Life & Career

Shi Ke

National Class-A Actress

Shi Ke is a National Class-A Actress who was admitted to the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama in 1985. After graduating in 1989, she remained at the school to work in the Drama Research Institute, where she continues to be affiliated today.

In 1987, while still a student, she debuted as the female lead Han Meiyu in the film 'The Passionate Killer' and Rodin in 'Rock 'n' Roll Youth'. Since then, she has been active in film, television, and stage performances.

She has starred in numerous films including 'Desperate Situation', 'The Sun on the Roof of the World', 'City Shooter', 'Beijing Night Talk', 'Who Is Listening', 'Tragic Band', 'The Postmodern Life of My Aunt', and 'Suspended Love'…

Her international recognition includes the Best Actress Award at the 2012 Romania International Film Festival for 'UFO in Her Eyes', and the Best Actress Ensemble Award at the 2017 Belgrade International Film Festival for 'Angels Wear White'. Domestically, she won the Outstanding Lead Actress Award at the 8th Zhejiang Golden Phoenix Awards for 'Days with Mother'.

She has appeared in many popular TV series such as 'Over It', 'Chinese Employee', 'Blood-Red Sunsets', 'Second Uncle', 'Suo Meng Lou', 'Red Lady', and 'Iron Pear Blossom'.

While admitted to the Central Academy of Drama, she was also accepted by the Wuhan Conservatory of Music. Although acting became her primary career, she frequently showcases her vocal talent. She performed as Chen Bailu in the operetta 'Sunrise', has sung at numerous film festivals, and performed theme songs for many of her own screen works.

Shi Ke has maintained a continuous presence on the theatrical stage. She won the Best Actress Award at the 2017 Chinese Drama Festival for 'Desire Under the Elms', the Best Lead Actress Award at the Central Academy of Drama in 2018 for 'Yinding Bridge', and the 2026 Fashion Artist Award for 'Cui Jin Garden'.

Timeline

1964

Born on July 4 in Yichang, Hubei Province, China.

1985

Admitted to the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama.

1987

Film debut in The Passionate Killer and Rock 'n' Roll Youth while still a student.

1989

Graduates from Central Academy of Drama; joins the Drama Research Institute.

1994

Stars in the iconic TV drama A Sentimental Story (Guo Ba Yin).

2006

Appears in Ann Hui's The Postmodern Life of My Aunt — international breakthrough.

2010

Stars in the epic historical drama Tie Li Hua, achieving massive national success.

2012

Wins Best Actress at the Romania International Film Festival for UFO in Her Eyes.

2017

Wins Best Actress at the Belgrade International Film Festival for Angels Wear White.

2026

Receives the Fashion Artist Award for the stage play Cui Jin Garden.

The Long Read

A Life Story

The profile below summarises Shi Ke's life and career as documented in the China Youth Net / Beijing Daily feature, "Shi Ke: Acting with a Pure Heart" (史可：以纯粹之心演戏) by Wang Weiqiang.

Origins — a singer's heart

Shi Ke grew up in Yichang, Hubei, the youngest of four sisters. In school she was a multi-talented student — singing, hosting, dancing — but her real dream was to become a singer. She applied to music conservatories for three consecutive years before fate intervened: in her third year she was accepted by both the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. She chose drama — partly because Beijing seemed full of possibility, partly out of stubborn pride after the long wait — and arrived at the Central Academy of Drama in 1985.

The "Five Golden Flowers" generation

In her acting class she stood alongside Gong Li, Jin Lili, Wu Yujuan, and Chen Wei — together nicknamed by the Chinese press as the Central Academy's "Five Golden Flowers" (五朵金花). Her class advisor, the noted director Liang Bolong (梁伯龙), famously warned her, "you're here to study acting, not to sing." From her second year onward, she was already being cast in films, and her earnings made her one of the first in her class to find financial footing.

A turning point — and a near-fatal night

After her early breakthroughs, Shi Ke endured a low point in her career — only to be electrified by a performance from Wuhan's great stage actor Hu Qingshu (胡庆树) in the play Crossing the River in the Same Boat (同船过渡). She realised then what real acting could be. On a cold winter night soon after, she was followed home and attacked by a knife-wielding stranger; she was stabbed in the arm and rushed into surgery. When a visiting officer told her she could have been killed, she replied — bleeding — "then I wouldn't be able to act anymore." That night she telephoned her former president, Xu Xiaozhong (徐晓钟), who told her: "come home — come back to the school — and realise your ideals through your work."

A theatre life — Desire Under the Elms and beyond

Shi Ke has staged at least one play almost every year of her career. Her Abbie in Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms (榆树下的欲望), a role she first played at the Central Academy and revisited at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in 2018 — three decades later — won her the Best Actress Award at the 7th International Drama "Academy Award" in 2017. Other stage credits include Camel Xiangzi, A Dream Like a Dream, Yinding Bridge (with Ni Dahong), Thunderstorm · Afterwards (opposite He Saifei), and The Forging of Swords directed by Poland's Grzegorz Jarzyna.

A life-long friendship — Cong Ailian

In the late 1980s, fresh out of the Central Academy, Shi Ke played Chen Bailu (陈白露) in China's first musical, Sunrise (日出). Her vocal coach was Cong Ailian (丛爱莲), a senior piano teacher at the China National Theatre for Children. Despite a generational age gap, the two became "soul friends," and remain so today. When Cong returned to her home in Zibo, Shandong, Shi Ke continued visiting; she sang at Cong's 80th birthday celebration and brought her to her own touring stage productions.

A love story across an ocean

After her first marriage ended, Shi Ke took a Mediterranean cruise on the advice of a friend. There she met a Swiss financial analyst — whom she calls "Lao Ke" (老柯) — who fell in love with her at first sight. She made her terms clear: she would not give up her Chinese citizenship; her career, her audience, her teachers and her stage were all in China. Lao Ke moved to China to be with her, learned Mandarin, and immersed himself in family life. They have two sons; the elder is nicknamed Huzi (虎子).

Acting with a pure heart

Asked to summarise her career, Shi Ke quotes an ancient Sanskrit aphorism: "A great work succeeds not by the means of its action, but by the purity of the heart that drives it." Looking back, she says, she has simply done one thing — acted with a pure heart. That, and nothing more.

Sources

Sources & Citations

The biographical material on shike.world is drawn from her published filmography, official credits, and the following authoritative press source.

Shi Ke: Acting with a Pure Heart

史可：以纯粹之心演戏

Publisher: China Youth Net (中国青年网) — originally published by Beijing Daily (北京日报)
Author: Wang Weiqiang (王维强)
Published: 2021-08-03

Read the original article ↗

Explore her complete filmography

View Filmography →