Wu Yin (1909--1991), formerly known as Yang Ying, a native of Wu County, Jiangsu Province (now Suzhou), is a famous Chinese film actor, in the decades of acting career, Wu Yin is famous for playing the "old woman" in the Chinese film industry, known as the "first old woman" in the Chinese film industry.
Wu Yin had a rough life in her early years. Her mother was a female entertainer who gave her to a close friend of her father shortly after her birth. Wu Yin's adoptive father was very kind to her, and the family conditions were good, in order to cultivate Wu Yin, her adoptive father took money to send her to the Chinese Painting Department of Shanghai Chengdong Girls' School to study painting. But then Wu Yin's mother wanted to bring her back to sing with her to earn money, and Wu Yin, who was still studying, chose to escape, but finally was arrested again, and after being forced to work as a singer for several years, she married into a feudal family.
By chance, Wu Yin was favored by director Cai Chusheng and starred in her first film screen image in her life - the headmistress in "New Woman". Wu Yin, who accepted the new idea, left her family soon after, embarked on the road from the shadow, and accompanied the "Shanghai Filmmaker Theater Troupe" to carry out anti-Japanese propaganda performances in the interior, she once cleverly rescued her companion Bai Yang from the oppression of evil forces, and also experienced the thrill of escaping death several times in exile.
After breaking with the feudal family and gaining freedom, Wu Yin chose to marry the progressive filmmaker Meng Junmou. She did not have her own children in her life, but she paid her selfless maternal love for Meng Junmou's children.
Wu Yin is good at playing the image of middle-aged and elderly women, with the mother-in-law portrayed in "A River of Spring Water Flowing East", "Ten Thousand Family Lights" and Mrs. Xiao portrayed in "The Crow and the Sparrow". In 1957, "The Crow and the Sparrow" won the first prize in the Ministry of Culture's 1949-1955 Excellent Film Awards.
In 1936, he was introduced by Ying Yunwei to join the second factory of the star film company as an actor, and participated in the shooting of more than a dozen films such as "Cross Street", "Qingming Season", "Pressing The Year's Money", "The Flower of Society" and so on.
After 1946, Wu Yin successively served as an actor in Kunlun Film Company and Shanghai Film Studio, participating in the filming of "Eight Thousand Miles of Clouds and Moons", "A River of Spring Water Flows East", "Ten Thousand Lights", "Hope in the World", "Crows and Sparrows", "Sanmao Wandering" and other films.
Poster of the movie "A River of Spring Water Flows East". He participated in the film in 1947.
Movie stills.
Poster for the movie "Hope in the World". He participated in the film in 1948.
Poster for the movie "Ten Thousand Lights". He participated in the film in 1948.
Stills from the 1948 film "Ten Thousand Lights", Wu Yin (left) and Shangguan Yunzhu.
Poster for the movie "Reunion". He participated in the film in 1948.
Poster for the movie "The Crow and the Sparrow", which he participated in in 1949.
Poster of the movie "Song Jingshi", which participated in 1959.
Poster for the movie "Today I Rest", which was performed in 1959.
Poster for the movie "Family Problems", starred in 1964.
In 1957, Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao met with actresses in the film industry in Zhongnanhai. From right: Wang Renmei, Huang Zongying, Yue Shen, Xia Meng, Zhou Enlai, Li Lili, Deng Yingchao, Shu Xiuwen, Bai Yang, Wu Yin, Xuan Jinglin, Shangguan Yunzhu, Shi Lianxing, Yu Lan, Hu Peng.
Many of the movies that Ms. Wu Yin has participated in are tragic films, and she has also suffered many hardships in her life. During the anti-rightist movement in the 1950s, Wu Yin was mistakenly classified as a rightist, forced to leave the beloved stage, sent to the countryside to work, and crushed the lumbar spine. After ten years of turmoil, he was persecuted, his legs were disabled one after another, and he could only walk on crutches.
At the end of 1978, Wu Yin was rehabilitated and ushered in a new life. In 1979, he was invited to attend the Fourth National Cultural Congress, was elected as a director of the China Film Association, and served as the director of the Women's Committee of the China Drama Association, the first and second people's representatives of Shanghai, and the standing committee of the Shanghai Women's Federation. In her later years, she wrote many memoirs and articles on the performing arts, which were published in the collection "Looking Back on the Year", which accumulated good experience for the exploration of performing arts in China. In 1991, Teacher Wu Yin died of illness at the age of 82.