Joan Chen Biography: Age, Husband, Height, Net Worth, Parents, Kids, Movies & TV Shows

Chen Chong, known professionally as Joan Chen, is a Chinese-American actress, film director, producer, and screenwriter who rose to international fame for her starring role as Wan Jung in Bernardo Bertolucci‘s Academy Award-winning The Last Emperor (1987).

A two-time Golden Rooster Award winner and Golden Horse Award recipient, she is widely recognized as one of the first Chinese actresses to successfully transition to Hollywood, with notable performances in Twin Peaks, The Hunted, and Saving Face. Chen has also directed critically acclaimed films including Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998).

Joan Chen
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Chen Chong
Stage Name:	Joan Chen
Born:	26 April 1961 (age 65 years old)
Place of Birth:	Shanghai, China
Nationality:	Chinese-American
Height:	1.63 m
Parents:	Chen Xingrong and Zhang Anzhong
Siblings:	Chuan Chen
Spouse:	Jim Lau (m. 1985–1990), Peter Hui (m. 1992)
Relationship:	Married
Children:	Audrey Hui and Angela Frances Hui
Occupation:	Actress, Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Net Worth:	$12 million

Early Life and Education

Chen Chong was born on 26 April 1961 in Shanghai, China, to Chen Xingrong, a pharmacologist and researcher, and Zhang Anzhong, a researcher as well. She has a younger sister named Chuan Chen.

Chen grew up during the Cultural Revolution, which shaped her early experiences. She studied at Shanghai Foreign Language School and later attended Shanghai International Studies University. In 1981, she moved to the United States and studied film production at California State University, Northridge. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1989. Her ethnicity is Chinese, and her religious affiliation is unknown.

Career

Joan Chen began her acting career as a teenager in China, making her film debut in Youth (1977) at age fifteen. She rose to national stardom in China with her performance in Little Flower (1979), for which she won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress.

This early success made her a household name in China at a time when the country was still recovering from the Cultural Revolution. In 1985, she moved to the United States to pursue international opportunities, initially facing language barriers and cultural adjustments before landing her breakthrough Western role.

Chen achieved global recognition in 1987 when Bernardo Bertolucci cast her as the tragic Empress Wan Jung in The Last Emperor, which swept the Academy Awards with nine Oscars. Following this success, she appeared in Twin Peaks (as Josie Packard), Heaven & Earth (1993), The Hunted (1995), and Wild Side (1995).

She made her directorial debut with Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998), a powerful drama about the Cultural Revolution that earned her a Golden Horse Award for Best Director and a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. She followed with Autumn in New York (2000) starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder, and later directed Hero (2022) and People I Know.

In her later career, Chen sustained her influence through both acting and directing. She delivered acclaimed performances in Saving Face (2004), The Home Song Stories (2007), The Warrior’s Way (2010), Twin Peaks: The Return (2017), and She Said (2022). In 2026, she appeared in the Netflix adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures, continuing her active presence in international cinema.

Her legacy as a pioneering Chinese-born actress in Hollywood and a respected director of culturally significant films has made her an enduring and influential figure in global cinema.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @joanchen

Personal Life

Joan Chen married Jim Lau, a talent agent and actor, in 1985; the couple divorced in 1990. In 1992, she married Peter Hui, a cardiologist. They have two daughters, Angela Frances Hui (born 1998) and Audrey Hui (born 2000).

Chen has spoken about balancing motherhood with her demanding film career, often taking her children on set. She splits her time between the United States and China.

Filmography

• Youth (1977)
• Little Flower (1979)
• The Last Emperor (1987)
• Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
• Heaven & Earth (1993)
• The Hunted (1995)
• Wild Side (1995)
• Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998) – Director
• Autumn in New York (2000) – Director
• Saving Face (2004)
• The Home Song Stories (2007)
• The Warrior’s Way (2010)
• Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)
• She Said (2022)
• Hero (2022) – Director
• Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026)

Net Worth

Joan Chen has an estimated net worth of approximately $12 million USD, derived from her extensive acting career spanning nearly five decades across Chinese and American cinema, her work as a film director, and producing credits.

Primary income sources include her iconic role in The Last Emperor, subsequent Hollywood film and television appearances, and directing projects such as Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl and Autumn in New York.