Diana Lin

Diana Lin (Xiaojie Lin), is a Chinese-Australian actress, who grew up in a very strict family in mainland China. From a young age Diana showed tremendous performance skills, she could imitate all sorts of characters and voices in a remarkable manner. It was no surprise that she entertained friends and family regularly at any occasion. With her passion for performance and great voice, her parents started taking her to private singing lessons and martial art training. At the age of 14, Diana was chosen by the Chinese Beijing Opera Company to be groomed as a professional traditional Chinese Opera singer. The five years of intensive physical, singing and performance training laid a strong foundation for her multiple skills and developed strong self-confidence. It encouraged Diana to further her career dreams as well as to embrace the challenges ahead. Diana took a two and a half day train, to audition at one of the top theatre institutions in the country "The Shanghai Theatre Academy." Four years later, she graduated as an outstanding student with a Bachelor Degree in Performing Arts. Diana has starred in a number of movies, television series, and Chinese operas in which she played numerous famous characters. In 1986 she played a deeply rooted country lady, Bai Yin in the film "Xiang Min". Her extraordinary performance and impeccable transformation landed her the best supporting actress nomination for the prestigious China Golden Rooster Award. She gained the reputation in the industry as the "Asian Meryl Streep". In the early 1990s, Diana immigrated to Australia and has reinvented herself for a Western market. In 1994 Diana starred in Tony Ayres's TV series "Under the Skin", which gained her a best actress nomination for the Australian Film Institute awards. After years of taking a break from the screen to bring up a family and run a business, Diana returned to her beloved acting career in 2015. She has since worked in Australia, China and the US in a number of feature films, TV series and theatre productions. As a first-generation adult immigrant, life has never been easy. Diana has gone through a variety of life experiences, and now she is transcending into her career, and enhancing her performance. Every character she has played has been memorable and earned high praise from colleagues and industry professionals. Diana's latest feature film "The Farewell", co-starring Awkwafina, is one of the most celebrated entries in Sundance Film Festival 2019. Diana Lin played Awkwafina's emotionless mother. The film is due to be released by A24 in July 2019 in the US. Awards & Nominations 2018 - Nominee of Best Actress in Queen Palm International Film Festival Aug 2018 (Piano Mums)(as Diana Lin) 2018 - Nominee of Green Room Award for Best Female Performer in Theatre Play (Little Emperors)(as Diana Xiaojie Lin) 2018 - Winner - The Equity Award for an Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in Comedy Series (The Family Law - Season 2)(as Diana Xiaojie Lin) 2017 - Winner - The Equity Award for an Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in Comedy Series (The Family Law - Season 1)(as Diana Xiaojie Lin) 1996 - Nominee of Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards - Best Leading Actress in TV Miniseries (Under The Skin - The Long Ride)(as Diana Lin) 1988 - Nominee of Best Supporting Role in Film - Golden Rooster Awards (as Xiaojie Lin)