Chloé Zhao Bio
Chloé Zhao (born Zhao Ting on 31 March 1982) is a Chinese-born filmmaker whose work has reshaped the landscape of contemporary American independent cinema. She is widely recognized for directing the critically acclaimed feature film Nomadland, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Director in 2021. Zhao is also known for directing Songs My Brothers Taught Me, The Rider, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals, establishing her as one of the most distinctive voices in modern filmmaking.
Throughout her career, Zhao has built a reputation for character-driven realism, often collaborating with non-professional actors and shooting on location in natural landscapes. Her films explore themes of identity, displacement, and human connection, blending documentary-style observation with poetic visual storytelling. She continues to live and work in the United States while maintaining strong ties to her Chinese heritage.
Early Life and Background
Chloé Zhao was born Zhao Ting in Beijing, China, on 31 March 1982. Her father, Zhao Yuji, was a successful executive at Shougang Group, one of China’s largest state-owned steel companies, who later moved into real-estate development and equity investment. Her stepmother, Song Dandan, is a well-known Chinese actress recognized for her appearances in various sitcoms, including “Home with the Kids.” As a child, Zhao described herself as curious and rebellious, drawn more to art, drawing manga-style comics, and writing fan fiction than to traditional academics.
Growing up in Beijing, Zhao developed a deep fascination with Western pop culture, especially film and music. The movies of Wong Kar-wai, particularly Happy Together, sparked her early interest in filmmaking and became a lasting influence on her creative vision. At the age of 15 in 1998, her parents sent her to attend Brighton College, a boarding school in Sussex, England, even though she knew little English at the time.
After completing part of her schooling in England, Zhao moved to Los Angeles on her own in 2000, settling in a Koreatown apartment and attending Los Angeles High School. She later enrolled at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where she majored in politics and minored in film studies, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005. Following graduation, she bartended and worked odd jobs, experiences that deepened her interest in listening to people’s stories and ultimately pushed her toward formal film training.
Path to Directing
After working several non-film jobs, Zhao enrolled in the Graduate Film Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2010. While studying at Tisch, she trained under director Spike Lee, whom she has cited as a major influence on her approach to storytelling and direct honesty. Lee’s blunt, no-nonsense teaching style helped shape Zhao’s commitment to authentic, unvarnished filmmaking.
During her time at NYU, Zhao created her first short films, including Daughters, which told the story of a 14-year-old girl in rural China forced into an arranged marriage. Daughters won First Place Student Live Action Short at the 2010 Palm Springs International Short Fest and the Special Jury Prize at the 2010 Cinequest Film Festival, signaling the arrival of a remarkable new talent.
Following her graduate studies, Zhao transitioned into professional filmmaking by immersing herself in marginalized American communities, including the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. This hands-on, location-based approach to research became the foundation of her directing style and led directly to her debut feature film.
Chloé Zhao Career
Early Career (2010-2015)
Chloé Zhao’s early career began with her 2010 short film Daughters, which earned her recognition on the student festival circuit. She followed this with additional short work, including The Atlas Mountains, before turning her attention to a feature-length debut that would bring her international attention.
Her debut feature, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition and later played at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors’ Fortnight selection. The film earned a nomination for Best First Feature at the 31st Independent Spirit Awards and established Zhao’s signature documentary-style realism.
Breakthrough (2017-2021)
In 2017, Zhao directed The Rider, a contemporary western drama based on the real-life story of cowboy Brady Jandreau. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Art Cinema Award, and went on to earn nominations for Best Feature and Best Director at the 33rd Independent Spirit Awards. Zhao also became the inaugural winner of the Bonnie Award, recognizing a mid-career female director. Sony Pictures Classics released The Rider on 13 April 2018 to widespread critical acclaim.
Zhao’s international breakthrough came with Nomadland in 2020, starring Frances McDormand. Based on Jessica Bruder’s book about modern American nomads, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion, and went on to win the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Released theatrically on 19 February 2021 by Searchlight Pictures, Nomadland cemented Zhao’s status as a leading global filmmaker.
In September 2018, Marvel Studios hired Zhao to direct Eternals, making her the first filmmaker of Asian descent to direct a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. The film was released on 5 November 2021, earning $161.7 million during its opening weekend and debuting at number one at the box office. In 2021, Zhao also appeared on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Notable Works and Milestones
Chloé Zhao’s most celebrated work remains Nomadland, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Director at the 93rd Academy Awards in April 2021. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, the BAFTA Award for Best Direction, the Directors Guild of America Award, and multiple Independent Spirit Awards for the film, becoming the second woman to win each of those directing honors.
Chloé Zhao Award Nominations
Chloé Zhao has earned numerous award nominations across her career, recognizing her contributions as both a director and a writer. Her debut feature Songs My Brothers Taught Me received a nomination for Best First Feature at the 31st Independent Spirit Awards, while The Rider earned nominations for Best Feature and Best Director at the 33rd Independent Spirit Awards. Nomadland brought her four Academy Award nominations and additional recognition from major industry organizations, cementing her place among the most honored filmmakers of her generation.
Chloé Zhao Awards Won
Chloé Zhao has won several of the most prestigious awards in the film industry for her work on Nomadland. She received the Academy Award for Best Director in 2021, the Golden Globe Award for Best Director in 2021, and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction in 2021. Earlier in her career, she won the Art Cinema Award at the Cannes Film Festival for The Rider in 2017, along with the inaugural Bonnie Award recognizing a mid-career female director.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Director | 1 | 2021 |
| Golden Globe Award for Best Director | 1 | 2021 |
| BAFTA Award for Best Direction | 1 | 2021 |
| Cannes Art Cinema Award | 1 | 2017 |
| Bonnie Award | 1 | 2018 |
Chloé Zhao Family
Chloé Zhao’s father, Zhao Yuji, is a successful Chinese businessman who formerly served as an executive at Shougang Group before moving into real-estate development and equity investment. Her stepmother, Song Dandan, is a well-known Chinese actress recognized for her work in sitcoms such as “Home with the Kids.” Zhao’s parents divorced during her teenage years, after which her father remarried Song Dandan.
Personal Life
Chloé Zhao previously resided in Ojai, California, with her partner and longtime collaborator, cinematographer Joshua James Richards. The two met while Zhao was researching her first feature film and Richards was still a film student at New York University. Richards served as cinematographer on her films The Rider and Nomadland, and as a camera operator on Eternals. In 2025, Zhao confirmed that their relationship had ended. She has also spoken publicly about being neurodivergent, describing it as a “superpower” that shapes her creative perspective.
