Maggie Cheung | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
張曼玉 | |||||||||||
.jpg) Cheung at theShanghai International Film Festival, 2007 | |||||||||||
| Born | (1964-09-20)20 September 1964 (age 61) | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | St. Paul's Primary Catholic School, Happy Valley St Edmund's School, Canterbury University of Edinburgh (HonoraryPhD) | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Actress | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1984–2004; 2010 | ||||||||||
| Height | 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張曼玉 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 张曼玉 | ||||||||||
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Maggie Cheung (Cheung Man-yuk;Chinese:張曼玉;pinyin:Zhāng Mànyù; born 20 September 1964)[1][2] is aHong Kong 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 theBerlin International Film Festival for her performance in the filmCenter Stage (1991) and becoming the first Asian actress to win the Best Actress Award at theCannes Film Festival for her outstanding performance in the filmClean (2004). In 2000, she starred inWong Kar-wai's filmIn 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 theCannes Film Festival in 2004, she put her acting career on hold and occasionally appears at fashion events and award ceremonies.
In 1985, she collaborated withJackie Chan in the filmPolice Story, becoming popular in Asia and getting recognized by international audiences.
Cheung has won numerous accolades at home and abroad for her acting. From 1989 to 2001, she won theHong 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 theGolden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress in Taiwan, winning four times.
In Europe, she won theSilver Bear for Best Actress forCenter Stage (1991) at theBerlin International Film Festival, andBest Actress at theCannes Film Festival in 2004 forClean, becoming the first Asian actress to win the latter. In 2005, she became the first Asian actress to be nominated for the FrenchCésar Award for Best Actress, also forClean. She is the only Asian actress to have won Best Actress awards at two of the three major European film festivals.
In the Mood for Love (2000), in which she starred, ranked fifth onSight & Sound magazine's 2022 list of the top 100 films in film history.[3] The website ofEntertainment Weekly 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 inIn the Mood for Love became one of the only two Asian performances on the list.[4] In 2002, she starred in the filmHero, which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at theOscars.Golden Globe Award nomination for best foreign language film. That same year, she appeared on the cover ofTime magazine along with the cast ofHero.
Around the late 2000s, Cheung gradually receded 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) in 2010.
Maggie Cheung was born in Hong Kong on 20 September 1964 toShanghainese parents.[5] She attended St. Paul's Primary Catholic School inHappy 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 inBromley, 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 theLane Crawford department store.[6]
In 1983, Cheung entered theMiss Hong Kong pageant and won the first runner-up and the Miss Photogenic award as well.[7] She was a semi-finalist in theMiss World pageant the same year.[8] After two years as a TV presenter, it led to a contract with TVB (the television arm of the Shaw Bros. Studio).[6]
Cheung is apolyglot as a result of her upbringing in Hong Kong and England and ten years' stay in Paris. InCenter Stage, Cheung performed inCantonese,Mandarin, andShanghainese fluently, switching languages with ease. InClean, she performed in fluent English, French, and Cantonese.[9]
Soon after her debut, Cheung broke into the film industry, starring in comedies. She caught the attention ofJackie Chan, who cast her inPolice Story (1985) as May, his long-suffering girlfriend. The film was a huge hit and made Cheung a star overnight.[10][11] Cheung was slated to star in TVB's "The Legend of the General Who Never Was", but due to the death ofBarbara Yung who was in the midst of filmingBattlefield, andThe Feud That Never Was a.k.a.Kings of Ideas (橋王之王), Yung's remaining scenes were assigned to Cheung, and Cheung's role was given toSheren Tang.[12]
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 whenWong Kar-wai cast her inAs Tears Go By (1988), the first of her many collaborations with Wong.[10][11]
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 theGolden Horse Award andHong Kong Film Award for her work inFull Moon in New York andA Fishy Story respectively.[11] Rolling “Red Dust ”won theGolden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1991, she became the first Chinese performer to win a Best Actress Award at the prestigiousBerlin Film Festival for her work inCenter Stage.Maggie Cheung made a historic contribution to China in the performance award.[13] With this film, Maggie Cheung won the Best Actress Award at theTaiwan Golden Horse Film Awards, the Best Actress Award at theHong 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 hitThe Heroic Trio (1992) and its sequel,Executioners (1993), impressed both critics and audiences with her martial arts skills.[10] Also in a departure from her usual roles, Cheung played a beautiful and vicious femme fatale inNew Dragon Gate Inn (1992).[11]In the 1993 filmGreen 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.InWong Kar-wai's 1994 filmAshes of Time, she almost carried the soul of the character with "static performance":[14] without fierce dramatic conflicts, she conveyed turbulent emotions through eyes, gestures and silence.
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.[15]
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 filmOlivier Assayas'Irma Vep (1996), which helped her break into the international scene.The film was shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard section of theCannes Film Festival.[10] That same year, she won further acclaim for her work in the romantic filmComrades: 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 theGolden Horse Award in Taiwan, theHong Kong Film Awards and the Best Actress in the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. The film was selected as a classic unit ofVenice Film Festival in 2013.
In 1997, she made her first English-language film inWayne Wang'sChinese Box (1997). Cast as a mysterious young woman named Jean, Cheung held her own alongside the more internationally well-established stars,Jeremy Irons andGong Li.[11] The film was shortlisted for theVenice Film Festival and won the Best Music Award.
After her 1998 marriage toOlivier Assayas, Cheung stayed mainly in France. In the same year, she won the Best Actress Award at theHong Kong Film Awards for the fourth time for her performance in the filmThe Soong Sisters (1997).
She returned to Hong Kong to filmIn the Mood for Love (2000), which won critical acclaim and a fourthTaiwanese Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress for Cheung. Won the Best Actress Award at theHong Kong Film Awards for the fifth time.[6][10] The film was shortlisted in the main competition unit ofCannes Film Festival, and won the French filmCésar Awards, theGerman 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 representedHong Kong at theOscar Awards for the best foreign language film.
In 2002, she starred inZhang Yimou'sHero. The film was nominated for multiple honors, including theOscar Award andGolden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and was shortlisted for the main competition unit of theBerlin International Film Festival. It was named the No. 1 best film in the world byTime magazine 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, she won the Best Actress award at theCannes Film Festival for her role as a mother who tries to kick her drug habit and reconcile with her long-lost son inClean (2004).[16] She is the first Asian actress to win this honor. In 2005, the filmClean (2004) was nominated for the Best Actress Award in the FrenchCésar Awards.
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.[17][18]
Cheung has served as a judge of many international film festivals.
In 2005, she won the artistic contribution award of theMontreal International Film Festival,[22] 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".[23]
In 2006, for the first time in the history of the59th Cannes Film Festival (2006), the photographic image of an Asian actress-Maggie Cheung's style inIn the Mood for Love was used in official posters.[24]
On 7 February 2007,The New York Times rated Cheung as one of the 22 Great Performers in 2006 for herCannes winning role as Emily inClean.[25] In the same year, she won the Outstanding Contribution Award of Chinese inShanghai International Film Festival.[26]
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.[27] Her last film appearance was as Mazu, Chinese goddess of the sea, in the filmTen Thousand Waves (2010) by British filmmaker and installation artistIsaac Julien.[28] In the same year, Maggie Cheung served as "UNICEF Ambassador to China" and devoted herself to helping improve poverty-stricken areas in China.[29]
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'sIndependent puts it, since her Cannes moment in 2004, Cheung "turned her back on film"[27] and has shifted her focus to philanthropy, making music, and editing.
In July 2011, she was awarded adoctorhonoris causa at theUniversity of Edinburgh.[30]
Cheung retired from acting in 2013 and has since kept a low profile.[31] In November, at the kind invitation of directorHou Hsiao-hsien, Maggie Cheung returned to the ceremony where she won the best actress award for the first time as the ambassador of the 50thGolden Horse Award, and has never attended any award ceremony since then.
In April, 2014, the 33rdHong 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.[32]
In 2017, she was invited to become a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscar).[33]
On April 17, 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 withJuliette Binoche.[34]
In May 2014, Cheung performed at the 2014 Strawberry Music Festival (Shanghai and Beijing).
In 2015, Cheung composed and performed the theme song "If You Were Gone" (Chinese:如果沒了你) for the anthology filmCities in Love.[35] According to producer Gu Xiaodong, Cheung dedicated almost half a year to producing the song.[36]
In June 2022, Cheung performed a DJ set at the grand opening of a newGucci store atThe Landmark in Hong Kong.[37]
On November 22, 2022, Maggie Cheung opened a China version ofTikTok 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.[38]
On September 20, 2023, she cooperated withOLAY brand again and appeared in the camera to shoot a short film.[39]
On September 3, 2024,GQ magazine published a document. "Maggie Cheung Walked Away From Acting 20 Years Ago, but Her Legend Endures". Raymond Ang, writer of the article tried to contact Cheung for an interview but declined to be interviewed and Ang by saying: 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."[40]
Cheung married French directorOlivier Assayas in 1998; they divorced in 2001.[44] She began a relationship with German architectOle Scheeren in 2007.[45] The relationship ended in 2011.[46]
In 2020, the Singaporean publicationToday wrote that Cheung had no plans to return to acting, instead devoting her time to fashion, music, and producing and editing films.[47] In August 2024, Cheung created a publicXiaohongshu page, quickly amassing nearly 800,000 followers after posting a short announcement video for the page.[48]
| Year | English title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Prince Charming | 青蛙王子 | Kitty | |
| Behind the Yellow Line | 緣份 | Monica | ||
| 1985 | Girl with the Diamond Slipper | 摩登仙履奇緣 | Cheung Man Ju | |
| Police Story | 警察故事 | May | ||
| It's a Drink, It's a Bomb | 聖誕奇遇結良緣 | Cat | ||
| 1986 | Last Romance | 玫瑰的故事 | Rose Wong | |
| Happy Ghost 3 | 開心鬼撞鬼 | Tsui Pan-Han | ||
| The Seventh Curse | 原振俠與衛斯理 | Tsui Hung | ||
| 1987 | Seven Years Itch | 七年之癢 | Jogger in park | Cameo |
| Sister Cupid | 天賜良緣 | Yuk | ||
| Heartbeat 100 | 心跳一百 | Maggie Cheung | ||
| The Romancing Star | 精裝追女仔 | Maggie Tung Man-yuk | ||
| Project A Part II | A計劃續集 | Maggie / Yesan | ||
| You Are My Destiny | 用愛捉伊人 | Sports car driver | Cameo | |
| 1988 | Call Girl '88 | 應召女郎1988 | Jenny Lin | |
| Love Soldier of Fortune | 愛的逃兵 | So See Dai | ||
| Paper Marriage | 過埠新娘 | Jade Lee | ||
| Double Fattiness | 雙肥臨門 | Diana | ||
| As Tears Go By | 旺角卡門 | Ngor | Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress | |
| Mother vs. Mother | 南北媽打 | Betty | ||
| Moon, Star, Sun | 月亮星星太陽 | May | ||
| How to Pick Girls Up! | 求愛敢死隊 | Fanny | ||
| Police Story 2 | 警察故事續集 | May | ||
| Beloved Son of God | 肥貓流浪記 | Bibi Cheung | ||
| The Game They Call Sex | 黃色故事 | Chu Hsiao Min | ||
| Last Romance | 流金歲月 | Jiang Nan Sun | ||
| 1989 | The Bachelor's Swan-Song | 再見王老五 | Cheung Yuk | |
| Doubles Cause Troubles | 神勇雙妹嘜 | Zhu Ying Tai | ||
| My Dear Son | 我要富貴 | Chow Fung | ||
| The Iceman Cometh | 急凍奇俠 | Polly | ||
| A Fishy Story | 不脫襪的人 | Huang | Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress | |
| Hearts No Flowers | 少女心 | Ms Tsang | ||
| Little Cop | 小小小警察 | Restaurant customer | Cameo | |
| In Between Loves | 求愛夜驚魂 | Jenny Tung | ||
| Full Moon in New York | 人在紐約 | Lee Fung-Jiau | Golden Horse Award for Best Actress | |
| 1990 | Heart into Hearts | 三人新世界 | Joe | |
| Song of the Exile | 客途秋恨 | Cheung Hueyin | ||
| The Dragon from Russia | 紅場飛龍 | May Yip | ||
| Red Dust | 滾滾紅塵 | Yueh-Feng | Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| Farewell China | 愛在別鄉的季節 | Li Hong | Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress | |
| Days of Being Wild | 阿飛正傳 | Su Lizhen | ||
| 1991 | The Perfect Match | 富貴吉祥 | Carrie Kam | |
| Alan & Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye | 雙城故事 | Olive Cheung | ||
| Will of Iron | 黑雪 | Maggie | ||
| Today's Hero | 志在出位 | Annie | ||
| Center Stage | 阮玲玉 | Ruan Lingyu | Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress Golden Horse Award for Best Actress Silver Bear for Best Actress Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress | |
| The Banquet | 豪門夜宴 | Personal Singing Instructor | Cameo | |
| 1992 | Twin Dragons | 雙龍會 | Barbara | |
| All's Well, Ends Well | 家有喜事 | Holli-yuk | ||
| What a Hero! | 譁! 英雄 | Lan | ||
| Heart Against Hearts | 三人做世界 | Joe | Cameo | |
| Police Story 3: Supercop | 警察故事3: 超級警察 | May | ||
| New Dragon Gate Inn | 新龍門客棧 | Jade | Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress Nominated—Golden Horse Award for Best Actress | |
| Rose | 白玫瑰 | Rose Chin | ||
| True Love | 真的愛妳 | Angel | ||
| Moon Warriors | 戰神傳說 | Mo-sin | ||
| 1993 | Millionaire Cop | 千面天王 | Jacky Cheuk | |
| The Eagle Shooting Heroes | 東成西就 | Imperial Master | ||
| The Heroic Trio | 東方三俠 | Chat / Thief Catcher | ||
| First Shot | 廉政第一擊 | Annie Ma | ||
| The Bare-Footed Kid | 赤腳小子 | Pak Siu-kwan | ||
| Flying Dagger | 神經刀與飛天貓 | Flying Cat | ||
| Holy Weapon | 武俠七公主 | Princess Tin Heung | ||
| Enigma of Love | 飛越謎情 | Tammy Cheung | ||
| Mad Monk | 濟公 | Bai Xiao Yu | ||
| Boys Are Easy | 追男仔 | Ching Siu Nam | ||
| Executioners | 現代豪俠傳 | Chat / Thief Catcher / Chelsea | ||
| Green Snake | 青蛇 | Green Snake | ||
| 1994 | In Between | 新同居時代 | Coco Lau | Segment: "Unwed Mother" |
| Ashes of Time | 東邪西毒 | Ouyang Feng's sister-in-law | ||
| 1996 | Irma Vep | 迷离劫/迷離劫 | Herself | |
| Comrades: Almost a Love Story | 甜蜜蜜 | Li Qiao | Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress Golden Horse Award for Best Actress Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Actress | |
| 1997 | The Soong Sisters | 宋家皇朝 | Soong Ching-ling | Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress Nominated—Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Actress |
| Chinese Box | 中国匣 | Jean | ||
| 1999 | Augustin, King of Kung-Fu | 爱在异乡的故事 | Ling | |
| 2000 | Sausalito | 一見鍾情 | Ellen | |
| In the Mood for Love | 花樣年華 | Su Li-zhen | Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress Golden Horse Award for Best Actress Nominated—Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Actress | |
| 2002 | Hero | 英雄 | Flying Snow | Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress Nominated—Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Actress |
| 2004 | Clean | 錯得多美麗 | Emily Wang | Cannes Film Festival for Best Actress Nominated—César Award for Best Actress |
| 2046 | 2046 | Su Li-zhen | ||
| 2009 | Inglourious Basterds | 惡棍特工 | Madame Ada Mimieux | Deleted scene[49] |
| 2010 | Hot Summer Days | 全城熱戀 | Crying woman | Cameo |
| Year | English title | Chinese Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Too Happy for Words | 兩個女人，一個靚，一個唔靚 | — | |
| 2010 | Ten Thousand Waves | 萬層浪 | Mazu | [50] |
| Year | English title | Original Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Rainbow Round My Shoulder | 畫出彩虹 |
| Police Cadet '84 | 新紮師兄 | |
| 1985 | The Fallen Family | 武林世家 |
| Zhe Dang Pai Dang | 拆擋拍擋 | |
| The Yang's Saga | 楊家將 | |
| The Feud That Never Was | 拆档拍档 |
入行时，TVB最红的花旦是翁美玲和张曼玉，我拍《薛仁贵》时，翁美玲还在，怎知到我拍第二套戏，她已经过了身，她不在，公司很焦急，原本为她度身订造的角色，落在张曼玉身上，而我，又顶了张曼玉原来的角色，之后我有份演出的都是做女主角。配角，应该未做过。
Miss World 1983 national titleholders | |
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