Fala Chen

Chen was nominated for the Best New Performer category at the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in Turning Point.

Fala Chen (born 24 February 1982) is a Chinese-American actress.

She is known for her roles in Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and HBO miniseries Irma Vep and The Undoing.

Chen gained recognition through her roles in Hong Kong TVB drama series including Steps, No Regrets, Triumph in the Skies II, and Lives of Omission.

Chen was born on 24 February 1982, and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan, China until the age of 14, when she immigrated to Atlanta, Georgia, United States with her parents.

Graduating from high school within the top 10 of her cohort, she went on to pursue a course in Marketing and International Business in Emory University's Goizueta Business School in May 2005.

During her college term breaks, Chen took part in several pageants as a means to pay for her tuition fees.

Amongst them was the Miss Chinese International Pageant 2005 hosted in Hong Kong by TVB where she represented New York City after winning Miss New York Chinese 2004.

She won 1st runner-up, kicking off her career in entertainment.

In 2005, Chen began her professional acting career when she signed an 8-year contract with TVB.

She started out as a host on numerous variety shows on TVB's Mandarin channel TVB8, before making her acting debut in the TVB series Forensic Heroes guest starring as a murderess.

In 2007, after starring in Heart of Greed, The Family Link, and Steps, Chen won her first acting award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in Steps.

Additionally, she was also nominated for "My Favorite Female Character" and "Most Improved Actress" categories for the same role.

She also received a nomination in the "Most Improved Actress" category for her roles in Heart of Greed and The Family Link in 2007.

Chen's breakthrough came in 2008, when her notable work was for the character of Gam Wing Hing (a mute girl) in TVB series Moonlight Resonance, an indirect sequel to Heart of Greed, as she had to learn sign language for the role.

The role landed her nominations in the "Best Supporting Actress" and "My Favorite Female Character" categories for the second year in a row.

In 2009, Chen was nominated again for the "Best Supporting Actress" and "My Favorite Female Character" categories for her role in The Stew of Life.

In 2009, Chen took her chance at her first female lead role in the movie Turning Point as Michael Tse's girlfriend and Francis Ng's sister.

Turning Point is a spin-off from the 2009 TVB crime drama E.U., where the character "Laughing Gor", played by Michael Tse, became a household name.

In 2010, Chen was cast in TVB's grand production series No Regrets as second female lead, securing her position as one of Hong Kong's celebrated new actresses, alongside Tavia Yeung, Linda Chung, Myolie Wu, and Kate Tsui.

In 2010, Chen starred in two movies, Black Ransom and 72 Tenants of Prosperity.

In Black Ransom, she acted as a superintendent, alongside internationally acclaimed Hong Kong actor and film producer, Simon Yam.

72 Tenants of Prosperity on the other hand, was a light-hearted Hong Kong comedy film directed by Eric Tsang, involving a star-studded cast of Hong Kong stars.

Lives of Omission (2011) was a distant sequel to the 2009 film Turning Point in which Chen had also acted in as the sister of a triad boss.

Queens of Diamonds and Hearts (2012) allowed Chen to experiment with looking 'ugly' on screen as her character Chung Mo Yim, based on historical figure Zhongli Chun, was born with a prominent birth mark on her face.

Chen played the role of Holiday Ho in Triumph in the Skies II —a free-spirited punk girl who aspires to fly—who became emotionally entangled between two male leads, Captain Samuel Tong played by Francis Ng and Captain Jayden Koo played by Julian Cheung.

She also starred in the Hong Kong films Tales from the Dark 2 (2013) and Turning Point (2009), as well as Despicable Me 3 (2017 – Cantonese).

Chen also starred in 2013's Will Power alongside veteran actors Wayne Lai and Moses Chan where she played the role of Sam Yuet Kan, a junior barrister with a tough personality.

Her contract with TVB ended in mid 2013 and Chen became a self-managed artiste.

Having more freedom to choose and ever so determined to become a better actress, Chen would like to direct her focus on filming more movies and dramas, and she is not afraid to take up new challenges.

Chen acted in her first mainland Chinese drama series, Sound of the Desert, where she played the role of Li Yan.

In 2014, Chen began a 4-year Master of Fine Arts in Drama (MFA) Program at the Juilliard School in New York City.

It aired in 2014 and was based on the historical romance novel Ballad of the Desert by Tong Hua.

Shortly after graduating from the Juilliard School, Chen was cast as Jolene in The Undoing alongside Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

On stage, she portrayed Kyra Hollis in Skylight by David Hare (2016).

The role won her the Best Supporting Actress Award at the TVB Anniversary Awards and Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 16th Asian Television Awards.

She later took on roles as the first female lead in productions including Lives of Omission, Queens of Diamonds and Hearts, and Triumph in the Skies II.

In 2018, Chen wrote, directed and starred in the short film Passinger, which was a finalist for the Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong Short Film Competition.

She graduated in May 2018.

She made her first Hollywood appearance in the HBO miniseries The Undoing in 2020 and starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021.