Birthday: 20, Sep 1964 ( Sunday )

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Blood Type: O

Height: 168cm

Weight: 51kg

Measurement: B83cm W58cm H86cm

Homeplace: Hong Kong

Interest: music, read, swimming

Favorite Animal: Kitty

Favorite Color: Violet

Favorite People: Mother

Favorite Sports: swimming

Favorite Star: Zhou Run Fa

Awards:

1989 Taiwan Golden Horse Award, Best Actress: "Full Moon in New York"

1989 HK Film Award, Best Actress: "A Fishy Story"

1990 Taiwan Golden Horse Award, Best Supporting Actress: "Red Dust"

1991 Turin Film Festival, Special Jury Award, Best Actress: "Farewell China"

1991 Taiwan Golden Horse Award, Best Actress: "The Actress"

1992 HK Film Award, Best Actress: "The Actress"

1992 Berlin Film Festival, Best Actress: "The Actress"

1992 Chicago International Film Festival, Best Actress: "The Actress"

1992 Hong Kong Annual Artistic Award

1996 HK Film Critics Society Award, Best Actress: "Comrades - Almost a Love Story"

1996 HK Film Award, Best Actress: "Comrades - Almost a Love Story"

1997 Golden Bauhinia Award, Best Actress: "Comrades - Almost a Love Story"

Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk, best known to Western audiences for her role as Jackie Chan's ever-suffering girlfriend May in the popular Police Story series, was born in Hong Kong in 1964. Her family emigrated to England when she was eight, but she returned back to Hong Kong in 1981 to pursue a career in modeling. In 1983, she placed second in the Miss Hong Kong contest and also appeared in the Miss World pageant, which led to a contract with TVB (the television arm of the Shaw Bros. studio). It was during one of her TVB appearances that she caught the eye of Jackie Chan, who thought "she wouldn't mind me kicking her down a flight down the stairs." Chan cast Cheung as May in Police Story (1985) which turned out to be a huge hit and made Maggie a star almost overnight.

However, as with most young actors, Cheung became stereotyped in the role of the weak, clumsy May, reprising the role in the next Police Story film as well as several other Chan movies, including Project A Part 2(1987). Noting this, Cheung sought to break out of her stereotype by taking more dramatic roles. Her work with noted director Wong Kar-Wai garnered her critical praise, first in 1988 with As Tears Go By and then in 1990 with Days of Being Wild (1990). She also won a Best Actress award the same year at Taipei's Golden Horse Festival for her work in Full Moon in New York. 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.

Cheung did not forget where she got her start though, and in 1992 she returned to working with Jackie Chan in Police Story 3: Super cop, where she once again reprised the role of May, this time being upstaged not by Chan, but by Michelle Yeoh. Cheung got a little "revenge" in the sci-fi martial arts smash hit Heroic Trio (1992) and its' sequel Executioners (1993), where she proved she could be more than just a punching bag in an action movie, impressing both critics and audiences with her martial arts skills as she stood toe-to-toe with Yeoh.

Cheung's busy schedule eventually began taking its toll. Not only was she shooting several films a year, the HK tabloid press began hounding her incessantly. In 1994, she took a break from making films, during which time the HK press spread all sorts of wild rumors about her. Cheung had reached the age where most HK actresses retired or moved to singing or television, and most people thought Cheung would never work in films again. However, she came back to movies in 1996, completing several movies such as Irma Vep (she later married the film's French director, Olivier Assayas, and now spends most of her time in France) and The Chinese Box (both 1997). Cheung recently won critical acclaim and a Tawianese Golden Horse award for her role in art house darling Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love (2000).

Filmography:

2000 In the Mood for Love
1998  Augustin King of Kung Fu
1997  Beijing Summer
  Chinese Box, The
1996  Comrades, Almost a Love Story
  Irma Vep
  Soong Sisters, the
1994  Ashes of Time
  In Between
1993  Barefoot Kid, The
  Boys Are Easy
  Eagle Shooting Heroes, The
  Enigma of Love
  Heroic Trio 2 : Executioners
  First Shot
  Flying Dagger
  Green Snake
  Holy Weapon
  Mad Monk
  Millionaire Cop
1992  Actress
  All's Well, Ends Well
  Heroic Trio
  Moon Warriors
  New Dragon Inn
  Police Story 3 : Supercop
  Rose
  Too Happy for Words
  True Love
  Twin Dragons
  What a Hero
1991  Alan and Eric - Between Hello and Goodbye
  Banquet, The
  Heart Against Hearts [Cameo]
  Perfect Match 1991, The
  Today's Hero
  Will of Iron
1990  Days of Being Wild
  Dragon from Russia
  Farewell China
  Full Moon in New York
  Heart into Hearts
  Red Dust
1989  Bachelor's Swan Song
  Doubles Cause Troubles
  Fishy Story, A
  Hearts No Flowers
  Iceman Cometh
  In Between Love
  Little Cop
  My Dear Son
  Song of the Exile
1988  As Tears Go By
  Call Girl '88
  Fat Cat
  Happy Fat New Year
  Last Romance
  Love Army
  North and South Mamas
  Paper Marriage
  Police Story Part 2
  Soldier of Love
  Sun, Moon, and Star
1987  Game They Call Sex, The
  Heartbeat 100
  Heavenly Fate
  Project A, Part 2
  Romancing Star, The
  You're My Destiny [Cameo]
1986  Happy Ghost 3
  Seventh Curse, The
  Story of Rose, The
1985  It's a Drink, It's a Bomb
  Modern Cinderella
  Police Story
1984  Fate
  Frog Prince, The
Unknown  Lovelorn Expert, The

Posters:

In the Mood for Love

(sources: hkfilm.net and mm52.com February 4, 2004)