Foreign Actors in China

Sally Victoria Benson is an Australian Born Actress who usually acts in Chinese Movies and Tv serials speaking Mandarin. Recently in 2012, she was given the opportunity to travel to Romania and film her first lead role, an English-speaking role. She has been based in Beijing since 2008 and speaks Fluent Mandarin Chinese.

While studying for a Journalism Degree and Acting Diploma, Sally Victoria also undertook acting classes at the Actors Centre Sydney, National Institute of Dramatic Art and On Camera Connections in Sydney, Australia.

After graduating, She headed over to China ready to take on the Industry. With a western appearance and Asian language skills, She is in high demand for Chinese roles. However with the influx of co-production now coming over to film in China, She is hopeful of landing a role in a Hollywood film sometime in the near future.

Murray Clive Walker spent 10 years in China acting in Chinese TV shows and movies. He speaks fluent Chinese. He has also appeared in international productions like Legendary, Dragon Blade and Reborn. He has a BSc in Computer Science and a BA in Philosophy. He studied acting in Vancouver and New York. His first job in China was a travel host on CCTV's Rediscovering China. He now lives in Johannesburg and can be seen in the soap, Isibaya.

Matt William Knowles is an American actor known for his work in both Hollywood and Chinese cinema. He was born and raised in South Carolina, where he grew up playing football until an injury changed his path. In search of purpose, he moved to a remote part of China to do humanitarian work, teaching and volunteering in underprivileged communities. While living there, he was unexpectedly discovered at a karaoke bar, leading to his first roles in the Chinese film industry.

Fluent in Mandarin, Knowles quickly became one of the most recognizable foreign actors in China, taking on a range of roles in television and film. His early work included historical dramas and action films, leading to a major role in Asura (2018), China's first $100 million blockbuster. He later gained international recognition for his performance in Son of the South (2020), a civil rights drama produced by Spike Lee.

Determined to refine his craft, Knowles trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London before returning to the screen. His recent roles include Barrett, a Shanghai police captain, in Burning Star, and Thor, an American football star, in Clash, which premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2025. He also starred as William, a German weapons expert, in War on Faith, and appeared in the historical war series Winter and Lion.

Now working internationally, Knowles continues to bring his versatility and depth to a wide range of roles across different genres.

Cary Woodworth is known for Grisse (2018), Without a Trace (2002) and Chinese Zodiac (2012).

Born in England but raised in Portugal, Paul moved to China when he was nineteen to pursue a career in action movies. Now over a decade later, he has worked with such household names as Jackie Chan and Nicolas Cage. As well as being a diverse actor, Paul has extensive experience in screen fighting. He is now based in Europe.

Matthew Ray Ruggles is an American actor, and musician based out of Los Angeles, California.

Matthew is the son of two musicians and began acting as a child in musicals. After a few years of studying at Western Michigan University, Matthew decided that there was nothing else he'd rather do than perform. Taking that initiative he entered the film market in 2006 working as an extra, and eventually moved to China in 2011 to learn Chinese and expand his resume.

Before returning the the US Matthew worked as a personal assistant and dialogue coach to Jackie Chan where he learned quite a bit about working in the film industry.

Marc Philip Goodman, or "flying Dragon", is known for "Feather Flies to The Sky" (2017), "Shichahai" (2020), "Love Me If You Dare" (2017), and "One Boat One World" (2021).

His series regular role as Leon in "Feather Flies to the Sky," the number 1 ranked Chinese TV series on prime time TV in China for the first half of 2017, had over 14.2 billion views online alone. Previously, his performance as Tommy the flower Cannibal in "Love Me If You Dare" brought him to the limelight in Chinese Television. In the past three years he has appeared in over 20 different TV shows and Films and is one of the young rising stars among foreign actors in China.

Marc Goodman originally grew up in México DF where he learned and mastered Spanish. Went to university in UCLA. Soon after he began traveling back and forth to China, pursuing his passion for Chinese Martial arts where he eventually was discovered.

It was in China where after winning several gold medals in Wushu, that people started inviting him to perform in TV and Film projects. His first project was the Sammo Hung action-directed film "Taiji 1: from Zero to Hero", where he signed with his first agency. From then on he starred as a lead in the film "Dazzling Cocktail" with his first time acting fully in Mandarin Chinese. For this role he had to learn Chinese cross-talk, flair bartending, and Chinese tongue-twisters.

Ironically enough, this western trained actor rediscovered the Hollywood dream, not in "La La Land" but in China. It was that performance in "Dazzling Cocktail" that re-opened Marc's ambition to become a working actor. Realizing he needed stronger training, however, he returned to LA and began diligently training the craft at schools such as: Doug Warhit's, "Best On-Camera Acting Teacher" according to Backstage West; Stella Adler's Art of Acting School; Upright Citizens Brigade; Margie Haber's Studio; Ron Burrus', and others.

All his hard work and drive has won him recognition from various directors, earning praise and a steady stream of work in interesting roles and projects. For this, he considers himself "the luckiest actor in the world."

He now spends his time between the East and the West where he continues to entertain audiences.

Daniel Krauser is known for The Wandering Earth (2019), Three-Body (2023) and The Wandering Earth II (2023).