Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

actress. She is one of the most successful and internationally acclaimed actresses in Asia, renowned for her diverse and versatile performances as well as her natural acting skills. She has won numerous international acting awards, including the Best Actress Award at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

for her performance in the film '' Center Stage'' (1991) and becoming the first Asian actress to win the Best Actress Award at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

for her outstanding performance in the film '' Clean'' (2004). In 2000, she starred in

Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure o ...

's film '' In the Mood for Love'', which not only gained her worldwide fame but also received widespread acclaim. It is now regarded as a classic in Asian cinema and fashion. After winning the Best Actress award at the

in 2004, she put her acting career on hold and occasionally appears at fashion events and award ceremonies. In 1985, she collaborated with

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

in the film '' Police Story'', becoming popular in Asia and getting recognized by international audiences. Cheung has won numerous accolades at home and abroad for her acting. From 1990 to 2001, she won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress five times, holding the record for most wins in the category. She also holds the record for most wins for the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress in Taiwan, winning four times. In Europe, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for '' Center Stage'' (1991) at the

, and Best Actress at the

in 2004 for '' Clean'', becoming the first Asian actress to win the latter. In 2005, she became the first Asian actress to be nominated for the French

César Award for Best Actress Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar River, in Colombia * Cesa ...

, also for '' Clean''. She is the only Asian actress to have won Best Actress awards at two of the three major European film festivals. In 2000, In the Mood for Love, in which she starred, ranked fifth on Sight & Sound magazine's list of the top 100 films in film history. The website of

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

in the United States once listed the "51 classic performances overlooked by the Oscars" in the 86-year history of the Oscars, and Maggie Cheung's performance in In the Mood for Love became one of the only two Asian performances on the list.In 2002, she starred in the film ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

'', which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nomination for best foreign language film.In the same year, she became the cover figure of

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

. in 2005, she gradually faded from the public eye. She occasionally appeared at some events or award ceremonies. She once served as an ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

) in 2010.

Early life

Maggie Cheung was born in Hong Kong on 20 September 1964 to

Shanghainese The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the central districts of the city of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan langua ...

parents. She attended St. Paul's Primary Catholic School in Happy Valley, where she began at the primary one level. Her family emigrated from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom when she was eight. She spent part of her childhood and adolescence in

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

, London, and attended St Edmund's School, Canterbury. She returned to Hong Kong at the age of 18 in 1982 for a vacation but ended up staying for modelling assignments and other commitments. She also briefly had a sales job at the Lane Crawford department store. In 1983, Cheung entered the

Miss Hong Kong pageant Miss Hong Kong Pageant (), or Miss HK () for short, is an annual beauty pageant organised by local Hong Kong television station, TVB. The pageant was established in 1946, and acquired by TVB in 1973. Regulations Recruitment All participants ...

and won the first runner-up and the Miss Photogenic award as well. She was a semi-finalist in the

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...

pageant the same year. After two years as a TV presenter, it led to a contract with TVB (the television arm of the Shaw Bros. Studio). Cheung is a polyglot as a result of her upbringing in Hong Kong and England and ten years' stay in Paris. In '' Center Stage'', Cheung performed in

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, and

fluently, switching languages with ease. In '' Clean'', she performed in fluent English, French, and Cantonese.

Actor career

Debut into fame (1984–1987)

Soon after her debut, Cheung broke into the film industry, starring in comedies. She caught the attention of

, who cast her in ''Police Story'' (1985) as May, his long-suffering girlfriend. The film was a huge hit and made Cheung a star overnight. Cheung was slated to star in TVB's "The Legend of the General Who Never Was", but due to the death of Barbara Yung who was in the midst of filming ''Battlefield'', and ''The Feud That Never Was'' a.k.a. ''Kings of Ideas'' (), Yung's remaining scenes were assigned to Cheung, and Cheung's role was given to Sheren Tang.

Career breakthrough (1988–1994)

Despite her success, Cheung found herself typecast in the roles of comics or weak, clumsy women. Realizing this, Cheung wanted to break away by seeking more dramatic roles. She got this opportunity when

cast her in '' As Tears Go By'' (1988), the first of her many collaborations with Wong. Cheung often cites the film as the piece that truly began her serious acting career, and she won critical praise for it. In 1989-1990, she won Best Actress awards at the Golden Horse Award and

Hong Kong Film Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual List of film awards, film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies typically take place in April, and have mostly been held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Cent ...

for her work in ''Full Moon in New York'' and '' A Fishy Story'' respectively. Rolling “ Red Dust ”won the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1991, she became the first Chinese performer to win a Best Actress Award at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival for her work in '' Center Stage''.Maggie Cheung made a historic contribution to China in the performance award. With this film, Maggie Cheung won the Best Actress Award at the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Awards, the Best Actress Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards, and many other awards. Cheung subsequently proved her versatility with roles in action films. Her performance in the sci-fi martial arts smash hit '' The Heroic Trio'' (1992) and its sequel, '' Executioners'' (1993), impressed both critics and audiences with her martial arts skills. Also in a departure from her usual roles, Cheung played a beautiful and vicious femme fatale in '' New Dragon Gate Inn'' (1992). In the 1993 film Green Snake (1993), she played a snake demon who transformed into a human form. She was both good and evil, yearning for human emotions while feeling confused about them. In

's 1994 film

Ashes of Time ''Ashes of Time'' () is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, and inspired by characters from Jin Yong's novel '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes''. In September 1994, it was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the ...

, she almost carried the soul of the character with "static performance": without fierce dramatic conflicts, she conveyed turbulent emotions through eyes, gestures and silence.

International Breakthrough (1996–2004)

After having acted in more than 68 movies, most of which were action films, in less than a decade, she decided to take her career in another direction. She took a two-year sabbatical and used the time to reflect upon which kinds of roles interested her. She began getting interested in art and music, she travelled and perfected her language studies. Then she returned to the set, but began to carefully select the co-productions and directors.After taking a break in 1994, Cheung returned to film

Olivier Assayas Olivier Assayas (; born 25 January 1955) is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his eclectic filmography, consisting of slow-burning Period Piece Films, period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs, an ...

' '' Irma Vep'' (1996), which helped her break into the international scene.The film was shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard section of the

. That same year, she won further acclaim for her work in the romantic film '' Comrades: Almost a Love Story'', in which she played one of a pair of lovers kept apart for ten years by fate. With this film, she won the Golden Horse Award in Taiwan, the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Best Actress in the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. The film was selected as a classic unit of

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

in 2013. In 1997, she made her first English-language film in

Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollyw ...

's '' Chinese Box'' (1997). Cast as a mysterious young woman named Jean, Cheung held her own alongside the more internationally well-established stars, Jeremy Irons and Gong Li.The film was shortlisted for the

and won the Best Music Award. After her 1998 marriage to

, Cheung stayed mainly in France. In the same year, she won the Best Actress Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for the fourth time for her performance in the film The Soong Sisters (1997). She returned to Hong Kong to film '' In the Mood for Love'' (2000), which won critical acclaim and a fourth Taiwanese Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress for Cheung. Won the Best Actress Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for the fifth time. The film was shortlisted in the main competition unit of

, and won the French film

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

, the German film Laura Award and the best foreign language film. British Academy Film Awards, David di Donatello Awards, Best Foreign Language Film Nomination. In 2000, it represented

at the Oscar Awards for the best foreign language film. In 2002, she starred in

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...

's ''

''. The film was nominated for multiple honors, including the Oscar Award and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

for Best Foreign Language Film, and was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the

. It was named the No. 1 best film in the world by

in 2004. Hero（2002)has an important influence in the history of Chinese cinema. As the Chinese film with the highest investment and box office that year, it was also the first Chinese film to exceed 100 million yuan at the domestic box office, eventually reaching 250 million yuan. In 2004, and Wong's ''

2046 In contemporary history, the third millennium is the current millennium in the ''Anno Domini'' or Common Era, under the Gregorian calendar. It began on 1 January 2001 ( MMI) and will end on 31 December 3000 ( MMM), spanning the 21st to 30 ...

'' (2004). She won the Best Actress award at the

for her role as a mother who tries to kick her drug habit and reconcile with her long-lost son in '' Clean'' (2004).She is the first Asian actress to win this honor. In 2005, the film Clean (2004) was nominated for the Best Actress Award in the French

Fade out of the film industry (2005–2010)

After 2005, Cheung gradually reduced her film production and turned to music, art and other fields. During this period, she did not star in new feature films, but appeared in public view in the form of guest appearances or attending international activities. Until around 2013, she basically faded out of the film industry and focused on her personal life and cross-border creation. Cheung has served as a judge of many international film festivals. * 1997 Berlin Film Festival * 1999

* 2004 Hawaii International Film Festival * 2007

* 2010 Marrakech International Film Festival In 2005, she won the artistic contribution award of the Montreal International Film Festival, and was selected as one of the "Top 100 Outstanding Actors of China Film in a Hundred Years" in the same year, and was awarded as "National First Class Actor". In 2006, for the first time in the history of the 59th Cannes Film Festival (2006), the photographic image of an Asian actress-Maggie Cheung's style in In the Mood for Love was used in official posters. On 7 February 2007, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' rated Cheung as one of the 22 Great Performers in 2006 for her

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

winning role as Emily in ''Clean''. In the same year, she won the Outstanding Contribution Award of Chinese in Shanghai International Film Festival. After 20 years of making movies, she decided to retire from acting to pursue a career as a film composer. She had mentioned she would like to compose music and paint after having fulfilled her acting potential. Her last film appearance was as Mazu, Chinese goddess of the sea, in the film ''Ten Thousand Waves'' (2010) by British filmmaker and installation artist Isaac Julien.In the same year, Maggie Cheung served as "

Ambassador to China" and devoted herself to helping improve poverty-stricken areas in China.

Retirement (2013–present)

Since 2013, Maggie Cheung has completely bid farewell to her acting career and turned to focus on her personal interests and cross-border creation. She no longer took the role of film, but set foot in the field of electronic music, trying to compose music and participate in stage performances, and also frequently appeared in cultural activities such as art exhibitions. Although she retired from filming, as an iconic figure in the golden age of China film, her artistic achievements are still widely recognized by the international film industry, and her classic roles and experience as a judge in her career are still industry benchmarks. As UK's ''

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

'' puts it, since her Cannes moment in 2004, Cheung "turned her back on film" and has shifted her focus to philanthropy, making music, and editing. In July 2011, she was awarded a doctor ''honoris causa'' at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. Cheung retired from acting in 2013 and has since kept a low profile.In November, at the kind invitation of director Hou Hsiao-hsien, Maggie Cheung returned to the ceremony where she won the best actress award for the first time as the ambassador of the 50th Taiwan Film Golden Horse Award, and has never attended any award ceremony since then. In April, 2014, the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards screened the theme short film "Light and Shadow of the Times" edited by Maggie Cheung. The short film briefly described the development of Hong Kong films with the background of major historical events in contemporary Hong Kong. In 2017, she was invited to become a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

). On April 17th, 2024, just as the "100-day countdown to the Paris Olympic Games" and "the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France", Maggie Cheung was invited by the state to act as the ambassador of the "China-France Badminton Charity Festival" and attend the event together with Juliette Binoche.

Retirement life

In May 2014, Cheung performed at the 2014 Shanghai Strawberry Music Festival. In June 2019, during a guest appearance on

Mango TV Mango TV (芒果TV, ''Mángguǒ TV''; MGTV) is a Chinese video streaming platform under Mango Excellent Media, which is controlled by Hunan Broadcasting System. Mango TV was established on May 26, 2006, in Changsha, Hunan and later decided to use ...

reality show ' in which she mentored boyband

Next NeXT, Inc. (later NeXT Computer, Inc. and NeXT Software, Inc.) was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California that specialized in computer workstations for higher education and business markets, and later develope ...

, Cheung spoke frankly about her 2014 performance's poor reception. In 2015, Cheung composed and performed the theme song "If You Were Gone" () for the anthology film Cities in Love. According to producer Gu Xiaodong, Cheung dedicated almost half a year to producing the song. In June 2022, Cheung performed a DJ set at the grand opening of a new

Gucci Guccio Gucci S.p.A., doing business as Gucci ( , ), is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and ...

store at The Landmark in Hong Kong. On November 22nd, 2022, Maggie Cheung opened a China version of Tik Tok account. She said that she found these video clips while cleaning up old files on her computer. She wrote: "When I watched these videos again, I suddenly realized that time passed too fast." She occasionally shares old materials of her past work or life on the platform. On September 20, 2023, she cooperated with OLAY brand again and appeared in the camera to shoot a short film. On September 3, 2024, GQ magazine published a document. 「Maggie Cheung Walked Away From Acting 20 Years Ago, but Her Legend Endures」When I began work on this story in the spring, I reached out to Cheung’s publicist of several years, trying to see if she might be open to doing an interview. It only took two weeks to get a polite but firm rejection. “Ms. Cheung has decided not to participate in the interview.” her publicist wrote in an email. “She did not give a reason, but she’s been turning down almost all press opportunities for quite awhile.” She turned down BFI’s invitation to participate in their 2024 retrospective as well. “It does add to the mystique,” Kimberley Sheehan, the programmer of the retrospective, stated. “It's almost more fitting she's not coming.”

Advertising endorsement

* 2001–2002 Jean-Louis Scherrer image ambassador * 2003 Olay Global brand spokesperson * 2005

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited is a multinational hospitality and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 43 properties worldwide, 20 of which it either wholly or partially owns ...

brand ambassador * 2008-2009 Piaget Global brand ambassador

Personal life

Cheung married French director

in 1998; they divorced in 2001. She began a relationship with German architect Ole Scheeren in 2007. The relationship ended in 2011. In 2020, the Singaporean publication ''Today'' wrote that Cheung had no plans to return to acting, instead devoting her time to fashion, music, and producing and editing films.

Filmography

Film

Short film

Television

Awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Maggie 1964 births Living people 20th-century British actresses 20th-century Hong Kong actresses 21st-century British actresses 21st-century Hong Kong actresses Actors from the London Borough of Bromley Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners British film actresses British television actresses Hong Kong beauty pageant winners Hong Kong emigrants to the United Kingdom Hong Kong film actresses Hong Kong television actresses Miss World 1983 delegates Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People educated at St Edmund's School Canterbury People from Bromley Silver Bear for Best Actress winners UNICEF goodwill ambassadors Alumni of the University of Edinburgh