Brigitte Lin
| Brigitte Lin | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lin at the 2008 Dubai International Film Festival | |||||||||
| Background information | |||||||||
| Chinese name | 林青霞 (traditional) | ||||||||
| Chinese name | 林青霞 (simplified) | ||||||||
| Pinyin | Lín Qīngxiá (Mandarin) | ||||||||
| Jyutping | lam4 cing1 haa4 (Cantonese) | ||||||||
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Lîm Chheng-hâ (Hokkien) | ||||||||
| Origin | Republic of China (Taiwan) | ||||||||
| Born |
3 November 1954 Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China | ||||||||
| Occupation | Actress | ||||||||
| Years active | 1973 - 1994 | ||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Michael Ying (m. 1994) | ||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||
| Ancestry | Yantai, Shandong | ||||||||
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Awards
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Brigitte Lin (Chinese: 林青霞; pinyin: Lín Qīngxiá) or Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia (born 3 November 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong films. She retired in 1994, although she had a minor role in the 1998 film Bishonen.
Biography
She was born in Taipei and she was "discovered" in 1972 by a film producer after she finished high school and as preparing for University. She first appeared in many Taiwanese romance films based on the novels of Chiung Yao. Her movie debut is in Chuangwai ("Outside the Window"). She later switched over to making movies in Hong Kong. At the height of her popularity she was inarguably one of the most sought-after actresses in the Chinese film industry. She starred in more than 100 movies.
In Hong Kong movies, Lin made a career of playing cross-gender roles: in Peking Opera Blues she plays a tomboy who dresses in male Western clothes; in New Dragon Gate Inn she is a woman who dresses as a man, and in Swordsman II and III she plays a male character who castrates himself for power and so is now slowly turning into a woman. She had a good working relationship with Tsui Hark, acting in many of the films he directed (like Peking Opera Blues) and produced (Swordsman II).
She married Hong Kong businessman Michael Ying in 1994 and left the film industry. She has two daughters, born in 1997 and 2001. She made her first public appearance since her marriage at a screening of Ashes of Time Redux at the 2008 New York Film Festival.
Partial filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Outside the Window | Jiang Yan-Rong | breakthrough role |
| 1974 | The River of Cloudy | ||
| Love, Love, Love | Lin Chun-Chun | ||
| Ghost of the Mirror | Su-su | ||
| 1975 | He Loved Once Too Many | ||
| The Unforgettable Character | Tu Hsiao-shuang | ||
| 1976 | Eight Hundred Heroes | Yang Huimin | Asia-Pacific Film Festival for Best Actress |
| 1977 | The Cloud of Romance | Tuan Wanlu | |
| The Dream of the Red Chamber | Jia Baoyu | First cross-dressing role | |
| 1978 | The Misty Moon | Liu Ling-shan | |
| Love of the White Snake | Madam White Snake | ||
| 1979 | The Wild Goose on the Wing | ||
| Love Under a Rosy Sky | Yin Tsai-Chin | ||
| 1980 | Magnificent 72 | Golden Horse Award Nomination: Best Actress | |
| 1981 | Love Massacre | Ivy | First role in Hong Kong |
| The Women Soldiers | |||
| 1982 | Fantasy Mission Force | ||
| 1983 | Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain | Ice Queen | Hong Kong Film Award Nomination: Best Actress |
| All the Wrong Spies | Ying Hong | ||
| Demon Fighter | |||
| 1984 | The Other Side of Gentleman | Jojo | |
| 1985 | Police Story | Selina Fong | Hong Kong Film Award Nomination: Best Actress |
| 1986 | Peking Opera Blues | Tsao Wan | |
| Dream Lovers | Cheng Yuet-heung | ||
| 1987 | Lady in Black | Mrs Chan Mei-fung | |
| The Thirty Million Dollar Rush | Sister Maria | ||
| 1988 | Starry is the Night | To Cai-Mei | |
| 1989 | Web of Deception | Jane Lin | |
| 1990 | Red Dust | Shen Shao-Hua | Golden Horse Award: Best Actress |
| 1991 | Swordsman II | Dongfang Bubai (Invincible Asia) | Hong Kong Film Award Nomination: Best Actress |
| 1992 | New Dragon Gate Inn | Yau Mo-yan | |
| Handsome Siblings | More | Hong Kong Film Award Nomination: Best Actress | |
| Royal Tramp | Cameo | ||
| Royal Tramp II | Lung-er | ||
| Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring | Yun Zhifan | ||
| 1993 | Swordsman III | Dongfang Bubai (Invincible Asia) | |
| Boys Are Easy | Ching Siu-Tung | ||
| The Black Panther Warriors | Ching-Ching | ||
| Deadful Melody | Huang Xuemei | ||
| The Bride with White Hair | Lian Ni Chang | ||
| The Bride with White Hair 2 | Lian Ni Chang | ||
| The Eagle Shooting Heroes | Third Princess | ||
| 1994 | Ashes of Time | Murong Yang / Murong Yin / Dugu Qiubai | |
| Chungking Express | Woman in blonde wig | ||
| Fire Dragon | Fire Dragon/ Ha | ||
| Semi-Gods and Semi-Devils | Lei Chau-shui / Lei Chong-hoi | ||
| The Three Swordsmen | Ming-kim | ||
| 1998 | Bishonen | Narrator | |
| 2001 | Peony Pavilion | Narrator | |
| 2015 | Up Idol | As Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia | |
Related Publications
- The Last Star of the East: Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia and Her Films (2005), by Akiko Tetsuya
- 窗裏窗外 (Inside and outside the window) (2011), by Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia
- 雲去雲來（Cloud Goes, Cloud Comes) (2014), by Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia
External links
- Brigitte Lin's microblog at Weibo.com (Sina.com) (Chinese)
- Brigitte Lin at the Internet Movie Database
- Brigitte Lin at Hong Kong Movies Database
- "Akiko Tetsuya's 'The Last Star of the East: Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia and Her Films" by David McCoy (Interview with Akiko Tetsuya)