask
2011Tempest of First Love初戀風暴Chuang Kai-en
You Are the Apple of My Eye 那些年,我們一起追的女孩Shen Chia-yi
2012The Soul of Bread愛的麵包魂Chiu Hsiao-ping
Ripples of Desire 花漾Bai Xiaoxue
2013Together在一起Jojo
Badges of Fury 不二神探Angela
2014 Lock Me Up, Tie Him Down 完美假妻168Reportercameo
Urban Games 城市游戏Dai Rui
Café. Waiting. Love 等一個人咖啡customercameo
2015 12 Golden Ducks 12金鴨Suk-funcameo
This Is Me 年少轻狂Qiu Yingzi
Go Lala Go 2 杜拉拉II:追婚记Carriecameo
2016 Run for Love 奔爱LilySegment: "Artificial Sunlight" (人造阳光)
Scandal Maker 外公芳龄38Tang Hui Ru
Morning, Paris!巴黎早安Chantel
Pali Road 夏威夷之恋Lily Zhang
2018 The Shadow Play 风中有朵雨做的云Lian Ah-yun
2021A Trip With Your Wife跟你老婆去旅行Xiao Yi

Television series

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes
2007 Why Why Love 換換愛Jiang Xiao-nan
2008Wish to See You Again這裡發現愛Pan Neng-xian
Miss No Good 不良笑花Jiang Mi
2010Drunken Red Dust醉紅塵Lei Jin-yi
Channel-X國民英雄Lo Shan-shan
2011Moment in Macau鏡海風雲Ni Jing-ya
Remember, About Us記得,我們有約Jiang Mu-yun
Lin Bei珍愛林北Lin Hsiao-ni
2014 The Romance of the Condor Heroes 神鵰俠侶 Xiaolongnü
2015 The Legend of Qin 秦時明月 Duanmu Rong
2016City Still Believe in Love北上广依然相信爱情Huang Yiran
2021Got Old Recently大妈的世界Sheng Qianshi
2023Warm and Sweet温暖的甜蜜的Qi Jiayi
Teresa Teng但愿人长久 Teresa Teng

Variety show

Discography

Studio albums

Me, Myself, and I
Studio album
ReleasedMay 2013
Genre Pop
Length35:10
LanguageMandarin, English
Label Linfair Records

All lyrics are written by Michelle Chen [9]

No.TitleMusicLanguageLength
1."Shu Gong De Xiao Cheng Gu Shi" (叔公的小城故事; "Great-Uncle's Story of a Small Town")Michelle Chen & Shih Chia-haoMandarin3:28
2."Clueless Boy"Michelle ChenEnglish3:34
3."Sorry"Michelle ChenEnglish3:08
4."Xuan Ya Shang De Mei Gui" (懸崖上的玫瑰; "The Rose on the Cliff")Michelle Chen & Stanley WangMandarin3:37
5."Zhijue" (直覺; "Intuition")Michelle ChenMandarin3:15
6."Beautiful"Michelle ChenMandarin & English3:25
7."Fangxiang" (方向; "Direction")Michelle Chen & Diks LauMandarin3:48
8."I Lost My Sanity"Michelle ChenEnglish3:12
9."Wei Guang" (微光; "Faint Light")Michelle Chen & Lee Shan-haoMandarin3:14
10."Dear Friend"Michelle ChenMandarin & English3:06

Other songs

All songs are in Mandarin.

SongLyricsMusicNotes
"Gong Xin Ji" (攻心計; "Mind Game") — Lollipop F ft. Michelle Chen Owodog, 小色, Michelle ChenLee Tzu-nungincluded in Lollipop F's album Four Dimensions
"Hai Zi Qi" (孩子氣; "Childish")Michelle Cheninsert song of You Are the Apple of My Eye
"Piao Liu Ping" (漂流瓶; "Drift Bottle") — Ko Chen-tung ft. Michelle ChenLee Hsuan-Leincluded in Ko Chen-tung's album Be Yourself
"Ai De Mian Bao" (愛的麵包; "The Bread of Love" — ft. Anthony Neely & Chen Han-tien)Michelle ChenSkot Suyamatheme song of The Soul of Bread
"Ni Shou Zhong De Jiang Hu" (你手中的江湖; "The Martial World in Your Hands")Frantheme song of the mobile game San Jian Hao
"Ni Wo" (你我; "You and Me" — duet with Chen Xiao) Yu Zheng Tan Xuantheme song of The Romance of the Condor Heroes
"Ai Ru Chu Jian" (愛如初見; "Love Like First Sight" — duet with Chen Xiao)Chen XiDong Dongdongtheme song of the mobile game Shen Diao Xia Lü
"Hua La La" (嘩啦啦)Michelle ChenHe Liangtheme song of This Is Me

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workNotes
200946th Golden Horse Awards Best New Performer Hear Me [10] Nominated
201148th Golden Horse Awards Best Leading Actress [11] You Are the Apple of My Eye Nominated
2012 New York Asian Film Festival Asia Rising Star [12] Won
6th Asian Film Awards Best Actress You Are the Apple of My Eye Nominated
Favorite ActressNominated
Changchun Film Festival Best ActressNominated
Chinese Film Media Awards Favorite PerformanceWon
Favorite ActressNominated
LeTV Awards Most Influential Movie ActressWon
Chinese Music Awards Best Movie ActressWon
2015 17th Huading Awards Best Actress (ancient drama) The Romance of the Condor Heroes Won
2016 19th Huading Awards Best Actress (ancient drama)The Legend of QinNominated
20192nd Cultural and Entertainment Industry CongressBest Supporting Actress (Film) The Shadow Play Nominated

References

  1. "陳妍希 大無畏". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  2. "陳妍希PO十年前舊照 網友讚依然清純". China Times. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  3. "Biography : Michelle Chen". imdb. Archived from the original on 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
  4. ETtoday新聞雲 (2013-05-15). "陳妍希新歌掀苦戀 賣毒男友Aron摸胸嘆:曾夢見過她 | ETtoday星光雲 | ETtoday新聞雲". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  5. "柯有伦承认曾与陈妍希恋爱 疑女方电影大卖后分手-中新网". www.chinanews.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  6. "Condor Heroes stars Michelle Chen and Chen Xiao turn from reel to real lovers". The Straits Times . 2015-08-27. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015.
  7. "Michelle Chen gives birth to a boy, five months after marrying her Condor Heroes co-star Chen Xiao". The Straits Times. 20 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  8. "陈晓陈妍希结束八年多婚姻:今后各自安好". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  9. Track 1 contains Chen singing a part from Teresa Teng's famous 1978 song "Xiao Cheng Gu Shi" (小城故事; "The Story of a Small Town"), whose lyricist was Chuang Nu.
  10. (in Chinese) Archived 2015-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
  11. (in Chinese) Archived 2015-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Kolesnikov, Sonia. "Taiwanese Actress Michelle Chen to Release 1st Album in May, Want to Act With Andy Lau | BLOUIN ARTINFO". Sea.blouinartinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2014-04-21.