5 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant queens turned movie and TV stars, from In the Mood for Love’s Maggie Cheung and TVB legend Anita Yuen, to Fallen Angels star Michele Reis and Ada Choi

Dec 15 , 2021

From Maggie Cheung to Michele Reis, these Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant contestants went on to become major actresses. Photos: hk.aboluowang.com, @zhangmanyuofficial, @michele_monique_reis/Instagram

Before working with Wong Kar-wai, Cheung starred in Police Story opposite Jackie Chan while Reis appeared with Canto-pop star Leon Lai The Legendary Ranger

Yuen starred in Stephen Chow’s action spy comedy From Beijing with Love, and Sheh found success at TVB and in historical drama Story of Yanxi Palace

Every year since 1973, the Miss Hong Kong pageant has spotlighted fresh faces, many of whom were eager to enter the entertainment industry. We’ve seen a countless number of contestants make the leap from beauty pageants to gracing the small and big screen. Regardless of whether they took home the crown or not, these lovely ladies have wowed us with their on-screen performances in television programmes and films.

Here are five Miss Hong Kong contestants who went on to become big-time actresses!

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk

Maggie Cheung was the first runner up of the 1983 Miss Hong Kong pageant. Photo: hk.aboluowang.com

Competing in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 1983, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk was placed second in her year and also won the title of Miss Photogenic. Despite not winning the pageant, Cheung also represented Hong Kong in the 1983 Miss World pageant and landed the semi-finalist spot.

Two years after Miss Hong Kong, Cheung starred as May in the Police Story film series alongside Jackie Chan and reached overnight stardom. However, she aspired to break out of being typecast for “clumsy” and “weak” roles like her character May, reports china.org. She later worked with Wong Kar-wai in As Tears Go By, marking the beginning of her many collaborations with the iconic Hong Kong director.

Maggie Cheung starred alongside Tony Leung in In the Mood for Love. Photo: Universal Pictures

In 1991, Cheung’s performance in the film Centre Stage earned her the best actress award at the Berlin International Film Festival. The 57-year-old star also won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Clean.

Anita Yuen Wing-yi

Anita Yuen was the winner of the 1990 Miss Hong Kong Pageant. Photo: k.sina.cn

At 18 years old, Anita Yuen Wing-yi competed in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 1990. Not only did Yuen win the competition that year, she also took home the award for Miss Photogenic. The following year, Yuen represented Hong Kong in the 1991 Miss Chinese International pageant, ultimately taking first runner up.