Joan Chen

Acting

Joan Chen

Born 1961-04-26 · Shanghai, China

Joan Chong Chen (born April 26, 1961) is a Chinese American actress, film director, screenwriter and film producer. She became famous in China for her performance in the 1979 film Little Flower and came to international attention for her performance in the 1987 Academy Award-winning film The Last Emperor. She is also known for her roles in Twin Peaks, Red Rose White Rose, Saving Face and The Home Song Stories, and for directing the feature film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.

Acting credits

Remarkably Bright Creatures poster
8.4

Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.

Remarkably Bright Creatures

2026

Lust, Caution poster
7.3

During World War II, a secret agent must seduce, then assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill.

Lust, Caution

2007

The Last Emperor poster
7.6

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

The Last Emperor

1987

Judge Dredd poster
5.9

In a dystopian future where Judges maintain law and order by acting as judge, jury, and executioner, Dredd fights to prove his innocence after being falsely accused of murder.

Judge Dredd

1995

Dìdi (弟弟) poster
7.2

In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.

Dìdi (弟弟)

2024

Oh. What. Fun. poster
5.6

Claire Clauster is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together at the holidays. But this year, after planning a special outing for them, they make a crucial mistake and leave her home alone. Fed up and feeling under appreciated, she sets off on an impromptu adventure of her own. As her family scrambles to find her, Claire discovers the unexpected magic of a Christmas gone off-script.

Oh. What. Fun.

2025

Ava poster
5.8

A black ops assassin is forced to fight for her own survival after a job goes dangerously wrong.

Ava

2020

Wedlock poster
5.8

A male prison escapee heads for his hidden loot, electronically attached to a female prisoner.

Wedlock

1991

Hemingway & Gellhorn poster
6.1

Writer Ernest Hemingway begins a romance with fellow scribe Martha Gellhorn.

Hemingway & Gellhorn

2012

Heaven & Earth poster
6.6

In a small Vietnamese village torn apart by war, a young woman faces unimaginable horrors before deciding to escape to the city. There, she encounters a compassionate Marine who offers her hope and a chance at a new life, igniting the possibility of a future together.

Heaven & Earth

1993

Saving Face poster
7.2

A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.

Saving Face

2004

On Deadly Ground poster
5.2

Forrest Taft is an environmental agent who works for the Aegis Oil Company in Alaska. Aegis Oil's corrupt CEO is the kind of person who doesn't care whether or not oil spills into the ocean or onto the land—just as long as it's making money for him.

On Deadly Ground

1994

Montreal, My Beautiful poster
6.7

At 53 years old, Feng Xia, a Chinese immigrant in Montreal, finally confronts her repressed desire for women and begins a secret affair with a young Québécoise.

Montreal, My Beautiful

2026

The Wedding Banquet poster
6.7

Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee's expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min's grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.

The Wedding Banquet

2025

Twin Peaks poster
8.5

An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. (This standalone version of the series pilot was produced for the European VHS market and has an alternate, closed ending.)

Twin Peaks

1989

The Hunted poster
5.7

Paul Racine, a high-powered American business executive in Japan, is catapulted into a maze of danger and intrigue after he and his sexy companion are the targets of assassins hired by the ruthless Kinjo. To survive, Racine must join forces with a powerful samurai and together they will fight the force of evil in an awesome battle rooted in centuries of brutal conflict.

The Hunted

1995

Sheep Without a Shepherd poster
7.6

Li and his wife A Yu run a small business in Thailand and enjoy a happy home life with their two daughters. When their eldest daughter is violently assaulted, blackmailed and left traumatised by another student, her parents intervene, leading to a dead body which needs to be hidden, and every trace of the boy buried to cover up the accident.

Sheep Without a Shepherd

2019

The Home Song Stories poster
6.1

A glamorous Hong Kong performer struggles to make a home in suburban 1960s Australia.

The Home Song Stories

2007

1911 poster
5.7

China's first President Sun Yat-Sen and military commander Huang Xing lead the revolutionary Wuchang Uprising in a bid to put an end to the reign of the Qing Dynasty.

1911

2011

Temptation of a Monk poster
5.7

Near the beginning of the Tang dynasty, in 7th century China, General Shi Yan-sheng is tricked into leaving the crown prince unguarded. The crown prince is murdered by one of his brothers who then becomes emperor. Shi retreats to a monastery, perhaps to hide, perhaps to plan a coup. When his loyal troops as well as the princess he desires are slain, he seeks refuge in a remote, abandoned monastery where an aged abbot schools him with practical, earthy teachings. The emperor's forces pursue Shi: first a woman, then a general seek to overpower him with lust and might. Over the course of the film, the reds of battle give way to blues of meditation.

Temptation of a Monk

1993

The Blood of Heroes poster
5.8

Set in a futuristic world where the only sport that has survived in a wasted society is the brutal game known as jugging. Sallow, the leader of a rag-tag team, has played in the main Leagues before, but was cast out because of indiscretions with a lady. Now joined by a talented newcomer, Kidda, an ambitious young peasant girl, he and his team find they have one last chance for glory.

The Blood of Heroes

1989

Wild Side poster
5.7

A bank accountant who moonlights as a high-priced call girl becomes embroiled in the lives of a money launderer, his seductive wife, and his bodyguard.

Wild Side

1996

Lady of the Dynasty poster
4.6

The tragic story of a Tang Dynasty imperial consort who was the favorite of the Emperor Xuanzong.

Lady of the Dynasty

2015

Hachiko poster
8.0

This is the story of a puppy that touched hundreds of millions of people around the world. Hachiko is a cute Chinese pastoral dog. He met his destined owner Chen Jingxiu in the vast crowd and became a member of the Chen family. With the passage of time, the once beautiful home is no longer there, but Batong is still waiting where it is, and its fate is closely tied to its family.

Hachiko

2023

Behind the camera

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl poster
7.2

Young teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even more remote spot with a Tibetan saddle tramp Lao Jin to learn horse herding.

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl

1998

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl poster
7.2

Young teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even more remote spot with a Tibetan saddle tramp Lao Jin to learn horse herding.

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl

1998

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl poster
7.2

Young teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even more remote spot with a Tibetan saddle tramp Lao Jin to learn horse herding.

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl

1998

Autumn in New York poster
6.1

Will Keane, a Manhattan restaurateur, is content with his playboy lifestyle until he meets Charlotte Fielding, a free-spirited young woman. Together the pair pursue a passionate affair that forces them both to reevaluate what they want out of life, even as fate threatens to steal away their future.

Autumn in New York

2000

The Iron Hammer poster
4.0

In this personal and rousing documentary, Joan Chen charts the inspiring life and career of “Jenny” Lang Ping, a fearless and independent Olympic athlete who propels China to international prominence in volleyball. On the court, her most effective weapon is her lethal spike, hence her titular nickname, while her leadership skills and calm demeanor solidify her unique status as the first player and coach to win multiple World Championships and Olympic gold. Chen, in her documentary feature debut, skillfully combines thrilling excerpts from championship games, intimate conversations with Lang Ping, her colleagues, and players to craft an entertaining and multi-dimensional portrait of this groundbreaking athlete who transformed women’s volleyball.

The Iron Hammer

2020

Breathe poster
NR

With the outbreak of the new corona virus epidemic, Kelly, a 17-year-old Chinese girl, followed her mother back to the hot and humid Shanghai. What traps her is not the long isolation, but a dilemma of family and love. Can she grow up in such a suffocating predicament?

Breathe

2021

Shanghai Strangers poster
NR

A young woman in modern-day Shanghai whose chance encounter with a stranger moves her to divulge a deep-seated secret. In atmospheric flashbacks she is shown in an old house filled with mementos of the Jewish population who were given asylum in Shanghai during World War II.

Shanghai Strangers

2012

Shanghai Strangers poster
NR

A young woman in modern-day Shanghai whose chance encounter with a stranger moves her to divulge a deep-seated secret. In atmospheric flashbacks she is shown in an old house filled with mementos of the Jewish population who were given asylum in Shanghai during World War II.

Shanghai Strangers

2012

Hero poster
4.5

The background of "Hero" is set in 2020: a sudden disaster that disrupted everyone's lives. When society face unemployment when families fall apart, when lovers are separated, when death is approaching quietly, and when a peaceful life suddenly undergoes unexpected changes, how will women respond? What are the vital and irreplaceable roles that men play in women’s lives and growth? The three female directors Zhang Aijia, Li Shaohong and Chen Chong used their unique female perspectives to explore and show people's plights and struggles in family, career, and love in special times.

Hero

2022

Hero poster
4.5

The background of "Hero" is set in 2020: a sudden disaster that disrupted everyone's lives. When society face unemployment when families fall apart, when lovers are separated, when death is approaching quietly, and when a peaceful life suddenly undergoes unexpected changes, how will women respond? What are the vital and irreplaceable roles that men play in women’s lives and growth? The three female directors Zhang Aijia, Li Shaohong and Chen Chong used their unique female perspectives to explore and show people's plights and struggles in family, career, and love in special times.

Hero

2022

English poster
NR

A child's-eye story of Shanghainese settlers in Xinjiang during the late Mao era.

English