Questions About Shi Ke

Shi Ke (史可, born July 4, 1964 in Yichang, Hubei Province, China) is a Chinese National Class-A Actress with a career spanning four decades in film, television, and theatre. A graduate of the Central Academy of Drama (1989), she is best known for Angels Wear White (2017), UFO in Her Eyes (2011), Rock Kids (1988), Mother's Life (2018) and, on stage, Yinding Bridge.

Angels Wear White (2017) competed in the main competition in Venice, and its cast shared Best Actress at the 2018 Belgrade International Film Festival. On stage she won Best Lead at the 7th International Theatre Academy Awards for Yinding Bridge and Best Actress at the 1st Chinese Drama Awards for Desire Under the Elms, both in 2017. On television she is known for A Sentimental Story (Guo Ba Yin), Mother's Life, Red Lady (Hong Niang Zi) and Blood-Red Sunsets.

Shi Ke was born on July 4, 1964 in Yichang, Hubei Province, in central China. She is the youngest of four sisters.

Shi Ke studied at the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama (中央戏剧学院) in Beijing, where she was admitted in 1985. Her classmates included Gong Li, Jin Lili, Wu Yujuan, and Chen Wei — together the five became known in the Chinese press as the "Five Golden Flowers" (五朵金花) of the Central Academy. She graduated in 1989 and remains affiliated with the school's Drama Research Institute.

No. Shi Ke originally wanted to be a singer. She applied to music conservatories for three consecutive years; in her third year she was accepted simultaneously by the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and the Central Academy of Drama, and chose the latter. Her strong singing voice helped her pass the drama school audition during a year when the school was actively recruiting future theatre actors.

A nickname coined by Chinese media for the five most striking female students in the Central Academy of Drama's 1985 acting class: Shi Ke, Gong Li, Jin Lili, Wu Yujuan, and Chen Wei.

Shi Ke made her film debut in 1988, while still a student, as the female lead Mei Yu in Killer's Love (杀手情), and played Luo Dan in Tian Zhuangzhuang's Rock Kids (摇滚青年).

Her honours include Best Lead at the 7th International Theatre Academy Awards in 2017 (Yinding Bridge), Best Actress at the 1st Chinese Drama Awards in 2017 (Desire Under the Elms), the Best Actress award shared by the cast of Angels Wear White at the 2018 Belgrade International Film Festival, and the Outstanding Lead Actress prize at the 8th Zhejiang Golden Phoenix Awards (Days with Mother).

Yes. Shi Ke holds the title of National Class-A Actress (国家一级演员), the highest professional ranking awarded to performing artists in mainland China.

Her most widely watched television dramas include A Sentimental Story (过把瘾, 1994), Tie Li Hua / Iron Pear Blossom (铁梨花, 2010), Red Lady (红娘子), Blood-Red Sunsets (血色残阳), Suo Meng Lou (锁梦楼), Second Uncle (二叔), and The Song of Glory / The Rebel Princess (上阳赋), in which she played both the Empress Wang and the Empress Dowager Wang.

Shi Ke has remained continuously active in Chinese theatre. Notable stage credits include Camel Xiangzi (骆驼祥子), A Dream Like a Dream (如梦之梦), Desire Under the Elms (榆树下的欲望) by Eugene O'Neill, Yinding Bridge (银锭桥) opposite Ni Dahong, Thunderstorm · Afterwards (雷雨·后), The Forging of Swords (铸剑) directed by Polish director Grzegorz Jarzyna, and Cui Jin Garden (萃锦园).

Shi Ke is married to a Swiss financial analyst whom she affectionately refers to as “Lao Ke” (老柯). They met on a Mediterranean cruise after her first marriage ended. He moved to China to be with her — out of respect for her insistence on keeping her Chinese citizenship and continuing her career in Chinese theatre and cinema. They have two sons, the elder nicknamed “Huzi” (虎子).

Yes. Shi Ke has two sons with her Swiss husband. The elder son is nicknamed Huzi (虎子) and speaks Mandarin with a distinct Beijing accent.

Xu Xiaozhong (徐晓钟) is a landmark figure in Chinese theatre and a former president of the Central Academy of Drama. Shi Ke describes him as a major mentor and benefactor: at a low point in her early career — after she was injured by a violent intruder — he encouraged her to return to the school and pursue her theatrical ideals.

Cong Ailian (丛爱莲) is a senior piano teacher at the China National Theatre for Children and a lifelong close friend of Shi Ke. The two met when Shi Ke prepared for her role as Chen Bailu (陈白露) in China's first musical, Sunrise (日出), with Cong serving as her vocal coach.

Yes. Shi Ke trained as a vocalist and was accepted by the Wuhan Conservatory of Music in the same year she entered the Central Academy of Drama. She has performed as Chen Bailu in the Chinese musical adaptation of Sunrise, sung at numerous film festivals, and recorded theme songs for many of her own film and television projects.

Yes. shike.world is the official website of actress Shi Ke (史可). The site is maintained as the canonical online source for her biography, filmography, television credits, theatre work, awards, and press coverage.