Sheren Tang
Sheren Tang Shui-man (born 2 March 1966) is a Hong Kong actress. She is best known for her roles in the mega-hit Hong Kong TVB drama series "War and Beauty", as well as "La Femme Desperado", "The Family Link", "Rosy Business" and "No Regrets" being the first Hong Kong actress to win the Best Actress Award in two consecutive years for the latter two. She joined TVB in 1985, beginning her acting career as the female lead in the series "Legend of the General Who Never Was" (1985)"." Throughout the late 1980s, she rose to fame  for her roles in many popular Hong Kong television series including wuxia dramas, "New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" (1986) and "Ode to Gallantry" (1989). She joined the television network ATV in 1996, filming several series including "The Good Old Days" (1996) and "I Have A Date With Spring" (1996). Tang returned to TVB in 2000 and gained massive popularity for her role in "War and Beauty" (2004). She became the first actress to win TVB's My Favourite Powerhouse Actress Award two years in a row for this role and for "The Threat of Love 2" (2003). Tang continued  to outdo herself with her roles in "Rosy Business" (2009) and "No Regrets" (2010), which won her multiple awards in various countries. She has since appeared in Chinese series including "New My Fair Princess" (2011) and "Star April" (2017) before returning to Hong Kong television in 2018, filming a series for ViuTV released as "Till Death Do Us Part" (2019). Early life and education. Tang was born in 1966 when her mother was 17. She was left with her paternal grandparents as a baby and her parents divorced when she was 5 years old. She has one paternal half-sister . Her ancestral hometown is Nanhai, Guangdong. Tang attended Heep Yunn School from primary to high school. She rarely saw her parents when she was growing up and credited her conversion to Christianity in mending the estranged relationship between them later in her adulthood. She was later made president of the Hong Kong ACF (Artistes Christian Fellowship) where many Hong Kong artistes including her co-stars are also members. In 1984, Tang joined TVB's 13th training course, which was the first year TVB reduced the course from one year to half a year, splitting the course into two semesters. Tang  was in the second semester along with Kitty Lai, Aaron Kwok, Maggie Shiu, and Michael Tse. Both her paternal grandparents passed within a couple years after she joined TVB training classes, with her grandfather passing away before her first drama had been broadcast. In 1991, she went to the United States on a student visa to study interior design while continuing to film for TVB during her study breaks. During this time, she considered quitting the acting industry and moving to the United States permanently. However, when she returned in 1994, she ultimately decided to stay in Hong Kong and  continue acting, as there were more interesting roles for women being offered at the time. Career. 1985-1995: Rise to fame at TVB. Tang joined TVB's 13th training class. After her graduation in 1985, Tang was cast in her first role as female lead in "The Legend of the General Who Never Was" with Alex Man as her costar. She went on to play first or second leading roles in the first few years of her career. Tang was cast in comedy series "Happy Spirit" where she acted alongside Carol Cheng as her younger sister. She starred as Chow  chi-yeuk in "New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre", the 1986 adaptation of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" novel. She played Ching Yuet Yue in "Police Cadet 1988", the second sequel to the widely popular "Police Cadet" series. In 1989, she was featured in five series, three of which she starred alongside Roger Kwok; "", "I Do I Do", and "The War Heroes". That same year she was cast in "Ode to Gallantry", a Wuxia comedy based on the famous novel, where she starred as the character Ding Dong, reuniting with "Police Cadet" and "New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre  costar Tony Leung. In 1990, she was cast as Fong Hei Tung in the series Friends and Lovers" alongside Teresa Mo. Tang had let producers know that she was interested in working with Mo if given the opportunity prior to her casting and has stated that she is extremely grateful to have been cast in the series. Her first supporting role was in the 1994 series "" where she starred as the sister to Roger Kwok’s character. The role was originally a guest role but subsequently became a significant character for the first half of the series. That same year , Tang played Tong Man Yung, best friend to Amy Chan’s character in popular series at the time, "" and starred as Kam Yik Lin in the comedy "Filthy Rich." In 1995, Tang played Joyce Yan, a forensic pathologist in "File of Justice IV", the fourth instalment of the popular "File of Justice" series She also starred as ICAC officer Poon Wai Yan in the female-led drama "Corruption Doesn't Pay", alongside Esther Kwan and Kiki Sheung. 1996-1999: Move to ATV. In 1996, Tang signed a one-year contract with ATV, filming over 200 episodes in a span of  one to two years. She starred in the 1996 adaptation of "" as Yiu Siu Deep. While the drama did not attract many viewers in Hong Kong, it was a huge success in Mainland China and the series has acquired a cult following. The role is considered one of her earlier representative works in China and Tang has continued to appear on dozens of variety programs and award shows performing songs from the series. She also reunited with costars Amy Chan, Kiki Sheung, and Maggie Shiu in one of the few popular ATV series "The Good Old Days". She was also  in the drama "" released in 1997. When her contract with ATV ended, she went on to act in several Taiwanese drama series. In 1998, she also appeared in "" as a foreign talent from Hong Kong that is engaged as an expert to impart knowledge of the triad to local gangsters like Liang Po Po. In 1999, Tang played a supporting role in the widely popular film "Fly Me to Polaris". 2000-2008: Return to TVB and "War and Beauty" Popularity. In 2000, she returned to TVB and starred in the weekend drama series "", which featured a new plot every episode . It grew to be popular among audiences, particularly for a weekend drama and was praised for its unique and progressive storylines. A sequel was released in 2003. Tang made a special guest star appearance in 4 episodes of "Healing Hands 2". In 2001, Tang starred as a film director, Koi Ying-Jing in and as Koo Yiu in the period drama "Country Spirit". She went on to play supporting roles in the 2002 drama "" and 2003 teen drama "Aqua Heroes". Tang appeared as Su Tian Xin in the 2003 Taiwanese series "" which featured a large cast from Mainland China, Taiwan  and Hong Kong. In 2003, she won the My Favourite Powerhouse Actress Award (renamed Best Supporting Actress Award in 2005) at the TVB Anniversary Awards for the various roles she played in "". In 2004, she repeated her win for this award and also won one of the Favourite Television Character Awards for her role in "War and Beauty". Her acting in "War and Beauty" as Yu Fei (如妃), an initially favoured consort who eventually falls from power, was critically acclaimed, making her a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award in 2004. However, she did not win, with the award  being given to Gigi Lai instead. Voting was closed the night before the awards ceremony, with Tang leading by a landslide; thus many people concluded that the "Best Actress" award would surely go to her. Tang, instead, went home with the "My Favourite Powerhouse Actress" Award (now renamed as "Best Supporting Actress" award). This attracted a lot of backlash and anger from the citizens of Hong Kong, which prompted the "ICAC" to conduct investigations into the award show. The situation worsened when TVB asked Lai to film "The Charm Beneath", which Tang was originally supposed to film with Bobby Au -yeung. Her loss is considered and remembered as one of the biggest snubs in the awards show history. However, her character Yu Fei has become a recognizable symbol. She expanded her career to Mainland China in 2005 starring in two series, "" (徽娘宛心) and "Love of Fate" (青城之戀), the latter which she starred alongside "File of Justice" and "War and Beauty" costar Bowie Lam. Tang starred as So Sam in the costume drama "The Prince’s Shadow" which was the sixth highest drama in Hong Kong television viewership ratings in the year 2005. In the same year, she starred in the  suspense film "Slim Till Dead". She made an appearance in a flashback scene as the mother of Dragon played by Donnie Yen in the Hong Kong film "Dragon Tiger Gate" in 2006. In 2006, Tang starred in the series "La Femme Desperado", which ranked number 1 in Hong Kong viewership ratings that year and won the Best Drama Award at the TVB Anniversary Awards. Tang was also nominated in the Best Actress Top 5 category and the My Favourite Female Television Role Top 5 category. Her character, Hilda Hoi, became one of the most popular characters especially among women in  Hong Kong that year. In 2007, Tang went on to star as Mung Ka Ka in the series "The Family Link" where she was once again nominated in the Best Actress Top 5 category. The drama was ranked number 1 in average Hong Kong viewership ratings that year and was nominated for Best Drama at the TVB Anniversary Awards in 2007. That same year she played Wong Siu Fun in "The Drive of Life", a TVB and CCTV joint grand production. She starred as Kelly Yim in "Your Class or Mine" in 2008, reuniting with her "File of Justice" and   costar, Bobby Au Yeung. That same year, in addition to "Rosy Business", Tang also filmed two Chinese series; a guest role in "Rose Martial World" (玫瑰江湖) opposite Damian Lau and the lead role in "Under Monumental Archway Woman" (牌坊下的女人). 2009-2015: "Rosy Business/No Regrets" and Success in China. In 2009, Tang's role as the 4th Wife (四奶奶) of a rice business owner in "Rosy Business" brought her much popularity, making her a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award once again. However, it was said that TVB pushed back the award show to December so that grand production  dramas "Born Rich" and "Beyond the Realm of Conscience" could be included in the nominations, diminishing Tang's chance of winning the award again. It was rumoured that TVB had initially wanted to promote female lead of "Beyond the Realm of Conscience", Tavia Yeung, to become the Best Actress since Tang was not under a permanent contract with the network. However, Yeung openly said that if Tang did not get the "Best Actress" award, she would join the rest of the netizens to protest against TVB's decision. Fortunately, this time round, with TVB producer Catherine Tsang backing her, Tang  was duly awarded her "Best Actress" award, much to the joy of Hong Kong citizens, whereby there was a petition signed by them for TVB to award Tang her long-overdue "Best Actress" award, failing which they will hold protests outside TVB City, the network's headquarters. At the 2010 TVB Anniversary Awards which was held on 5 December 2010, thanks to her brilliant performance as Cheng Gau-Mui (鄭九妹), the complex daughter of a drug lord who plans to destroy her father's business from the inside, in the highly acclaimed indirect sequel to "Rosy Business", "No Regrets", Tang  was once again seen as a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award. In addition to strong backing from netizens, Tang was once again awarded the coveted "Best Actress" award, making her the first actress in Hong Kong to win this top award consecutively. Her acting and the role gained even more praise and critical acclaim than "Rosy Business" and established Tang as one of the most talented actresses from TVB. Tang has stated that her roles from "Rosy Business" and "No Regrets" are her favourite among all the characters she has played. Already notable from "War and Beauty" and  other TVB drama series, Tang and her costar Wayne Lai gained even more popularity in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Cantonese-speaking Asian communities overseas after the release of both hit series "Rosy Business" and "No Regrets," with many considering them as one of the best onscreen duos on television. They have continued to work together occasionally for charity, public events, and variety shows over the years. In 2011, she starred as the empress in the Mainland China series "New My Fair Princess", a remake of the 1998 hit series "My Fair Princess". This role won her a Huading  Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2011. From 2012 to 2014, she also played a supporting role as Aunt Poise in "The Four" film trilogy where she reunited with 2005 suspense film "Slim Till Dead" costar and friend Anthony Wong. In 2012, Tang starred as Bai Yuqin in the historical drama "". In 2013, she starred in "" as the executive of a supermarket chain. Her contract expired with TVB after filming for the indirect sequel of "War and Beauty", "Beauty at War" in 2012. In mid 2013, during promotional events and interviews for the series' release, Tang openly spoke about the  difficulty of preparation due to script delays, particularly the lack of script available even on the day of shooting, which contributed to major anxiety and some physical health problems. She was diagnosed with dysautonomia during this time. Tabloids reported that this caused TVB to announce they will not renew her contract, even though Tang had previously said in 2012 before production began that the drama will be her last with the network for the time being and will be focusing her work in China. Both Tang and the network have stated that reports were largely exaggerated and there was no  conflict. Tang has always said that she is open to returning to TVB again if there is a role right for her. In 2014, she starred in the costume comedy "" playing historical figure, Wu Zetian, the only empress regnant (female emperor) of China. Tang took approximately two years off from acting in 2014 and 2015 to focus on her health after being diagnosed with dysautonomia and minor thyroid problems. She has since made a full recovery. 2016-present: Return to Hong Kong television and New Management. In 2016, after a short hiatus, Tang appeared in the film "Heartfall Arises". She  signed a one-year contract with Wong Cho Lam's new management Tailor Made Productions Limited which ended in 2017. In 2017, she was cast in Chinese dramas "" and "Once Given Never Forgotten", the latter which aired in 2021. In 2018, Tang filmed her first Hong Kong series in 5 years "". The series is her first with new broadcaster ViuTV and her first time acting alongside former TVB cast mates Sunny Chan and Bernice Liu. It was released in 2019. In July 2021, Tang confirmed on Weibo that she has signed with Chinese management company Haohan Entertainment. The company also  confirmed she has wrapped filming new drama, 我們的當打之年. Sources had reported that Tang was asked to return to TVB for several dramas since 2015 after her contract ended in 2012 which included "My Unfair Lady" and "," as the network tried to revamp after a couple years of low viewership and a hefty number of artistes and employees leaving. She instead made an appearance as a presenter at the TVB Anniversary Awards in 2016 and appeared on a couple of the network's talk show programmes in 2017. Tang stated over recent years that she tries to be mindful of health  first afraid of overworking herself again, and would like to read at least a partial script before taking a new role. In January 2021, TVB confirmed Tang's involvement in the fourth instalment of the "Rosy Business" franchise; accepting the gig before a script was written. As of early 2022, the project is still in development and has yet to be confirmed after facing script issues and delays.