Dong Chengpeng (simplified Chinese: 董成鹏; traditional Chinese: 董成鵬; born January 12, 1982), commonly known by his stage name Da Peng,[1] is a Chinese actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He received widespread recognition in China for his directorial debut in the 2015 film Pancake Man, which achieved 1.16 billion yuan ($178.16 million) in China.[2] The movie also gave him a certain degree of visibility in the United States.[3][4][5] In 2023, the film Johnny Keep Walking!, starring him, grossed more than 1.29 billion yuan ($179.31 million) in China.[6]
In the early 2010s, Da Peng made his name on China's new streaming platforms.[12] In 2012, when he was the presenter of the talk show "Da Peng Debade" (meaning 'Da Peng Yakking'), he was widely covered by the U.S. mainstream media for his distance interactions with Conan O'Brien.[13][14] In the same year, he became a star in China with a hit web series called "Diors Man",[15] which ran for four seasons. As of July 2015, the series accumulated more than 3.6 billion views.[16]
Early life and education
Da Peng was born on January 12, 1982, in Ji'an City, Jilin. His father was a machine factory worker and his mother was an actress in a Ping opera troupe.[17] He admired the Hong Kong band Beyond and formed his own band in high school.[18] Later, he was enrolled in the School of Management at Jilin Architecture University, majoring in engineering management.[19]
Career
2004–2014
In May 2004, Da Peng joined Sohu as the host of the celebrity talk show "INSTAR". In 2007, he hosted the talk show "Da Peng Yakking".[20] In January 2009, he played the lead role in the film Radish Warrior.
On February 14, he joined the love story film Contract about Status Interchange. In May, he hosted an entertainment information program from Sohu called "Songs Be Unfit for My Halls" with Aya.
In 2012, he directed the mini comedy "Diors Man". In the same year, he joined the show "Your Face Sounds Familiar", and became its champion.[20] In 2013, he directed and starred in "Diors Man 2".
In January 2014, he headlined the film Hello Babies. Later, he joined the CCTV New Year's Gala to performed a skit "Disturbing" with Cai Ming and Yue Yunpeng. In 2013, he directed and starred in "Diors Man 3".
In 2016, he played a starring role in the film The Thousand Faces of Dunjia. Then, he acted in Feng Xiaogang's movie I Am Not Madame Bovary. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor at the 11th Asian Film Awards for this movie.[24]
In January 2017, he played a role in the movie Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back. In July, he took a starring role in the movie Father and Son. On September 29, the film he directed, City of Rock, was released.[25]
2018–present
In 2018, he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Live Action Short Film for his film A Final Reunion. In July 2020, his film The Reunions was shortlisted for the Golden Goblet Award for Best Film in the main competition of the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival.[26] In November, he was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor for the movie My Dear Liar.[27]
In January 2021, his third directorial film, The Last Reunion, was screened. On February 12, he acted in the movie Detective Chinatown 3. On March 5, he appeared in the film The Eleventh Chapter, directed by Chen Jianbin.
On September 9, he was cast in the lead role in the web series "Double Detective". In January 2023, he took the lead role in the film Hidden Blade. On March 10, the movie Post Truth, which he directed and starred in, was launched.
In July, the Asian Games-themed film One and Only, which he directed, was shown in theaters. On September 9, he headlined the movie Dust to Dust. He headed the cast of Johnny Keep Walking!, which hit theaters on December 29.
In December, he served as a jury member for the Golden Coconut Awards at the 5th Hainan Island International Film Festival.[28] On January 12, 2024, the IMAX space-themed science fiction film Asteroid Hunter, narrated by him, was screened in China.[29]
