Born in 1936, Lucilla You Min is one of Hong Kong cinema’s first female idols. The daughter of famous Cantonese opera singer Pak Yuk-tong, You was discovered by the city’s reigning production company Shaw Brothers at the age of 16. Renowned for her “untainted divine image”, You starred in 20 movies for Shaw Brothers, before switching to rival studio MP & GI (Motion Picture and General Investment). The move proved a rewarding one with You winning best actress at the Asian Film Festival for her work in Her Tender Heart (1959) and All in the Family (1959).

Connie Chan

Despite a life of poverty as a child, Connie Chan rose to become one of Hong Kong’s most popular teen idols of the 1960s. One of the “Seven Princesses” who ruled Cantonese cinema around that time, Chan worked phenomenally hard, starring in some 180 films before she quit the industry in 1972. She briefly returned to acting in 1999 to perform in Sentimental Journey, a stage production based on the life of her old Cantonese opera master, Yam Kim-fai.

How Hong Kong’s film industry got so big – and why it fell into decline

Josephine Siao

A rival to Connie Chan, Josephine Siao prospered in the Hong Kong entertainment industry despite losing her hearing in one ear when she was a child. This slight disability did not stop Siao from working as a child actor. With experience, she grew to be one of the most formidable actresses of her age. She was twice named best actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards and even received recognition for her talent in Europe, winning the Silver Bear award for best actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for performance in Summer Snow (1996).

Brigitte Lin

Scouted by a film producer on the streets of Taipei in 1972, Brigitte Lin become one of the biggest movie stars in Asia in the 1980s and 90s. Lin made her film debut in Outside the Window in 1973 and three years later she was named best actress at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival for her role in Eight Hundred Heroes. After a brief break from acting at the end of the 70s, Lin started working more with Hong Kong filmmakers, which resulted in her most iconic roles in films as varied as Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express and Ching Siu-tung’s The Swordsman II.

Celebrating Brigitte Lin: 7 of the Hong Kong star’s best films

Yammie Lam

Although she more often worked on TV programmes for Hong Kong station TVB, Yammie Lam also starred in a number of high profile movies. Her cinematic high point came in the early 90s when she starred alongside Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung in Ronny Yu’s fantasy adventure The Bride with White Hair (1993). A year later she featured in the two-part epic A Chinese Odyssey opposite the likes of Stephen Chow and Karen Mok.

Cherie Chung

Maggie Cheung

Arguably the most talented Chinese actress of her generation, Maggie Cheung is one of only a handful of Chinese actors, male or female, to receive recognition outside Asia. Her big break came in Jackie Chan’s legendary kung fu movie Police Story (1984) where she played the hero’s neglected girlfriend. Although the film required her to do a number of painful stunts – including being yanked off a scooter – the popularity of the three original Police Story movies provided huge exposure. By the 90s Cheung moved into more “serious” work, acting in Wong Kar-wai’s first three movies. This turn helped her, from 1990 to 2001, to win five best actress awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The high point of her career came in 2004 when she won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her impressive performance in Clean as a recovering drug addict.

6 movie roles that helped Maggie Cheung rule Hong Kong cinema

Rosamund Kwan

Born in 1962, Kwan was the daughter of a Show Brother’s star, actor Kwan Shan. Like many would-be movies stars at the time, her career began on TV, with the ATV series Agency 24. Kwan's first feature film was The Head Hunter (1982), which saw her work together with Chow Yun-fat (who had yet to turn his television popularity into movie fame). From there, Kwan got on a roll, starring in hits like Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985), Jackie Chan’s Project A Part II (1987) and Armour of God (1991). A veteran of many Hong Kong action films, she also worked with Jet Li for The Swordsman II (1992) and Once Upon a Time in China series.

Chingmy Yau

One of the leading actresses of the late 80s and 90s, Chingmy Yau starred in a succession of hit films alongside the biggest names in Hong Kong cinema. Although she had acted in a number of minor films, Yau’s breakout role was in Wong Jing’s sleazy cult classic, Naked Killer (1992), opposite Simon Yam. Following that, Yau worked with all the A-listers – Andy Lau on Future Cops (1993), Jackie Chan on City Hunter (1993), Tony Leung Ka-fai and Jacky Cheung on Boys Are Easy (1993), and Chow Yun-fat on God of Gamblers Returns (1994).

Michelle Reis

Michele Reis seemed destined for fame from a young age. Aged two she was already featuring in adverts for baby products. Her career really took off in 1988 when she won the Miss Hong Kong Pageant at the age of 18. Almost immediately she was thrust into movies with parts in Tsui Hark’s A Chinese Ghost Story Part II (1990) and Stephen Chow's Royal Tramp II (1992). Her most celebrated role came in Wong Kar-wai’s Fallen Angels (1995) where she played the sultry agent of a hitman alongside fellow stars Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Charlie Yeung.

Shu Qi’s transition: from Playboy pin-up to award-winning actress

Shu Qi

It takes a highly talented individual to turn an early career in soft-core porn into an award-winning acting career, but Shu Qi has managed it. A former Chinese Playboy model, Qi made her name in Hong Kong by winning best supporting actress and best new performer for her role in Derek Yee’s satire, Viva Erotica (1996). From there she went to become something of a muse for Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien, starring in three of his films: Millennium Mambo (2001), Three Times (2005) and The Assassin (2015). The later won Hou best director at Cannes and Shu Qi best actress at the Asian Film Awards.

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