Benny Sa

Benny Sa, also known as Sa Beining (simplified Chinese: 撒贝宁; traditional Chinese: 撒貝寧; pinyin: Sǎ Bèiníng; born 23 March 1976) is a Chinese television host known for his work for China Central Television (CCTV). He served as the one-time anchor of the documentary program Legal Report (今日说法).

Biography

Early experience

Sa Beining was born into a military family in Zhanjiang, Guangdong in March 1976, the son of Dèng Yǎjuān (邓雅娟), a graduate of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, and Sǎ Shìguì (撒世贵), a Chinese actor in Wuhan Drama Theatre. He has a younger sister: Sǎ Bèinà (撒贝娜).

He started to perform on stage at the age of four, and by age eleven, he hosted a house-party with his sister at home.

Education experience

During high school, Sa expressed his desire to attend the Beijing Film Academy or Central Academy of Drama. In the winter holiday before the National College Entrance Examination, he was allowed to join in the winter camp held by Peking University for his abilities in literature and art. Shortly after that, he participated in the centralized exam held by Peking University for students who showed an exceptional performance in the exam, resulting in him gaining his letter of admission from Peking University. Because of this, Sa served as a teaching assistant to share his experiences with other students before graduation.

Professional experience

Sa was selected to host the TV program Legal Report due to the recommendations of his instructors at the Peking University Law School, as a result of his many extra-curriculum experiences and high score. The producers initially wanted a lawyer to host the show but chose to go in a different direction as a lawyer might be too busy to host the program and could lack the qualifications necessary for a host. Sa was aware that his hosting skills were weak, particularly during the early recording stage. He was worried that he would be eliminated due to poor performance and kept trying to determine how others viewed him. Sa practiced his hosting skills every day and was eventually selected as the official host of the program. In the second year after entering the China Central Television, he won the championship in the National TV Host Contest.

Personal life

Sa was in a relationship with Tú Jīngwěi (涂经纬) in 2006. They split in 2009. Then Sa reportedly had a whirlwind romance with Cén Lílán (岑黎阑). Sa was involved in a relationship with actress Zhang Ziyi beginning in September 2011; they split in 2013. In 2015, Sa was seen dating Canadian singer Lisa Marie Hoffman (known by her Chinese name 李白, Lǐ Bái). They married on 28 March 2016.

Hosting experience

Awards

• 2000 The first prize of the China TV Legal System Host Competition
• 2000 China TV List Newcomer of the Year Award
• 2001 The Most Promising Host Award of the First National College Student TV Festival
• 2001 CCTV Top Ten Hosts Online Awards
• 2001 "Rongshida" TV host contest gold medal
• 2004 CCTV Annual Grade B Moderator
• 2005 The 5th Golden Eagle Festival Best National Host
• 2005 CCTV Annual Grade B Moderator
• 2006 The "Golden Microphone Award" TV broadcast host program award
• 2006 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator
• 2007 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator
• 2008 CCTV Annual Grade B Moderator
• 2009 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator
• 2010 China University Students TV Festival's most popular male host
• 2011 Shanghai TV Festival "Top Ten New Chinese Language Style Hosting"
• 2012 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator
• 2013 The "Golden Microphone Award" from the 2012 China Broadcasting Host
• 2016 Top Ten Excellent Announcer and Host Award of CCTV