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Text: Smiley Entertainment
Editing|Smiley Entertainment
Preamble:
Have you ever thought that the peak of a person's life may not be until the age of 65?
In this era of advocating youth and pursuing speed, there is such an actor who has used his life to interpret what it means to be a "late bloomer".
Will his story make us re-examine the trajectory of our lives?
The Seeds of Art: The Drama Dream of the Young Ding Yongdai
In an ordinary family in Inner Mongolia, the young Ding Yongdai showed an unusual artistic talent.
Although his family was not wealthy, the scholarly atmosphere planted precious seeds for his future artistic career.
The little Ding Yongdai can always stand out in the school's art performances;
His innate acting talent amazed the teachers.
However, fate always likes to play jokes with talented people.
The naughty Ding Yongdai once made his family disappointed in him, and even wanted to give up on him for a while.
At this critical moment, a discerning teacher discovered Ding Yongdai's hidden acting talent;
and highly recommended him to apply for the Inner Mongolia Art Institute.
This decision became a turning point in Ding Yongdai's life.
A tough start: grinding on stage
Ding Yongdai, who stepped into the university campus, seemed to have found his own stage in life.
He eagerly absorbed the nutrients of art and showed his talent on the drama stage.
At that time, his eyes flashed with a vision for the future, and his heart burned with a love for performance.
However, the reality is always cruel.
After graduation, Ding Yongdai entered a famous drama troupe and started from the grassroots level.
He has played all sorts of small roles, even tricks, but he has never felt how insignificant these roles were.
In his opinion, every role is an opportunity to practice his acting skills and a stepping stone to success.
During this period, although Ding Yongdai was unknown, his heart always burned with a love for performance.
He believes that as long as he persists, he will one day be favored by fate.
Ephemeral brilliance: the hope brought by "Pilgrim's Road".
In the early 1990s, the opportunity finally came.
Ding Yongdai's outstanding performance in the TV series "Heavenly Road" won him the "Feitian Award" and the "Five One Project Award".
This hard-won success allowed Ding Yongdai to see the dawn of hope.
He thought that his acting career was finally about to take off.
However, fate played a joke on him again.
After this brief period of glory, an even longer trough awaited him.
The Struggle for Survival: The Persistence of a Temporary Actor
After winning the award, Ding Yongdai did not usher in the spring of his career as he wished.
Instead, he fell into a long slump.
In order to make ends meet, he had to do odd jobs in various crews and became a "temporary actor".
During this period, Ding Yongdai experienced unimaginable hardships.
He has moved bricks on construction sites, brushed dishes in restaurants, and even done all sorts of supernumerary work.
The weight of life weighed him down, but he never gave up his love for acting.
Even in the most difficult days, Ding Yongdai never thought of giving up his career as an actor.
He firmly believes that as long as he continues to persevere, he will one day wait for his own opportunity.
Turnaround and trouble: the double-edged sword brought by Bai Baoshan
In 2000, the opportunity finally came again.
Ding Yongdai received an invitation to star in the role of Bai Baoshan in the movie "The End of the Road 1997" (also known as "China Criminal Investigation Case No. 1").
This character is one of the top ten gangsters of real people, and Ding Yongdai was a little hesitant at first.
He was worried that such a role would have a negative impact on his acting career.
However, the pent-up desire to perform for many years led him to finally accept the challenge.
Ding Yongdai relied on his solid acting skills to interpret the complex character of Bai Baoshan very well.
His performances are so realistic that in real life, they are often mistaken for real criminals by passers-by.
This role brought Ding Yongdai widespread attention, but at the same time, it also caused him trouble.
He wants to be able to get rid of the "bad guy" label and is eager to try more types of roles.
However, the reality is that it is difficult for him to get rid of the shadow of Bai Baoshan for a long time.
Precipitation and breakthrough: "Emperor Liang" in "Langya Bang"
After years of precipitation, Ding Yongdai's acting skills have become more and more exquisite.
In 2016, he played the villain "Emperor Liang" in the hit drama "Langya Bang".
This role requires the actor to have a very high level of acting skills, not only to show the majesty of the emperor, but also to show the inner complexity of the character.
Ding Yongdai's performance once again shocked the audience and industry insiders.
He vividly interpreted the role of Emperor Liang, showing the true strength of an old drama bone.
However, despite the recognition in the industry, Ding Yongdai still did not get the attention he deserved.
The audience still seems to have trouble getting rid of the impression he left in the corner of Bai Baoshan.
Belated Spring: Zhou Zhigang in "The World".
The gears of fate always turn quietly and inadvertently.
In 2022, Ding Yongdai, who is 65 years old, ushered in another peak of his acting career.
In the TV series "The World", he played the role of his father "Zhou Zhigang";
not only won the love of the audience, but also brought him the honor of Magnolia Award for Best Supporting Actor.
This role is a huge challenge for Ding Yongdai.
The role of Zhou Zhigang has a strong imprint of the times, which requires the actor to have rich life experience.
At the same time, as a supporting role, you must also grasp the balance and not dominate the crowd.
Ding Yongdai relies on years of accumulated acting skills and a deep understanding of life;
interpreted Zhou Zhigang just right, which won unanimous praise from the audience and judges.
This success allowed Ding Yongdai to finally usher in his own "spring".
Various announcements followed, and even the highly respected Chen Daoming was full of praise for his acting skills.
65-year-old Ding Yongdai finally ushered in his own highlight moment.
Create brilliance again: the old detective in "South to North".
The enthusiastic Ding Yongdai was not satisfied with what had been achieved.
He chose to continue to challenge himself and took over the role of the old criminal policeman Ma Kui in "South to North".
This role requires the actor to show not only the majesty of the criminal police, but also the down-to-earth side.
Ding Yongdai once again showed his superb acting skills.
His performance made many real old detectives sigh "too similar".
What's even more commendable is that although Ma Kui is a villain in the play;
But Ding Yongdai played him in a distressing way, showing the complexity of the role.
Flavors of Life: Ding Yongdai's Family Life
While succeeding in his career, Ding Yongdai's family life was not all smooth sailing.
Although his relationship with his wife is stable, his long-term wandering life has made him less and more separated from his family.
In Venus's show, Ding Yongdai admitted frankly that the biggest regret in his life is that he couldn't accompany his family well.
What makes him regret even more is that his relationship with his only son has always been a little estranged.
Despite this, Ding Yongdai has always maintained a tolerant and understanding attitude.
He believes that everyone has their own pursuits and choices in life, and they should not be forced.
This indifferent attitude towards life may be one of the reasons why Ding Yongdai was able to "become a late bloomer" on the road of acting.
epilogue
Ding Yongdai's life story is like a wonderful feature-length movie.
His success did not come overnight, but after decades of perseverance and hard work, it finally came to fruition.
In this era of rapid success, Ding Yongdai's experience undoubtedly gives us an important enlightenment:
As long as you have a dream in your heart and persevere, your own highlight moment will eventually come, even in the twilight of your life.