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Josephine Siao Fong-fong MBE (simplified Chinese: 萧芳芳; traditional Chinese: 蕭芳芳; pinyin: Xiāo Fāngfāng; Jyutping: siu1 fong1 fong1; born March 13, 1947) is a Hong Kong film star who became popular as a child actress and continued her success as a mature actress, winning numerous awards including Best Actress at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival (for Summer Snow).[1] 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.
Josephine Siao | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese: 蕭芳芳 | |||||||||||
 Siao in the 1960s | |||||||||||
| Born | Siao Loeng (蕭亮) 13 March 1947 Shanghai, China | ||||||||||
| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | Seton Hall University, Regis University | ||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Actress, television personality | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1954–1997 | ||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||
| Parents |
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| Awards | Best Child Actor – Asia-Pacific Film Festival 1955 The Orphan Girl – Mui Kit (childhood) Silver Bear for Best Actress – Berlin International Film Festival 1975 Girl Friend – Meng Ya-ping Best Leading Actress 1995 Summer Snow – May Sun 1996 Hu-Du-Men – Lang Kim-sum Golden Bell Awards – Best Actress 1995 Autumn Water & Vast Sky – Hsiang I-hung | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 蕭芳芳 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 萧芳芳 | ||||||||||
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| Musical career | |||||||||||
| Also known as | Sister Fong-fong (芳芳姐) | ||||||||||
| Origin | British Hong Kong | ||||||||||
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Siao was born as Siao Liang in Shanghai, with her ancestral home in Luzhi, Suzhou, Jiangsu. At the age of two, she was brought to Hong Kong by her parents.
Soon after her father died, at the age of six (1953), she began to become a child star to solve the family's financial problems. When she was 7 years old, she took on the first film and art film "Little Star Tears" (1954). In 1956, she performed "Aunt Mei" for the Shaw Brothers Company. Her famous work is "The Wandering Children" (1960) and this made her 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 her 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 widow trying to cope with her father-in-law's Alzheimer's Disease.
Western fans of martial arts films 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 and The Legend II.)
Siao has been 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 University
- 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 University
- 1995: won the best actress award at the Berlin Film Festival for Summer Snow
- 1996: member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- 2009: Life Achievement Award of the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards
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Films
This is a partial list of films.
- 1954 Tears of a Young Concubine - Hsiao-Yu.
- 1955 An Orphan's Tragedy
- 1967 A Sweet Girl [2]
- 1967 Blood Stains The Iron Fist - Ting Wai-Kuen.[3]
- 1967 The Blue Bees [4]
- 1967 Diamond Robbery [5]
- 1967 The Flying Red Rose [6]
- 1967 The Golden Cat - Golden Cat.[7]
- 1967 Happy Years - Mei-Yuk/Yuk.[8]
- 1967 The Horrifying Adventure of a Girl [9]
- 1967 How the Sacred Fire Heroic Winds Defeat the Fire Lotus Array - To Kuen-Yee.
- 1967 I Love A-Go-Go - So So.[10]
- 1967 Lady in Pink - Kwok Siu-lan.[11]
- 1967 The Lady Killer - Wong Fuk-Mui.[12]
- 1967 Lau Kam Ding - the Female General [13][14]
- 1967 Lightning Killer - Fong Ching-Wah.[15]
- 1967 Maiden Thief [16][17]
- 1967 The Professionals - Kam Ngau, Gold Bull.[18][19]
- 1967 Rocambole - Ching Yuk-Chu.[20][21]
- 1967 Romance of a Teenage Girl - Kit-Fong.[22]
- 1967 Seven Princesses (Part 1) - Luk Sau-King.[23]
- 1967 Seven Princesses (Part 2) - Luk Sau-King.[24]
- 1967 Shaky Steps - Lui Suk-Chong.[25]
- 1967 The Three Swordsmen [26]
- 1967 You Are the One I Love - Law Oi-Lin.[27]
- 1974 Rhythm of the Wave 海韻
- 1976 Jumping Ash (1976) 跳灰
- 1978 Lam Ah Chun [28] 林亞珍
- 1980 The Spooky Bunch 撞到正
- 1982 Plain Jane to the Rescue 八彩林亞珍
- 1982 The Perfect Match 佳人有約
- 1984 A Friend from Inner Space 奸人鬼
- 1987 The Wrong Couples 不是冤家不聚頭
- 1991 Fist of Fury 1991 新精武門1991
- 1992 Fist of Fury 1991 II 漫畫威龍
- 1992 Too Happy for Words 兩個女人，一個靚，一個唔靚兩個女人
- 1993 Fong Sai Yuk 方世玉
- 1993 Fong Sai-yuk II 方世玉續集
- 1993 Always on My Mind 搶錢夫妻
- 1993 Kin Chan No Cinema Jack 陳健沒有傑克電影院
- 1995 Summer Snow 女人四十
- 1996 Hu-Du-Men 虎度門
- 1996 Mahjong Dragon 麻雀飛龍
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The Siao Fong-fong Performing Art Hall was established in 1998 at Shantang Street of Luzhi township in the Siao family's former residence.
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