Joey Wong Cho-Yee (AKA Joey Wang, Wang Tsu Hsien) (Chinese: 王祖賢, born 31 January 1967) is a Taiwanese former actress and singer who rose to pan-Asian fame for her roles in Hong Kong films, particularly the film series A Chinese Ghost Story (1987–1991). After the film Shanghai Story (2004), she retired to Canada.
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Early life
Wong was born on 31 January 1967 and raised in Taipei, where she completed her secondary school. She has an older brother, a younger brother and a sister. Her father was a basketball player who encouraged her to become a professional basketball player. At 14, she shot a TV commercial for sport shoes which drew the attention of a film producer, who cast her in a leading role of the film It'll Be Very Cold by the Lakeside This Year. Her film debut attracted the attention of producer Mona Fong of Shaw Brothers who invited her to Hong Kong, where Wong appeared in the film Let's Make Laugh II, opposite Derek Yee Tung Sing.
Career
Wong's breakthrough came with her role of Nip Siu-sin in Tsui Hark's A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), which established her as a film icon across East Asia, including China, Japan and South Korea. Initially, Hark had wanted Japanese singer-actress Akina Nakamori to star in the film. Due to the language barrier and Nakamori unable to understand the story, she did not accept the invite. May Lo was Hark's second choice but her growing popularity at that time could not fit the filming into her schedule. Wong then approached Hark’s wife, film producer Nansun Shi, for an audition and managed to score an audition with Hark. During the audition, Wong became a perfect fit for Hark's vision and was cast as Nip
