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 her roles in Angels Wear White (2017), The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (2006), A Sentimental Story (1994), and Tie Li Hua (2010).

Shi Ke is acclaimed internationally for her ensemble Best Actress win at the 2017 Belgrade International Film Festival for Angels Wear White, and Best Actress at the 2012 Romania International Film Festival for UFO in Her Eyes. Domestically she is loved for her television work in A Sentimental Story (Guo Ba Yin), Tie Li Hua, Red Lady (Hong Niang Zi), and Blood-Red Sunsets, and for her theatre roles in Desire Under the Elms, Yinding Bridge, and Cui Jin Garden.

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 1987, while still a student, playing the female lead Han Meiyu (韩美玉) in The Passionate Killer (杀手情) and Rodin in Rock 'n' Roll Youth (摇滚青年).

Major honours include the Best Actress Ensemble Award at the 2017 Belgrade International Film Festival (Angels Wear White), Best Actress at the 2012 Romania International Film Festival (UFO in Her Eyes), Best Actress at the 2017 Chinese Drama Festival (Desire Under the Elms), Best Lead Actress at the Central Academy of Drama in 2018 (Yinding Bridge), the Outstanding Lead Actress prize at the 8th Zhejiang Golden Phoenix Awards (Days with Mother), and the 2026 Fashion Artist Award (Cui Jin Garden).

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.