Josephine Siao
Encyclopedia
Josephine Siao Fong-Fong MBE
is a Hong Kong
movie star who became popular as a child actress and continued her success as a mature actress, winning numerous awards including Best Actress at the 1995 Berlin Film Festival (for Summer Snow
). Since retiring from show business (partly due to her increasing deafness) she has become a writer and a psychologist, known for her work against child abuse.
in Suzhou
, Jiangsu
. At the age of two, she was brought to Hong Kong
by her parents.
Siao's first movie appearance was at age six, and she became one of the biggest teen idols in Hong Kong during the late 1960s, along with frequent co-star Connie Chan Po-chu
. The two were often cast in wuxia
films as disciples of the same master and sometimes—when Connie played the male lead—as young heroes in love. Back in the 1960s, Josephine's and Connie's fans maintained a heated rivalry. News of their fans getting into catfights was not uncommon in those days.
Unlike many child stars, Siao made a successful transition to adult stardom, remaining one of Hong Kong's most prolific and popular actresses. She was also one of the directors (co-directing with Leung Po-Chih 梁普智) and writers of Jumping Ash (跳灰). This film is regarded as a prelude to the Hong Kong New Wave
in the 1980s by film critics.
Having largely missed out on formal education because of her acting career as a child, Siao pursued her studies in later years despite the handicap of increasing deafness and the demands of raising a family (she has two daughters by her second husband). During this time she made fewer films, but her output included highly praised work such as her award-winning performance in Summer Snow (1995) as a middle-aged housewife trying to cope with a father suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.
Western fans of martial arts film
s will probably know her best from the Fong Sai-yuk films
made in 1993, in which she played Jet Li
's Kung Fu-fighting mother. (These films were released on Western DVD as The Legend.)
Siao has retired from show business since 1997 in favour of her work in child psychology. In particular, she is a noted campaigner against child abuse, and founded the End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation, which she now chairs, in 1999. She is also a published author.
Some of the milestones in her life include:
township in Siao family's former residence.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
is a Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
movie star who became popular as a child actress and continued her success as a mature actress, winning numerous awards including Best Actress at the 1995 Berlin Film Festival (for Summer Snow
Summer Snow (film)
Summer Snow is a 1995 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed by Ann Hui. It stars Josephine Siao and Roy Chiao in leading roles.-Plot:Summer Snow tells the story of the relationship between a widower with Alzheimer's disease and his daughter-in-law, May Sun,, who is a housewife in her forties...
). Since retiring from show business (partly due to her increasing deafness) she has become a writer and a psychologist, known for her work against child abuse.
Biography
Josephine Siao Fong-Fong was born as Siao Liang in LuzhiLuzhi
Luzhi Town is a famous historic old town located in the Wuzhong District, 18 km east of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China. It was also known as Puli , an ancient name for this town. This river town was named after a Tang Dynasty recluse poet Lu Guimong who retired in this town. Lu Guimong had a...
in Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
. At the age of two, she was brought to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
by her parents.
Siao's first movie appearance was at age six, and she became one of the biggest teen idols in Hong Kong during the late 1960s, along with frequent co-star Connie Chan Po-chu
Connie Chan Po-chu
Connie Chan Po-chu was born in 1946 to impoverished parents, one of at least nine siblings, in Guangdong, China. To increase their children's chances of survival, Chan's birth parents gave away some of their youngest to other families. As a result, Chan was adopted by Chan Fei-nung and his wife,...
. The two were often cast in wuxia
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
films as disciples of the same master and sometimes—when Connie played the male lead—as young heroes in love. Back in the 1960s, Josephine's and Connie's fans maintained a heated rivalry. News of their fans getting into catfights was not uncommon in those days.
Unlike many child stars, Siao made a successful transition to adult stardom, remaining one of Hong Kong's most prolific and popular actresses. She was also one of the directors (co-directing with Leung Po-Chih 梁普智) and writers of Jumping Ash (跳灰). This film is regarded as a prelude to the Hong Kong New Wave
Hong Kong New Wave
The Hong Kong New Wave was a blanket term applied to a number of young, groundbreaking Hong Kong filmmakers of the late 1970s and 1980s, many trained in overseas film programs and with experience in the territory's thriving television drama scene...
in the 1980s by film critics.
Having largely missed out on formal education because of her acting career as a child, Siao pursued her studies in later years despite the handicap of increasing deafness and the demands of raising a family (she has two daughters by her second husband). During this time she made fewer films, but her output included highly praised work such as her award-winning performance in Summer Snow (1995) as a middle-aged housewife trying to cope with a father suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.
Western fans of martial arts film
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
s will probably know her best from the Fong Sai-yuk films
Fong Sai-yuk (film)
Fong Sai-yuk is a 1993 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Jet Li as Chinese folk hero Fong Sai-yuk.-Plot:The brash and ambitious Fong Sai-yuk meets the beautiful Ting-ting during a track and field competition and falls in love with her. Ting-ting is the daughter of the...
made in 1993, in which she played Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
's Kung Fu-fighting mother. (These films were released on Western DVD as The Legend.)
Siao has retired from show business since 1997 in favour of her work in child psychology. In particular, she is a noted campaigner against child abuse, and founded the End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation, which she now chairs, in 1999. She is also a published author.
Some of the milestones in her life include:
- 1970: Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications and Asian Studies at Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall UniversitySeton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
- 1974: won the best actress award at Spain Film Festival and Taiwan Film Festival
- 1990: obtained a Master's degree in child psychology from Regis UniversityRegis UniversityRegis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
- 1995: won the best actress award at the Berlin Film Festival for Summer Snow
- 1996: member of the Most Excellent Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- 2009: Life Achievement Award of the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards28th Hong Kong Film AwardsCeremony for the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 19 April 2009 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Eric Tsang, Teresa Mo, Sandra Ng, Vincent Kok, Kay Tse, Denise Ho, Lam Chi Chung, Chin Kar-lok, Louis Fan, Tin Kai Man, Michelle Lo and Wong Cho Lam.-Best Film:-Best Director:-Best...
Selective Filmography
- Jumping Ash (1976)
- Lam Au Chun (1978)
- The Spooky BunchThe Spooky BunchThe Spooky Bunch is a 1980 Hong Kong movie directed by Ann Hui.-Cast includes:* Kenny Bee - Dick* Olivia Cheng - * Cheung Kam* Kwan Chung* Lau Hark-Sun - * Tina Lau...
(1980) - Plain Jane to the Rescue (1982)
- The Perfect MatchThe Perfect MatchThe Perfect Match is a British comedy-drama television film written by Mike Bullen and directed by Nick Hurran. It stars Saskia Reeves and Con O'Neill as Bridget and Phil, a couple whose marriage proposal is broadcast to football fans. It was first broadcast on the ITV network on 6 September 1995...
(1982) - A Friend from Inner Space (1984)
- The Wrong Couples (1987)
- Fist of Fury 1991Fist of Fury 1991Fist of Fury 1991 is a 1991 Hong Kong film directed by Choh Chung-Sing, and starring Stephen Chow in the lead role. Aside from a few parodied scenes, the film bears no other similarities to the Bruce Lee film Fist of Fury except in title only...
(1991) - Fist of Fury 1991 II (1992)
- Too Happy for Words (1992)
- Fong Sai Yuk (1993)
- Fong Sai-yuk IIFong Sai-yuk IIFong Sai-yuk II is a 1993 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Jet Li as Chinese folk hero Fong Sai-yuk. The film is a sequel to Fong Sai-yuk, released in early 1993.-Plot:...
(1993) - Always on My MindAlways on My Mind"Always on My Mind" is an American country music song by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson, originally recorded by Brenda Lee in 1972.Allmusic lists over 300 recorded releases of the song in versions by dozens of performers...
(1993) - Kin Chan No Cinema Jack (1993)
- Summer SnowSummer Snow (film)Summer Snow is a 1995 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed by Ann Hui. It stars Josephine Siao and Roy Chiao in leading roles.-Plot:Summer Snow tells the story of the relationship between a widower with Alzheimer's disease and his daughter-in-law, May Sun,, who is a housewife in her forties...
(1995) - Hu-Du-Men (1996)
- Mahjong Dragon (1996)
Siao Fong Fong Performing Art Hall
The Siao Fong Fong Performing Art Hall was established in 1998 at Shantang street of LuzhiLuzhi
Luzhi Town is a famous historic old town located in the Wuzhong District, 18 km east of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China. It was also known as Puli , an ancient name for this town. This river town was named after a Tang Dynasty recluse poet Lu Guimong who retired in this town. Lu Guimong had a...
township in Siao family's former residence.
External links
- IMDB entry
- Siao Fong Fong movies at cinemasie.com
- End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation (founded and chaired by Siao)