Scroll down and see how glamorous all these ladies – who are now playing senior roles on the big and small screen – were in their heyday.

Lee Heung-kam

You may recognise her as dowager in many TVB dramas of yesteryear, but she was a beauty back in the day and a thespian of Chinese opera in Hong Kong.

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Helena Law Lan

World-renowned for playing a slew of creepy old ladies in horror films such as Thou Shalt Not Swear and July 13th, Helena Law Lan is a veteran of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. She also became a symbol for ageing gracefully, when she was the spokeswoman for YSL beauty campaigns in Hong Kong.

Yuen Qiu

You may know her as the formidable landlady in Kung Fu Hustle, but she was the “school flower”, the equivalent of prom queen, in high school. It’s no wonder that she had a bit role in The Man with a Golden Gun alongside Roger Moore.

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Candice Yu

Candice Yu famously had a whirlwind marriage to Chow Yun-fat that only lasted nine months, but she was also a famous socialite and renowned beauty throughout the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. She’s been very candid in interviews about her struggles as a single parent after her divorce from Henry Lee Junior. She has played many roles on the silver and small screen, but most people remember her stunning performance as Princess Heung Heung in the television adaptation of Jin Yong’s The Legend of the Book and the Sword; although there have been many remakes, the popular opinion is that no other actress has held a candle to Yu.

Deanie Yip Duk-han

Deanie Yip’s outstanding acting needs no introduction as she’s won the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, not to mention countless others at the Hong Kong Film Awards. She’s best pals with Andy Lau and while she’s barely old enough to be his mum he’s facetiously called her “Godmother” in public. Because her acting skills are so well-known, not a lot of people remember that Ip was a pop diva in the early 80s.

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Mary Hon

Mary Hon aged like fine wine. We’re used to seeing her play the roles of beautiful mothers and powerful dowagers, and her looks have not faded with time.

Teresa Mo Shun-Kwan

Teresa Mo was a fresh-faced ingénue in the 70s and famously caught the eye of Hong Kong legend Leslie Cheung when they were making RTV television series Love Story. She famously turned down his proposal in 1979 but managed to remain good friends. Mo won best actress in the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in Tomorrow is Another Day. 

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Alice Fung So-bor

You may not know this lady by name, but you’ve definitely seen her playing seniors on television. She said in an interview that she’s been cast in grandmother roles since she was 40 years old, and at the time they had to draw her wrinkles in. She is known as TVB’s default grandmother, but man, she was quite a dish back in the day.

Cheng Pei-pei

Any fan of wuxia movies will recognise this intimidating lady that was kicking butt on the silver screen for decades. She recently made an appearance in Disney’s live-action feature Mulan as the matchmaker. We think she’d give Liu Yifei a run for her money if a 20-year old Cheng auditioned for the role of Mulan in this day and age.

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Fung Bo Bo

Fung Bo Bo was Hong Kong’s answer to Shirley Temple in the 60s. The child actor grew up and matured on the silver and small screen and has been in the entertainment industry her whole life. Life has not always been easy for her, and Fung has been open and honest about her struggles with depression and is an advocate for mental health. It’s rare for an actor to go from cute to renowned beauty to ageing gracefully, and that is something Fung can be extremely proud of.

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