Zhu Yilong

Zhu Yilong is a Chinese actor who has achieved widespread recognition for his work across television series and feature films. He is well known for his roles in popular shows such as Guardian, The Story of Minglan, Reunion: The Sound of the Providence, and The Rebel. He gained critical acclaim for his leading performance as an undertaker named Mo Sanmei in the drama film Lighting Up the Stars, which earned him major acting accolades.

Born on April 16, 1988, in Wuhan, Hubei, Zhu was raised by his father, who worked as a Sanda coach. He pursued higher education in acting at the Beijing Film Academy, graduating with a bachelor's degree in performance in 2010.

Zhu made his acting debut in 2008 by portraying an assassin in the television film Zai Sheng Yuan. Over the next several years, he appeared in numerous television films and period projects, including the Da Ming Pin Fei series, Legend of the Daming Palace, Fanjingshan Story, and the wuxia film Ci Fei. His performance in the 2014 period drama Love Three Lives marked his first major industry recognition, followed by increased prominence in the historical series The Legend of Mi Yue in 2015. He further built his reputation in 2016 with roles in the Gu Long adaptations The Shaw Eleven Lang and Border Town Prodigal.

His career experienced a significant boost in 2018 when he portrayed three distinct characters in the science fiction mystery web series Guardian, a role that brought him widespread popularity and industry accolades. That same year, he earned positive reviews for his performance in the historical drama The Story of Minglan. In 2019, he performed at the CCTV New Year's Gala, appeared in the workplace drama My True Friend, and took part in the film My People, My Country.

In 2020, Zhu starred as Wu Xie in the tomb-raiding web series Reunion: The Sound of the Providence, for which he also sang three soundtrack titles. He subsequently starred in the Republican spy drama The Rebel and featured in major cinematic releases such as Cloudy Mountain and Embrace Again, which together achieved substantial box office success.

Zhu reached new career heights with his performance in the 2022 film Lighting Up the Stars, which became a massive box office hit and earned him the Best Actor awards at both the 35th Golden Rooster Awards and the 37th Hundred Flowers Awards. He continued to take on prominent cinematic roles, including starring in the mystery thriller Lost in the Stars and the film Only the River Flows, the latter of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.

Beyond his acting career, Zhu became the first Chinese Global Ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund in 2019. In this role, he participates in public initiatives aimed at protecting endangered species and raising awareness for biodiversity.