Zhang Ziyi - One of the World's Most Beautiful and Talented Women

Zhang Ziyi is one of China's most famous actresses. She is also often named as one of the most beautiful women in the world. She came to international prominence with her first movie, The Road Home, at the age of 19 and has never looked back. Within a year, she was known all over the world because of her role in the Chinese martial arts movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Since then, she has made 17 movies and become famous as the spokesperson for Maybelline cosmetics, Garnier hair products and Tag Heuer watches.

Zhang Ziyi was born in Beijing in 1980. She began her performing career when she entered the Beijing Academy of Dance at the age of 11. She has used the dance skills she learned there or combined them with martial arts skills in many of the movies she has made. At age 15, she then moved to the Central Academy of Drama and began her acting career.

Her first movie, Zhang Yimou's The Road Home brought her critical acclaim. She was actually discovered by director Zhang, when she auditioned for a shampoo commercial he was making to try to find a cast for his new movie.

International fame soon followed when Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the highest-grossing foreign movie of all time in the US, debuted in America. From here, she joined the small list of Chinese actresses who also make American films when she appeared in Rush Hour 2. Since then, other successful movies have been Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Memoirs of a Geisha.

In the last couple of years, she has hit the news in China and overseas by being romantically linked in an extra- marital affair with director Zhang Yimou. Both of them however have denied the affair, so it could all be conjecture and lies. She has however recently been seen often with Israeli multi-millionaire Vivi Nevo.

Zhang Ziyi is very popular with both Chinese and Western men alike because of not only her stunning beauty but also her intelligence. She is a gifted dancer, a decent singer and a talented actress. She also taught herself English by listening to English songs.