# Gigi Lai

Gigi Lai (born 1 October 1971) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. Entering the entertainment industry in 1985, Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB from 1991 until she retired in 2008. Nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the "Goddess of Beauty" (愛美神), she is best known for her roles in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (2000), War and Beauty (2004), for which she won the TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress, The Charm Beneath (2005), The Dance of Passion (2006), and The Gem of Life (2009).

## Early life

On 1 October 1971 Lai was born in Hong Kong. Lai's grandfather Lai Man-Wai was a key figure of the first generation of Hong Kong filmmakers, and her grandmother Lim Cho Cho was a silent era star. Lai's father was deaf.

## Career

When Lai's family went bankrupt, she entered the entertainment industry at the age of 14 to earn money to support her family and her younger brother's education in England. Lai began her career as a singer, releasing several albums in the 1990s in both Cantonese and Mandarin.
In her early acting career, Lai turned down roles that she felt compromised her public persona. However, she overcame her "superficial and childish image" later and began to embrace many critically acclaimed roles. She won the TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress for her role in War and Beauty. Lai also performed in several box office hits, including the Young and Dangerous film series. At the premiere of The Gem of Life, Lai announced that she would be retiring from the industry to concentrate on looking after her brother's business after he was seriously injured in a car accident in 2007.

## Personal life and marriage

In 2008, Lai married businessman Patrick Ma Ting-kung to rumours that they were expecting their first child, however Lai later dismissed the rumours of her pregnancy.
In March 2010, Lai confirmed that she was pregnant with twins, and on July 25, 2010, she gave birth to two girls, Patricia and Gianna. On October 8, 2012, she gave birth to her third daughter, Pegella.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | Happy Ghost II | Student | |
| 1986 | The Family Strikes Back | Shek Lai-chi | |
| 1986 | United We Stand | Polly Ho | |
| 1990 | Dragon in Jail | Winnie Sung | |
| 1991 | The Queen of Gamble | Linda | |
| 1991 | Spiritual Trinity | Hsiu Shuan | |
| 1991 | Queen of Underworld | Butterfly Lam | |
| 1993 | Secret Signs | Jackie | |
| 1993 | Kung Fu Cult Master | Chow Chi-Yu | |
| 1994 | To Live and Die in Tsimshatsui | Moon | |
| 1996 | Young and Dangerous | Smartie/Stammer | |
| 1996 | Young and Dangerous 2 | Smartie/Stammer | |
| 1996 | Young and Dangerous 3 | Smartie/Stammer | |
| 1996 | Street of Fury | Yi | |
| 1996 | Till Death Do We Laugh | Mill | |
| 1997 | All's Well, Ends Well 1997 | Gigi | |
| 1997 | 24 Hours Ghost Story | Siu Wan | |
| 1997 | Cause We Are So Young | Mimi | |
| 1997 | Destination: 9th Heaven | Mona Chin | |
| 1997 | Theft Under the Sun | Fai-fai | |
| 1998 | Ninth Happiness | Ms. Hung | |
| 1998 | Super Energetic Man | Princess Lychee | |
| 1998 | The Three Lustketeers | Angela | |
| 1998 | Haunted Mansion | Gigi | |
| 1999 | The Accident | Cindy | |
| 1999 | Troublesome Night 6 | Kwok Siu Heung | |
| 1999 | A Wicked Ghost | Cessy | |
| 2000 | Fist Power | Hung | |
| 2000 | One Drop of Blood Per Step | | a.k.a. One Drop of Blood Perstep |
| 2000 | Black Blood | | |
| 2000 | Raped by an Angel 5: The Final Judgement | Nancy | |
| 2000 | To Where He Belongs | Yuet | |
| 2000 | Queenie and King the Lovers | Eliza | |
| 2000 | The Legend of the Flying Swordsman | Cher | |
| 2000 | Man Wanted 3 | Ho Siu Chi / Gi Ho | |
| 2000 | Young and Dangerous 6: Born to Be King | Rong Yu | |
| 2000 | Okinawa Rendez-vous | Sandy | |
| 2000 | For Bad Boys Only | Tiny | |
| 2001 | Body Puzzle | | |
| 2002 | Devil Face, Angel Heart | Wendy | |
| 2002 | A Wicked Ghost III: The Possession | Catherine / Ding Dong Taoist | a.k.a. The Wicked Ghost III: The Possession |
| 2002 | The Master Swordsman Returns | | |
| 2003 | The Dark Side of My Mind | Coco | |
| 2003 | News Heart | Gigi | a.k.a. New's Heart |
| 2003 | 1:99 Shorts | | a.k.a. 1:99 Short Film Series |
| 2009 | Team of Miracle: We Will Rock You | Amanda Liu | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
| 1991 | Drifters | Ching Ga Bo | TVB Jade | |
| 1992 | The Change of Time | Cheuk Nga Yun | TVB Jade | |
| 1992 | Eastern Hero | Tung Ji Gwan | TVB Jade | |
| 1992 | The Stake | Lok Ga Kei | TVB Jade | |
| 1992 | Wong Fei Hung Returns | Miu Jyu | TVB Jade | |
| 1993 | The Link | Tong Ho Kei | TVB Jade | |
| 1993 | The Heroes From Shaolin | Dun Muk Giu | TVB Jade | a.k.a. Heroes From Shaolin |
| 1994 | Heartstrings | Gam Suet Mui | TVB Jade | |
| 1996 | The Criminal Investigator II | Tammy | TVB Jade | |
| 2000 | The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre | Chiu Man | TVB Jade | |
| 2001 | Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng 2 | Han Ling | TCS / TVB Jade | |
| 2001 | The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung | Su Rongrong | CTS / TVB Jade | |
| 2002 | Doomed to Oblivion | Wong Yut Che | TVB Drama / TVB Jade | Warehoused and broadcast in 2007 |
| 2003 | Fate Twisters | Lum Oi Mei / Lum Ah Nui | TVB Jade | |
| 2003 | Riches and Stitches | Miu Hoi Tong | TVBS | |
| 2003 | Twilight Tubes Part II | | TVB | |
| 2004 | War and Beauty | Hou-Jia Yu-Ying | TVB Jade | TVB Award for Best Actress TVB Award for My Favourite Television Character |
| 2004 | Shades of Truth | Man Fung Lin / Poon Gum Lin (Nicole) | TVB Jade | |
| 2005 | Healing Hands III | Frances | TVB Jade | |
| 2005 | The Charm Beneath | Chuk Ming-Wai | TVB Jade | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actress |
| 2006 | The Dance of Passion | Kai Ming-Fung | TVB Jade | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actress Nominated – TVB Award for My Favourite Female Character |
| 2007 | Life Art | Yam Tsi-Wah | TVB Jade | |
| 2007 | The Ultimate Crime Fighter | Wong Ching-Ying | TVB Jade | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actress Nominated – TVB Award for My Favourite Female Character |
| 2008-2009 | The Gem of Life | Hong Nga-Tung (Constance) | TVB Jade | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actress |

## Awards

* 1993 Best Selling Single
* 1994 Top 10 Chinese Songs (Silver Medal)
* 1994 JSG Best New Talent Singer
* 2004 TVB 37th Anniversary – Best Actress Award, as Yuk Ying in War and Beauty
* 2004 TVB 37th Anniversary – Best Character Award, as Yuk Ying in War and Beauty
* 2004 Black and White Television Characters Awards, Favourite Actress Award
* 2004 Metro's Best Duet Collaboration Award for the Song “Poison” with Bowie Lam
* 2004 Metroshowbiz TV awards – Top 10 TV Actors and Actresses
* 2004 Watson's Annual Health & Beauty Awards – Artiste with Perfect Skin
* 2005 TVB Weekly Popularity Awards – Most Popular Magazine Cover Artiste
* 2005 TVB Weekly Popularity Awards – Most Popular Female Artiste
* 2005 TVB Weekly Popularity Awards – Most Popular Female in Ancient Drama
* 2005 TVB Weekly Popularity Awards – Most Popular of them all
* 2005 Next Magazine TV Awards Top 10 TV Artists
* 2005 Next Magazine Sponsorship Award - Best Style Actress
* 2005 Top Ten Best Dressed Personalities Awards
* 2005 Watson's Annual Health & Beauty Awards – Artiste with Perfect Skin
* 2005 Astro TV Drama Award – Favourite Female Character Award for War and Beauty
* 2005 Astro TV Drama Award – Favourite Lethal Beauty Award for War and Beauty
* 2005 Metroshowbiz TV awards – Top 10 TV Actors and Actresses
* 2006 TVB Weekly Popularity Awards – Top 10 TV Artists
* 2006 Watson's Annual Health & Beauty Awards – Artiste with Perfect Skin
* 2006 China Entertainment Awards – Most Popular Non-Mainland Actress
* 2007 Astro TV Drama Award – Favorite Moment Award for Frances in Healing Hands 3
* 2007 Health Choice Award
* 2007 China/HK 10th Entertainment Awards - Most Popular Actress Award
* 2007 China/HK 10th Entertainment Awards - Best Couple Award with Bowie Lam
* 2007 Watson's HWB Awards - Top Diamond Award
* 2007 Singapore I-weekly Magazine - Top 10 Most Loved Hong Kong Actresses
* 2007 TVB 40th Anniversary - Mainland Audience's Fave TVB Actress Award
* 2008 Astro TV Drama Award – Favourite Actress Award for Dance of Passion
* 2008 Astro TV Drama Award – Favourite Character Award for Dance of Passion
* 2008 Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum - Top Six Most Popular Hong Kong TV Female Artistes
* 2008 HKFDA 20th Annual Best Dressed Personalities Awards
* 2009 New York Festivals Television and Film Award - Hong Kong, TVB: Best Performance for The Ultimate Crime Fighter