Film: "Memoirs of a Geisha"

Born: Feb. 9, 1979 (Beijing)

Bio:
Ziyi Zhang made her American movie debut in "Rush Hour 2" a scant four years ago. The Chinese actress (who's on the short list of many "Sexiest Women in the World" polls) couldn't speak a word of English at the time of filming and direction had to be translated by her co-star, Jackie Chan. Since then, the diminutive actress has become a popular star of such lyrical martial arts movies as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers." But despite her extensive action filmography, Zhang is not a trained martial arts expert. Instead she incorporates dance moves into the fight choreography.

Credits:
"Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005)
"Princess Raccoon" (2005)
"Jasmine Flower" (2004)
"2046" (2004)
"House of Flying Daggers" (2004)
"My Wife Is a Gangster 2" (2003)
"Purple Butterfly" (2002)
"Hero" (2001)
"Musa the Warrior" (2001)
"The Legend of Zu" (2001)
"Rush Hour 2" (2001)
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000)
"The Road Home" (1999)

Notable: Zhang, with her take-no-prisoners demeanor, has anchored some of the biggest-grossing martial arts movies of all time.