Maggie Cheung

One of the world's most admired and respected actresses, Maggie Cheung's remarkable talent has allowed her to transcend the Hong Kong film industry and become a major figure in international cinema.

Her first recognition as a powerful dramatic actress came when Wong Kar-Wai cast her in the 1988 crime drama, "As Tears Go By." That success led to another acclaimed collaboration with Wong Kar-Wai in 1994's "Ashes of Time." She broke through to an international audience in 1996 in Olivier Assayas' "Irma Vep." A year later, she starred in her first English language film, Wayne Wang's "Chinese Box", and in the romantic comedy, "Comrades, Almost a Love Story", playing one of a pair of lovers kept apart by fate for ten years.

In 2000, Cheung was once again Wong Kar-Wai's muse, earning rapturous worldwide reviews in the international hit, "In the Mood for Love." Her next film, Zhang Yimou's "Hero", was a major crowd-pleaser and another worldwide success. The crowning moment of her career to date followed with an extraordinary performance in Assayas' "Clean", for which she was named best actress at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.