Profile | The rise of Hong Kong actress Sharla Cheung, star of Stephen Chow and Wong Jing films, and the surprise movie she made after retiring

Sharla Cheung, a frequent collaborator of Hong Kong director Stephen Chow, has appeared in over 50 films and starred opposite Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau

Sixteen years after retiring, the actress made a surprise appearance in a short film – apparently as a favour to Wong Jing, the director who discovered her

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Actress Sharla Cheung Man at the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony in 2005. Discovered in the 1980s by Wong Jing, she starred opposite Stephen Chow, Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat in a string of 1980s and 1990s box office hits. Photo: SCMP

Published: 7:15am, 29 Sep 2023

This is the eighth instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.

When we think of the early films of Hong Kong comedy legend Stephen Chow Sing-chi, it is hard not to recall his leading lady Sharla Cheung Man.

The pair starred in more than 10 films together, including All for the Winner (1990) and Fight Back to School (1991), both of which are enshrined in Hong Kong film history as examples of mo lei tau – a brand of nonsensical, slapstick comedy unique to the city.

Yet Chow’s films did not define Cheung’s career. Indeed, she was one of the few “Sing Girls” – the nickname given to actresses who starred opposite Chow as his love interest – who already had a burgeoning acting career before appearing in any of his headlining films.

(From left) Sharla Cheung, Stephen Chow and Ng Man-tat in a still from “All for the Winner” (1990). Photo: Win’s Movie Production

Altogether the actress appeared in over 50 films, everything from comedies and action dramas to wuxia and martial arts films, and earned a nomination for best actress in the Hong Kong Film Awards.

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Hong Kong’s pop culture icons

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