Ms Dodo Cheng Yu Ling

1957-

Actress

Born in Hong Kong, Carol Cheng enrolled in Commercial Television’s 1975 acting class and was groomed to become one of the company’s principal actors, first appearing in Celebrity Love Story (1978) and Gold Dagger Romance (1978).

After the station closed down, she joined Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) as a leading actress. Her breakthrough role in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1979), playing opposite Chow Yun Fat, made her a household name, and she continued to impress in TV dramas such as The Legend of Lady Chung (1985), The Feud of Two Brothers (1986) and The Price of Growing Up (1987).

She expanded her acting to films and soon garnered Best New Performer at the Hong Kong Film Awards for her screen debut, The Last Affair (1983). Finishing her contract with TVB, she continued her career in a wide variety of film roles and genres, with memorable performances in Wonder Women (1987), Heart to Hearts (1988), The Yuppie Fantasia (1989) and The Top Bet (1991), among others.

A frequent nominee for Best Actress throughout her career, she won the trophy at the Golden Horse Awards for Moon, Star, Sun (1988), and at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Her Fatal Ways (1990). Her mainland police officer character (nicknamed ‘The Cousin’) became a popular cultural parody, leading to the making of a sequel.

In the mid-90s, she gradually retreated from filmmaking and migrated to Canada. Entering the millennium, she returned to TVB and enjoyed a successful comeback with War of the Genders (2000). The drama was adapted into a staged version for which Cheng performed around 50 live shows.

She retired from filmmaking after Frugal Game in 2002, but continued to host television and radio programmes. Articulate and knowledgeable, she is one of the top presenters in Hong Kong, hosting a wealth of TV variety shows, award presentations and galas since the 1980s. When I Was Young I Listen To The Radio, the top-rated radio programme co-hosted by Cheng, is a favourite among her fans.