# Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress

The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually at the Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA). It is given to honour an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a Hong Kong film. The 1st Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony was held in 1982, with no formal nomination procedure established; the award was given to Kara Wai for her role in My Young Auntie. After the first award ceremony, a nomination system was put in place whereby no more than five nominations are made for each category and each entry is selected through two rounds of voting. Firstly, prospective nominees are marked with a weight of 50% each from HKFA voters and a hundred professional adjudicators, contributing towards a final score with which the top five nominees advance to the second round of voting. The winner is then selected via a scoring process where 55% of the vote comes from 55 professional adjudicators, 25% from representatives of the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild and 20% from all other HKFA Executive Committee Members.
Maggie Cheung holds the title of the most awards received having been honoured on 5 separate occasions. Sylvia Chang holds the record for the most nominated actress with 12 nominations.

## Winners and nominees

In the following table award nominees are listed by year corresponding to the Hong Kong Film Awards' annual presentation ceremony. At the first incarnation of the ceremony in 1982 awards were presented to winners with no nominees selected. Thereafter, the winner is chosen from a list of nominees from the chosen category.
Table key :
| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
| Year | Actor | Film | Character name |
| 1981 (1st) | Kara Wai ‡ | My Young Auntie | Cheng Tai-Nan |
| 1982 (2nd) | Becky Lam ‡ | Lonely Fifteen | Bik-Kei Lam |
| 1982 (2nd) | Cherie Chung | Eclipse | Fu Min |
| 1982 (2nd) | Season Ma | Boat People | Cam Nuong |
| 1982 (2nd) | Cora Miao | Boat People | Nguyen's Mistress |
| 1982 (2nd) | Sylvia Chang | Aces Go Places | Supt. Nancy Ho |
| 1983 (3rd) | Cecilia Yip ‡ | Let's Make Laugh | Yeung Noi-dong |
| 1983 (3rd) | So-ying Hui | Ah Ying | Ah Ying |
| 1983 (3rd) | Liu Xiaoqing | Reign Behind a Curtain | Dowager Empress |
| 1983 (3rd) | Cherie Chung | Hong Kong, Hong Kong | Man Si Sun |
| 1983 (3rd) | Brigitte Lin | Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain | Countess |
| 1984 (4th) | Siqin Gaowa ‡ | Homecoming | Pearl |
| 1984 (4th) | Cecilia Yip | Hong Kong 1941 | Han Yuk Nam |
| 1984 (4th) | Deanie Ip | Wrong Wedding Trail | Miss Cheng |
| 1984 (4th) | Sylvia Chang | Shanghai Blues | Shu-Shu |
| 1984 (4th) | Josephine Koo | Homecoming | Coral Zhang |
| 1985 (5th) | Pauline Wong ‡ | Love with the Perfect Stranger | Wong Gam Gam |
| 1985 (5th) | Pat Ha | My Name Ain't Suzie | Mary Lai Shui Mei |
| 1985 (5th) | Deanie Ip | The Unwritten Law | Lau Wai Lan |
| 1985 (5th) | Brigitte Lin | Police Story | Selina Fong |
| 1985 (5th) | Cora Miao | Women | Bao-er |
| 1986 (6th) | Sylvia Chang ‡ | Passion | Wendy Pai |
| 1986 (6th) | Sally Yeh | Peking Opera Blues | Pat Neil |
| 1986 (6th) | Pan Hong | The Last Emperor | Li Shuxian |
| 1986 (6th) | Yuk Guen Lee | Just Like Weather | Christine |
| 1986 (6th) | Season Ma | Silent Love | Heung Gite |
| 1987 (7th) | Josephine Siao ‡ | The Wrong Couples | Wong Mui |
| 1987 (7th) | Cherie Chung | An Autumn's Tale | Jennifer |
| 1987 (7th) | Carol Cheng | Wonder Women | Leung Ho Kau |
| 1987 (7th) | Joey Wang | A Chinese Ghost Story | Lit Sin Seen |
| 1987 (7th) | Din Long Lee | Final Victory | Ping |
| 1987 (7th) | Loletta Lee | Final Victory | Mimi |
| 1988 (8th) | Anita Mui ‡ | Rouge | Fleur |
| 1988 (8th) | Cora Miao | Keep on Dancing | Chieh Chang Chang |
| 1988 (8th) | Carol Cheng | Heart to Hearts | Chu Lai Ngor |
| 1988 (8th) | Niu Tien | The Other ½ & the Other ½ | June Lee |
| 1988 (8th) | Maggie Cheung | As Tears Go By | Ngor |
| 1989 (9th) | Maggie Cheung ‡ | A Fishy Story | Huang |
| 1989 (9th) | Sylvia Chang | All About Ah-Long | Sylvia Poon |
| 1989 (9th) | Sylvia Chang | Eight Taels of Gold | Odds and Ends |
| 1989 (9th) | Carrie Ng | The First Time is the Last Time | Winnie Wong |
| 1989 (9th) | Bo-Bo Fung | Beyond the Sunset | May |
| 1989 (9th) | Carina Lau | Her Beautiful Life Lies | Carole Chang |
| 1990 (10th) | Carol Cheng ‡ | Her Fatal Ways | Cheng Shih-Nan |
| 1990 (10th) | Carina Lau | Days of Being Wild | Leung Fung-ying |
| 1990 (10th) | Maggie Cheung | Farewell China | Li Hung |
| 1990 (10th) | Sylvia Chang | Queen of Temple Street | Big Sis Wah |
| 1990 (10th) | Gong Li | A Terra-Cotta Warrior | Dong Er/ Zhu Lili |
| 1991 (11th) | Cecilia Yip ‡ | This Thing Called Love | Yee |
| 1991 (11th) | Carol Cheng | Her Fatal Ways 2 | Cheng Shih-Nan |
| 1991 (11th) | Anita Mui | Au Revoir, Mon Amour | Mui Ye |
| 1991 (11th) | Carina Lau | Gigolo and Whore | Chung Siu-Hung |
| 1991 (11th) | Sharla Cheung | Dances with Dragon | Moon Chan |
| 1992 (12th) | Maggie Cheung ‡ | Center Stage | Ruan Ling-yu |
| 1992 (12th) | Chingmy Yau | Naked Killer | Kitty / Vivian Shang |
| 1992 (12th) | Brigitte Lin | Handsome Siblings | Eva Mor, daughter of Eva |
| 1992 (12th) | Anita Mui | Justice, My Foot! | Madam Sung |
| 1992 (12th) | Maggie Cheung | New Dragon Gate Inn | Jade King |
| 1992 (12th) | Brigitte Lin | Swordsman II | Asia the Invincible |
| 1993 (13th) | Anita Yuen ‡ | C'est La Vie Mon Cheri | Min |
| 1993 (13th) | Josephine Siao | Always on My Mind | Yin Tseung's wife |
| 1993 (13th) | Josephine Siao | The Legend | Miu Chui-Fa |
| 1993 (13th) | Carrie Ng | Remains of a Woman | Judy Yu |
| 1993 (13th) | Veronica Yip | A Roof with a View | Yip Hiu-Tung |
| 1994 (14th) | Anita Yuen ‡ | He's a Woman, She's a Man | Lam Chi Wing |
| 1994 (14th) | Hui Fan | One of the Lucky Ones | Maid Wo |
| 1994 (14th) | Faye Wong | Chungking Express | Faye |
| 1994 (14th) | Chien-lien Wu | The Returning | Elaine |
| 1994 (14th) | Joan Chen | Red Rose White Rose | Wang Jiao-Rui |
| 1994 (14th) | Alice Lau | I Have a Date with Spring | Butterfly Yiu |
| 1995 (15th) | Josephine Siao ‡ | Summer Snow | May Sun |
| 1995 (15th) | Chingmy Yau | I'm Your Birthday Cake! | Cher |
| 1995 (15th) | Bo-Bo Fung | Mother of a Different Kind | Nurse Lam |
| 1995 (15th) | Anita Mui | Rumble in the Bronx | Elaine |
| 1995 (15th) | Cecilia Yip | Peace Hotel | Oman |
| 1996 (16th) | Maggie Cheung ‡ | Comrades: Almost a Love Story | Qiao Li |
| 1996 (16th) | Gong Li | Temptress Moon | Pang Ruyi |
| 1996 (16th) | Josephine Siao | Hu Du Men | Lang Kim-Sum |
| 1996 (16th) | Sandra Ng | 4 Faces of Eve | Gam Mo/Chan Giu/Miu Si/Mei Mei |
| 1996 (16th) | Karen Mok | The God of Cookery | Turkey |
| 1997 (17th) | Maggie Cheung ‡ | The Soong Sisters | Soong Ching-ling |
| 1997 (17th) | Chien-lien Wu | Eighteen Springs | Gu Manzhen |
| 1997 (17th) | Shu Qi | Love Is Not a Game, But a Joke | Lee Lai-shan |
| 1997 (17th) | Paulyn Sun | Island of Greed | Miu-Heung |
| 1997 (17th) | Carina Lau | Intimates | Wan |
| 1998 (18th) | Sandra Ng ‡ | Portland Street Blues | Sister Thirteen |
| 1998 (18th) | Shu Qi | City of Glass | Vivian |
| 1998 (18th) | Fiona Leung | A Hero Never Dies | Fiona |
| 1998 (18th) | Anita Yuen | Till Death Do Us Part | BoBo |
| 1998 (18th) | Chingmy Yau | Hold You Tight | Ah Moon |
| 1999 (19th) | Law Lan ‡ | Bullets Over Summer | Granny |
| 1999 (19th) | Deanie Ip | Crying Heart | Mrs. Fat |
| 1999 (19th) | Loletta Lee | Ordinary Heroes | Sow |
| 1999 (19th) | Gigi Leung | Tempting Heart | Sheo-rou |
| 1999 (19th) | Cecilia Cheung | Fly Me to Polaris | Autumn |
| 2000 (20th) | Maggie Cheung ‡ | In the Mood for Love | Su Li-zhen |
| 2000 (20th) | Sammi Cheng | Needing You... | Kinki Kwok |
| 2000 (20th) | Qin Hailu | Durian Durian | Qin Yan |
| 2000 (20th) | Michelle Yeoh | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Yu Shu Lien |
| 2000 (20th) | Zhang Ziyi | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Jen Yu |
| 2001 (21st) | Sylvia Chang ‡ | Forever and Ever | Chi Mo's mom |
| 2001 (21st) | Sammi Cheng | Wu yen | Chung Wu Yen |
| 2001 (21st) | Anita Mui | July Rhapsody | Lam Man-Ching |
| 2001 (21st) | Sammi Cheng | Love on a Diet | Mini Mo |
| 2001 (21st) | Sammi Cheng | Fighting for Love | Siu Tong |
| 2002 (22nd) | Angelica Lee ‡ | The Eye | Man |
| 2002 (22nd) | Sandra Ng | Golden Chicken | Kam |
| 2002 (22nd) | Faye Wong | Chinese Odyssey 2002 | Princess Wushuang |
| 2002 (22nd) | Karena Lam | Inner Senses | Cheung Yan |
| 2002 (22nd) | Maggie Cheung | Hero | Flying Snow |
| 2003 (23rd) | Cecilia Cheung ‡ | Lost in Time | Siu Wai |
| 2003 (23rd) | Cecilia Cheung | Running on Karma | Lee Fung Yee |
| 2003 (23rd) | Sandra Ng | Golden Chicken 2 | Kam |
| 2003 (23rd) | Karena Lam | The Floating Landscape | Maan |
| 2003 (23rd) | Carina Lau | Infernal Affairs II | Mary Hon |
| 2004 (24th) | Zhang Ziyi ‡ | 2046 | Bai Ling |
| 2004 (24th) | Sylvia Chang | 20 30 40 | Lily |
| 2004 (24th) | Karena Lam | Koma | Ling |
| 2004 (24th) | Yuen Qiu | Kung Fu Hustle | Landlady |
| 2004 (24th) | Cecilia Cheung | One Nite in Mongkok | Dandan |
| 2005 (25th) | Zhou Xun ‡ | Perhaps Love | Sun Na |
| 2005 (25th) | Sammi Cheng | Everlasting Regret | Wang Qiyao |
| 2005 (25th) | Karena Lam | Home Sweet Home | Yan Hong |
| 2005 (25th) | Sylvia Chang | Rice Rhapsody | Jen |
| 2005 (25th) | Karen Mok | Wait 'Til You're Older | Tsui Man |
| 2006 (26th) | Gong Li ‡ | Curse of the Golden Flower | Empress Phoenix |
| 2006 (26th) | Teresa Mo | Men Suddenly in Black 2 | Chang Wai-Yee |
| 2006 (26th) | Angelica Lee | Re-cycle | Ting-Yin |
| 2006 (26th) | Rene Liu | Happy Birthday | Mi |
| 2006 (26th) | Isabella Leong | Isabella | Bik-Yan Cheung |
| 2007 (27th) | Siqin Gaowa ‡ | The Postmodern Life of My Aunt | Ye Rutang |
| 2007 (27th) | Teresa Mo | Mr. Cinema | Chan Sau Ying |
| 2007 (27th) | Zhang Jingchu | Protégé | Jane |
| 2007 (27th) | Rene Liu | Kidnap | He Wanzhen |
| 2007 (27th) | Charlene Choi | Simply Actors | Dani Dan |
| 2008 (28th) | Paw Hee-Ching ‡ | The Way We Are | Mrs. Cheung |
| 2008 (28th) | Prudence Liew | True Women For Sale | Lai Chung-chung |
| 2008 (28th) | Barbie Shu | Connected | Grace Wong |
| 2008 (28th) | Zhou Xun | Painted Skin | Xiao Wei |
| 2008 (28th) | Karena Lam | Claustrophobia | Pearl |
| 2009 (29th) | Kara Wai ‡ | At the End of Daybreak | Tak's mother |
| 2009 (29th) | Zhang Jingchu | Night and Fog | Wong Hiu Ling |
| 2009 (29th) | Zhao Wei | Mulan | Hua Mulan |
| 2009 (29th) | Shu Qi | Look for a Star | Milan Sit |
| 2009 (29th) | Sandra Ng | Echoes of the Rainbow | Mrs. Law |
| 2010 (30th) | Carina Lau ‡ | Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame | Empress Wu Zetian |
| 2010 (30th) | Josie Ho | Dream Home | Cheng Lai-Sheung |
| 2010 (30th) | Fiona Sit | Break Up Club | Flora |
| 2010 (30th) | Miriam Yeung | Love in a Puff | Cherie |
| 2010 (30th) | Tang Wei | Crossing Hennessy | Oi-lin |
| 2011 (31st) | Deanie Ip ‡ | A Simple Life | Sister Peach |
| 2011 (31st) | Shu Qi | A Beautiful Life | Li Pei-ru |
| 2011 (31st) | Tang Wei | Dragon | Yu |
| 2011 (31st) | Gao Yuanyuan | Don't Go Breaking My Heart | Zixin |
| 2011 (31st) | Zhou Xun | Flying Swords of Dragon Gate | Ling Yan-qiu |
| 2012 (32nd) | Miriam Yeung ‡ | Love in the Buff | Cherie |
| 2012 (32nd) | Sammi Cheng | Romancing in Thin Air | Sue |
| 2012 (32nd) | Elanne Kong | Love Lifting | Li Li |
| 2012 (32nd) | Zhou Xun | The Great Magician | Liu Yin |
| 2012 (32nd) | Zhou Xun | The Silent War | Xue Ning |
| 2013 (33rd) | Ziyi Zhang ‡ | The Grandmaster | Gong Er |
| 2013 (33rd) | Tang Wei | Finding Mr. Right | Wen Jia-jia |
| 2013 (33rd) | Sammi Cheng | Blind Detective | Goldie Ho |
| 2013 (33rd) | Hee Ching Paw | Rigor Mortis | Mui |
| 2013 (33rd) | Cherry Ngan | The Way We Dance | Lam Fa/ Fleur |
| 2014 (34th) | Zhao Wei ‡ | Dearest | Li Hongqin |
| 2014 (34th) | Sandra Ng | Golden Chickensss | Kam |
| 2014 (34th) | Tang Wei | The Golden Era | Zhang Naiying |
| 2014 (34th) | Zhou Xun | Women Who Flirt | Zhang Hui |
| 2014 (34th) | Charlene Choi | Sara | Sara |
| 2015 (35th) | Jessie Li ‡ | Port of Call | Wang Jiamei |
| 2015 (35th) | Miriam Yeung | Little Big Master | Lui Wai-hung |
| 2015 (35th) | Tang Wei | A Tale of Three Cities | Chen Yuerong |
| 2015 (35th) | Sylvia Chang | Office | Winnie Chang |
| 2015 (35th) | Karena Lam | Heaven in the Dark | Michelle |
| 2016 (36th) | Kara Wai‡ | Happiness‡ | Aunt Fanny |
| 2016 (36th) | Zhou Dongyu | Soul Mate | Ansheng |
| 2016 (36th) | Ma Sichun | Soul Mate | Qiyue |
| 2016 (36th) | Nina Paw | Show Me Your Love | Yau Ngan |
| 2016 (36th) | Tang Wei | Book of Love | Jiao |
| 2017 (37th) | Teresa Mo ‡ | Tomorrow Is Another Day ‡ | Mrs Wong |
| 2017 (37th) | Sylvia Chang | Love Education | Yue Huiying |
| 2017 (37th) | Zhou Xun | Our Time Will Come | Lan |
| 2017 (37th) | Stephy Tang | The Empty Hands | Mari Hirakawa |
| 2017 (37th) | Chrissie Chau | 29+1 | Christy Lam |
| 2018 (38th) | Chloe Maayan ‡ | Three Husbands ‡ | Ah Mui |
| 2018 (38th) | Charlene Choi | The Lady Improper | Siu Man |
| 2018 (38th) | Zhang Jingchu | Project Gutenberg | Yuen Man |
| 2018 (38th) | Jennifer Yu | Distinction | Qian Siying |
| 2018 (38th) | Crisel Consunji | Still Human | Evelyn Santos |
| 2019 (39th) | Zhou Dongyu ‡ | Better Days ‡ | Chen Nian |
| 2019 (39th) | Sammi Cheng | Fagara | Acacia Ha |
| 2019 (39th) | Sammi Cheng | Fatal Visit | Ling |
| 2019 (39th) | Cecilia Choi | Beyond The Dream | Yan / Yip Lam |
| 2019 (39th) | Stephy Tang | My Prince Edward | Fong |
| 2020-21 (40th) | Cya Liu‡ | Limbo‡ | Wong To |
| 2020-21 (40th) | Chrissie Chau | Madalena | Lena |
| 2020-21 (40th) | Louise Wong | Anita | Anita Mui |
| 2020-21 (40th) | Sandra Ng | Zero to Hero | So's mother |
| 2020-21 (40th) | Gong Li | Leap | Coach Lang Ping |
| 2022 (41st) | Sammi Cheng ‡ | Lost Love ‡ | Tin Mei |
| 2022 (41st) | Louisa So | The Sparring Partner | Carrie Yau |
| 2022 (41st) | Teresa Mo | Mama's Affair | Mei Fung |
| 2022 (41st) | Angela Yuen | The Narrow Road | Candy |
| 2022 (41st) | Sylvia Chang | A Light Never Goes Out | Mei Hsiang |
| 2023 (42nd) | Jennifer Yu ‡ | In Broad Daylight ‡ | Kay |
| 2023 (42nd) | Kay Tse | Band Four | Cat |
| 2023 (42nd) | Michelle Wai | Ready O/R Rot | Heidi |
| 2023 (42nd) | Louise Wong | A Guilty Conscience | Jolene Tsang |
| 2023 (42nd) | Chung Suet Ying | The Lyricist Wannabe | Law Wing Sze |

## Multiple wins and nominations

| Wins | Actress | Years |
| 5 | Maggie Cheung | 1990, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2001 |
| 3 | Kara Wai | 1982, 2010, 2017 |
| 2 | Anita Yuen | 1994, 1995 |
| 2 | Cecilia Yip | 1984, 1992 |
| 2 | Josephine Siao | 1988, 1996 |
| 2 | Siqin Gaowa | 1985, 2008 |
| 2 | Sylvia Chang | 1987, 2002 |
| 2 | Ziyi Zhang | 2005, 2014 |
| Nominations | Actress |
| 12 | Sylvia Chang |
| 10 | Sammi Cheng |
| 9 | Maggie Cheung |
| 7 | Sandra Ng |
| 7 | Zhou Xun |
| 6 | Carina Lau |
| 6 | Karena Lam |
| 6 | Tang Wei |
| 5 | Anita Mui |
| 5 | Josephine Siao |

## Age superlatives

| Record | Actress | Film | Age (in years) |
| Oldest winner | Law Lan | Bullets Over Summer | 66 |
| Oldest nominee | Sylvia Chang | A Light Never Goes Out | 69 |
| Youngest winner | Becky Lam | Lonely Fifteen | 17 |
| Youngest nominee | Becky Lam | Lonely Fifteen | 17 |