Wang Baoqiang was born in Nanhe County, Xingtai, Hebei, on May 29, 1984, to Wang Yinsheng (王银生) and Liu Huan (刘焕), both his parents are peasants.[3]
When Wang Baoqiang was 8 years old, his village showed the movie Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li, which inspired him to become a martial arts star in movies like Jet Li or Jackie Chan. Wang insisted on going to a Shaolin Temple though his family opposed it, in the same year. He trained in Shaolin martial arts.[4]
Career
Prior to entering the film industry, Wang was an unskilled labourer who was paid 25 yuan a day; he had not been home for over two years as he was unable to afford the railway ticket.[5] Wang was initially rejected from acting due to his height,[5] but got his start working as an extra in Beijing.[6] In 2003, he was cast in the independent film Blind Shaft as a "down-to-earth" guy.[7][5] For his role in Blind Shaft, Wang received the Best Newcomer award at the Golden Horse Film Festival.[8][9][10]
In 2006, Wang starred in the military drama Soldiers Sortie, playing a soldier who is physically slow but who wins respect because of his strong faith and untiring efforts.[7] The drama was a huge hit, and gained Wang wide critical acclaim and huge popularity.[12]
In 2009, Wang starred in another military drama, My Brother is Shun Liu as the title character.[7][13] The drama was another huge success for Wang.[14]
For his performance in the 2011 comedy film Hello, Mr. Tree, Wang won multiple awards.[7] He won the for Best Actor at the 9th Vladivostok International Film Festival in Russia, the award for Best Actor at the 5th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the award for Best Actor at the New York Chinese Film Festival, the award for Best Actor of the 2011-2012 Chinese Youth Film Handbook, and the award for Best Actor at the Italy Asian Film Festival.[15]
Wang Baoqiang married Ma Rong (马蓉) on 10 February 2010. They have two children. On 14 August 2016, Wang made a post to Sina Weibo announcing he would divorce Ma.[20] He accused her of entering an extramarital affair with his agent, Song Zhe (宋喆), and transferring/concealing some of the couple's assets.[21][20] In a later Sina Weibo post, Ma said Wang had abandoned their family, and threatened to sue him for defamation; she filed a case against Wang on August 16.[22][20] The divorce became a trending topic on Sina Weibo, where posts with the hashtag #WangBaoQiangDivorce were viewed over five billion times.[20] Wang filed for divorce that was accepted by a Beijing Court, and the trial was held in October 2016. Song's wife also filed for divorce.[23] On October 18, 2018, the Beijing Chaoyang Court sentenced the first instance of Wang Baoqiang's former agent Song Zhe for the crime of embezzlement and was sentenced to 6 years in prison.[24]
^"王宝强获新人大奖，78岁农民首次触电成影帝，打了谁的脸？" [Wang Baoqiang won the Newcomer Award. The 78-year-old farmer became the best actor for the first time. Who did he slap in the face?]. sina. 2020-01-18. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
^Nian Lun (2012). "Film Star Wang Baoqiang: Use Filial Piety to Resolve Family Conflicts" 《影星王宝强：用孝心化解家人矛盾》. 《老年人》 [Old Man] (in Chinese). Vol. 6. Changsha, Hunan: Veteran Cadre Bureau of CPC Hunan Provincial Committee. pp. 34–36. ISSN1007-2616.
^ abc 那些草根出身的明星们 [Stars who came up from Nothing] (in English and Chinese). Vol. 6. Chongqing: Chongqing Publishing House. 2019. pp. 12–15. ISBN978-7-229-09693-9. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
^ abcdeZhu Zi (柱子); Wang Dong (王动) (2023). 傻人王宝强：底层叙事的宠儿 [Stupid Wang Baoqiang: the darling of low-level narrative]. Bosom Friend (in Chinese). 464. Wuhan, Hubei: Hubei Zhiyin Media Group Co., Ltd.: 51–53. ISSN1007-502X.
