Ge You, born to actor parents who both worked in film, began to follow in their footsteps when he was chosen to work with China's National Drama Troupe after that country's Cultural Revolution. He first performed in propaganda operas and stage plays but ventured into film work in the late 1980s. Ge You first made an impression in a supporting role as one of the travelers in director Teng Wenji's seriocomic adventure "The Ballad of Yellow River" (1989), winning China's Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actor. His subsequent work in film has been sporadic but impressive, a flair for irony and a deadpan style lending a low-key credence to drama and a mature sense of satire to comedy.