Maggie Cheung

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong actress. Widely considered one of the greatest actresses of all time, Cheung has received numerous accolades, including five Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress, four Golden Horse Awards for Best Leading Actress, two Cannes Film Festival Awards for Best Actress, a Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival, and a César Award for Best Actress. She is the first Asian actress to win the Best Actress award at Cannes.

Cheung was born in Hong Kong on 20 September 1964. Her father was a Chinese engineer and her mother was an English teacher. She has two older sisters. Cheung attended St. Paul's Convent School, where she was a classmate of future actress Carina Lau. In 1982, Cheung entered the Miss Hong Kong pageant, where she came in second place.

After her pageant success, Cheung was offered a contract by TVB, the largest television broadcaster in Hong Kong. She starred in several popular television dramas, including The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1982) and The Return of the Condor Heroes (1983). In 1984, Cheung made her film debut in The Boxers, a martial arts film directed by Yuen Woo-ping. She went on to star in several other martial arts films, including Drunken Master II (1994) and Ashes of Time (1994).

In the late 1980s, Cheung began to transition to more serious roles. She starred in films such as The Greatest Lover (1989), for which she won her first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress, and Center Stage (1991), for which she won her second Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress. In 1992, Cheung starred in Wong Kar-wai's Days of Being Wild, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. She went on to star in several other Wong Kar-wai films, including Ashes of Time (1994), Chungking Express (1994), and In the Mood for Love (2000).

In 1997, Cheung won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Stanley Kwan's The Actress. She went on to win the award again in 2004 for her performance in Olivier Assayas' Clean. In 2010, Cheung won the César Award for Best Actress for her performance in Assayas' Summer Hours.

Cheung has also appeared in several Hollywood films, including The Corruptor (1999), Hero (2002), and Mission: Impossible III (2006). She has also directed several short films, including Touch of Pink (2004) and Baby Balloon (2012).

Cheung is considered one of the greatest actresses of all time. She has been praised for her versatility, her emotional range, and her ability to create complex and memorable characters. She has also been praised for her beauty and her sense of style.

Cheung retired from acting in 2015. She has since worked as a producer and a director. She has also been involved in several charitable organizations. In 2019, she was appointed as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the French government.