Teresa Cheung Siu-wai () (born June 10, 1963) is a Canadian

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and producer.

Early life

Born in Hong Kong to parents of

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

nese descent, Cheung appeared in her first advertisement at the age of three. She was born in a scholarly family in Hong Kong in 1963, her original name was Zhang Rongfang (章蓉舫). Rongfang is the nickname of her grandfather, and later this household name is actually Teresa's nickname. Her grandfather was a senior official in the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, while her father immigrated to Canada and founded Zhang Jianguo, the first Chinese radio station in Canada. Teresa's mother, Zhou Wanjun (周婉筠) was born in a famous family and brought a maidservant when she got married. Her father, Francis Cheung (章建国) was born in

Shaoxing Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou, Zhejiang, Taizhou to the south ...

, who founded Canadian Chinese TV, passed away at the age of 85. After he immigrated to Canada that year, he found that many elderly people were bored at home, so he decided to create a Chinese TV. But it is not easy to establish a Chinese TV station in Canada. At that time, he ran around, contacted local celebrities, and established a Chinese advisory group. When the Canadian Video Committee (CRTC) held a hearing, he was also awarded the President of the Bar Association and members of the Federal Parliament. Teresa attended primary and secondary school at Maryknoll Convent School, Hong Kong. After relocating to Canada at age 15 with her family, she studied at the University of Toronto, majoring in

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

History and

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. She moved to Los Angeles in 2006.

Career

Despite having no prior experience as a professional actor, Cheung was given a leading role in the 2004 film '' Colour Blossoms''. Writer/director

Yonfan Yonfan (born 14 October 1947) is a Hong Kong film director and photographer. Biography He was born in Wuhan, Hubei, Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China. As the Yang family emigrated from mainland China, they lived first in Hong Kong ...

stated that she was his inspiration for the film. Cheung received a number of awards and nominations for her role, only narrowly missing out on a Best Actress Award to Zhang Ziyi from the

Hong Kong Film Critics Society The Hong Kong Film Critics Society (HKFCS; Traditional Chinese: 香港電影評論學會), founded in 1995, is the peak organization of film critics and professionals in Hong Kong. It is also a member of FIPRESCI. Objectives The objectives of the H ...

. In 2005, Cheung signed with the

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is the State media, national television broadcaster of China, established in 1958. CCTV is operated by the National Radio and Television Administration which reports directly to the Publicity Department of th ...

(CCTV), becoming the first female, Hong Kong-based actress to join the network artist management. Diamond Trade Center invited Cheung to the Oscars 2006 Diamond Aquifer Suite Event at the

Soho House Soho House is a museum run by Birmingham Museums Trust, celebrating Matthew Boulton's life, his partnership with James Watt, his membership of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and his contribution to the Midlands Enlightenment and the Indust ...

in Los Angeles, making her the first Asian actress ever invited. Cheung is credited as an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

's film, '' W.'', and has a cameo role as the

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

"Miss China."

Personal life

In 1988, Cheung married Hong Kong pop star and actor Kenny Bee. The couple divorced in 1997.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Teresa Hong Kong film actresses Hong Kong Buddhists Hong Kong emigrants to Canada Living people University of Toronto alumni 1963 births