Tao Hong (born January 15, 1972) is a Chinese actress and former synchronised swimmer. A National Games of China champion, Tao was part of the Chinese national team at several synchronised swimming competitions from 1987 to 1991, including the 1991 World Aquatics Championships.
As an actress, Tao has received wide acclaim for films like Colors of the Blind (1997) and Forgetting to Know You (2013), though she is better known for hit TV dramas like Sunny Piggy (2000), Nothing in the Mirror (2002), Chuncao (2007) and The Red (2014). Internationally, Tao is probably best-known for her small role in the Academy Award-winning film The Red Violin (1998).
Athletic career
Tao Hong| Personal information |
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| National team |
 China |
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| Height |
164 cm (5 ft 5 in) |
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| Weight |
50 kg (110 lb) |
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| Sport |
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| Sport |
Swimming |
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| Strokes |
Synchronized swimming |
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| Club |
Beijing Synchronized Swimming Team (1984–1994) |
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Tao Hong began practicing with the Beijing Synchronized Swimming Team in 1983 when she was 11. In 1984, she officially made the team.[1] She made the national team for the first time in 1987.
At the 1991 World Aquatics Championships, China finished 6th, which would remain China's best finish at the event until 2007.[2] Although a member of the national team, Tao missed both the 1988 and the 1992 Olympics, since she was slightly weaker than her teammates Tan Min, Guan Zewen, and Wang Xiaojie at solo and duet competitions, and team competition did not become an Olympic event until 1996 after she retired to pursue acting.
Notable National Competitions
| Event | Competition | Result | Rank | Partner/Teammates |
| 1989 National Synchronized Swimming Championships | duet routine | | 3rd | Ren Na |
| 1991 National Synchronized Swimming Championships | team routine | | 3rd | |
| 1992 National Synchronized Swimming Championships | team routine | | 1st | Ren Na, Zhao Bin, Kong Rui, Gao Ya, Yan Xiaohui, Wu Mei, Li Fei |
| 1993 7th National Games of China | team routine | 180.35 | 1st |
International Competitions
Acting career
In August 1993, Jiang Wen, who had been preparing for his directorial debut In the Heat of the Sun, went to the Beijing Synchronized Swimming Team looking for a good swimmer for his female lead. Even though Tao did not remotely fit the physical description of the role, Jiang liked her smile so much that he invited her to his set for a supporting role.[5] The film was a big hit, and at the suggestion of Jiang, she retired from the Beijing club and applied to 3 professional acting schools: Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Film Academy and Shanghai Theatre Academy, all highly prestigious and selective. She was accepted to all 3 and chose Central Academy of Drama.[6] She was the class president and became the first student in school history (along with classmate Duan Yihong) to receive a perfect grade.[7]
Filmography
Films
Television
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1996 | Dragon Pearl (龙珠) | Yang Na | |
| The Story of Hong Kong (香港的故事) | Zheng Adai (young) | |
| Men Actually Work the Hardest (其实男人最辛苦) | Didi | |
| 1997 | Paging Mother (寻呼妈妈) | Mu Qing | |
| The Bright Mirror Hangs High (明鏡高懸) | Gao Mingjing | |
| 1998 | Records of Kangxi's Travel Incognito (康熙微服私訪記) | Luo Jinhong | |
| Let's Meet in a Bar (相约酒吧) | Ye'er | |
| 1999 | Where Dreams Began (梦开始的地方) | Xiaohui | |
| Divorce (离婚) | Madame Ma | |
| Beautiful Women (千娇百媚) | Yujiao & Yumei | |
| 2000 | Star Creation (明星制造) | Shen Yun | |
| Sunny Piggy (春光燦爛豬八戒) | Xiaolongnü | |
| The Love Station (爱情驿站) | Liu Qingqing | |
| Unusual Cases (非常案件) | Wei Yu | |
| The Chinese Hero (中華英豪) | Bizhu | |
| 2001 | No Longer Able to Give Up (欲罢不能) | Teacher Liu | |
| Human Worm (人虫) | Tao Hong | herself |
| A Laughing Stock (贻笑大方) | Zhuang Wenjing | |
| 2002 | Nothing in the Mirror (空镜子) | Sun Yan | |
| Sky Lovers (天空下的缘分) | Xiaotao | Segment 5: "Sun Tanning" (日光浴) |
| 2003 | The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (倚天屠龍記) | Ji Xiaofu | |
| Not-So-Distant Neighbors (相邻不远) | Su Tingting | |
| Everyone Ready (各就各位) | Jia Li | |
| 2004 | Back of the Sun (太阳背面) | Gong Ni | |
| The Woman Behind the Woman (女人背后的女人) | Azi | |
| Lotus Flowers From Water (出水芙蓉) | Lin Ting | |
| 2005 | Xianfeng Dynasty: Fantasies Behind A Curtain (咸豐王朝之一簾幽夢) | Yehenara Lan'er | |
| Underground Transport Stations (地下交通站) | Lin Jing | |
| The Emperor in Han Dynasty (漢武大帝) | Liu Ling | |
| No Matter What, Don't Get Emotional (动什么别动感情) | He Jiaqi | |
| Emphasis Detect (立案侦查) | Ye Qiang & Ye Qin | |
| The Color of Life (生命的颜色) | Yan Ni | |
| 2006 | Stories of a Taxation Bureau (税务所的故事) | | cameo |
| Sombre Night (夜深沉) | Yuerong | |
| Chinese Story (中國故事) | Lü Lin | |
| 2007 | Nanny (保姆) | Ma Xiaohui | |
| Chuncao (春草) | Chuncao | |
| The Brothers (亲兄热弟) | Jin Feng | |
| Special Policewomen (非常女警) | Su Wanqing | |
| The Olympic Adventures of Fuwa (福娃奥运漫游记) | Beibei | voice acting |
| 2008 | Century-Old House (百年老宅) | Guihua | |
| 2010 | Nanny and Security (保姆与保安) | Chang Zhao | |
| Mother-To-Be Quartet (准妈妈四重奏) | Pan Xiaoyan | |
| 2011 | Forever Loyal (永远的忠诚) | Wang Xiaoqin | |
| My Father is a Bench (我的父親是板凳) | Tang Xuemei | |
| 2012 | The Couple Buying a House (买房夫妻) | Wen Hongqi | |
| 2014 | The Red (紅色) | Tian Dan | |
| 2015 | Scholars of Tumultuous Times (亂世書香) | Niu Lan | |
Acting Awards and Nominations
Personal life
Tao Hong married actor Xu Zheng in 2002. They first met and became friends in 1999 while co-starring in the wacky romance TV series Sunny Piggy. They have portrayed a married couple in 2 films, Unfinished Girl (2007) and Xu's directorial debut Lost in Thailand (2012). They have also collaborated in the 2002 TV series Sky Lovers (Segment 5, "Sun Tanning") and 2 films in which they did not appear in the same scene: No Lonely Angels (2002) and No Man's Land (2013). In 2005, they starred in the Chinese adaptation of the Broadway comedy Last of the Red Hot Lovers, with Xu playing the would-be adulterer and Tao playing all 3 seductresses. First staged in Beijing, the play caused a sensation,[8] and the couple subsequently performed the play over 30 times in 10 major cities like Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanjing, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Shenzhen, and Chongqing, receiving overwhelming support everywhere that they canceled their holiday travel plans for more performances.[9] At each city they performed some jokes in the local dialect.[10]
Their daughter was born on December 30, 2008 in Beijing.[11]
Notes
External links
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| | 1980 | |
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| | 1983–2004 | |
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| | 2006–present | |
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