Joan Chen is famous both in China, where she grew up, and in the United States£¬where she now lives. How did Joan become a famous actress in two countries? It’s an interesting story.

Joan Chen was born in Shanghai in 1961. When she was 14, some people from a film studio (ÖÆƬ³§) came to her school and chose her to study at the studio. She was happy about this chance, but mainly she liked the idea of getting out of school. Soon, however she discovered that she really liked acting. At age 18, she won the Golden Rooster, China's top film prize.

In the late 1970s, Joan's parents, who were doctors, moved to the United States. Joan joined them when she was 20 and went to college there. Her parents hoped she would study medicine. In­stead, she majored in film and later looked for work as an actress. To work in the United States, Joan had to start all over again. She told Hollywood that she was an actress in China, but she only got some small parts in TV shows.

One day Joan went to speak to a director who was making a movie called Tai - pan. The interview didn't go well. As she walked away, a man in a car noticed her. The man was Dino DeLaurntiis, the film’s producer. He immediately offered her a leading part. A year later, she started in Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor and was on her way to worldwide fame.