Carina Lau

Lau was born on 1965 in Suzhou, Jiangsu, with her ancestral home in Rong County, Guangxi, to Lau Gwai Ming (1940–2006) and Wong Fuk Mui (born 1944).^[1]

Lau's paternal grandfather moved to Thailand in 1935 to make a living and later moved to the country with his wife in 1938, just before the Canton Operation during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Lau's father, Lau Gwai Ming, was born in Thailand on 1940. Lau's father returned to China in 1955 and with the help of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, he studied at a junior high school in Guangzhou and high school in Suzhou. Following the start of Cultural Revolution in 1965, overseas Chinese who returned to China were targets of criticism. Lau's father moved to Hong Kong in 1976, while Lau moved to Hong Kong with her mother and brother in 1978, and joined TVB's acting class in 1983.^[2][1]

Lau made her on-screen debut in TVB's The Clones (1984) where she starred opposite of her future husband, Tony Leung. She gained wider recognition after a series of appearances in successful drama series such as The Duke of Mount Deer and Police Cadet and skyrocketed to fame following her role as a wealthy heiress in one of Hong Kong's most-watched ever series, Looking Back in Anger (1989).^[3]

Lau then expanded to films. She was nominated at the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress for her role in Her Beautiful Life Lies (1989). She received acclaim for her role in Days of Being Wild (1991), one of her many collaborations with film director Wong Kar-wai. She continued to showcase her versatility with impressive performances in the martial arts epic Saviour of the Soul (1991), the biopic Center Stage (1991), the cross-dressing comedy He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994), and the offbeat romance Gigolo and Whore (1994). Following parts in the wuxia classic Ashes of Time (1994) and James Bond pastiche Forbidden City Cop (1997), Lau once again attracted the attention of various awards juries with her measured portrayals of bisexual silk factory owner Wan in Intimates (1997) and a prostitute in the 19th-century epic Flowers of Shanghai (1998).^[3]

Her roles as Hon Sam's wife in the two Infernal Affairs sequels and an android in Wong Kar-wai's 2046 (2004) further increased Lau's international recognition. Lau then stepped in the shoes of Sarah Jessica Parker for the Hong Kong version of Sex and the City, named Sex and the Beauties (2004). She won rave reviews for her performances as unhappily-married Rose in the low-budget thriller Curiosity Kills the Cat (2006) and as Wu Zetian in the blockbuster Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010),^[3] which earned her a Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress and a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress, respectively. She reprised her role as Wu Zetian in two Detective Dee prequels. She received a Best Actress nomination at the Cannes Film Festival for her role as a rich housewife abandoned by her husband in Bends (2013).^[4]

In 2016, Lau was one of the celebrities that appeared on the Chinese reality show Up Idol. Since then, she has made guest appearances in other mainland reality TV shows. In June 2017, she and her husband were invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2021, she hosted Reflection, a short web series interviewing various female celebrities.^[5]

In 2024, she hosted the Jiangsu TV talk show Jia Ren Zi You Yue.

Lau's first known relationship was with advertising executive Lee Lin-fu in 1983, when she was 18 and working at an advertising firm. She discovered Lee's marriage in the middle of their relationship. They broke up in 1986, after Lau knew Hong Kong tycoon Julian Hui.^[17][18]

In 1985, Lau was rumored to have been in a secret relationship with actor Lam Chun-yin. According to Lam's godbrother, Hu Jie, the relationship lasted until 1992, and Lau's publicly reported relationship with Tony Leung during that time was a promotional arrangement orchestrated by TVB. Hu claimed that Lam left the entertainment industry to protect Lau's career, but the relationship still failed due to her limited time for him. Lam, however, denied the romance, stating that they were merely co-stars and that his departure from the industry was unrelated.^[19][20][21]

In 1986, Lau began dating businessman Julian Hui, the grandson of shipping magnate Hui Oi-chow, after being introduced by actress Sandra Ng. They lived together and, in March 1987, Lau unilaterally announced an upcoming wedding at a press conference. However, the Hui family denied knowledge of the engagement, and Julian Hui clarified that although marriage had been discussed, no plans had been finalized. In April 1988, Hui publicly announced the cancellation of the engagement, and the couple separated later that year.^{[22][23][24][25]}

Since 1989, Lau has been in a relationship with actor Tony Leung, following their collaboration in a Hong Kong stage production of Run For Your Wife.^[26] Although they never announced a breakup during their long relationship, reports of tensions and romantic entanglements involving other parties emerged over the years.

In 1993, Lau was linked to Hong Kong businessman Joseph Lo, and the two were photographed embracing and kissing on a street in Happy Valley late at night. When Lo attempted suicide in 2000 following business failures, Lau responded to questions about him by saying, "What does that have to do with me?" In a 2002 interview, Lo claimed she distanced herself after hearing about his suicide attempt.^[27]

In 2000, Next Magazine reported that Lau had begun a relationship with Lee Siu-man, the son of her former boyfriend, Lee Lin-fu. The two were seen vacationing together in Thailand, while Tony Leung was attending a film festival in Tokyo. Lau and Lee were reportedly observed spending the night together, prompting Leung to temporarily move out of their shared residence. Although he later hosted a birthday party for Lau and posed affectionately with her for photographers to dispel breakup rumors, further sightings of Lau with Lee in February, followed by speculation of a rekindled romance with Julian Hui in March 2001, led Leung to move out again. He returned in May, but renewed speculation of a split emerged in June when Lau was seen attending the World Cup in Japan with Hui, while Leung's birthday passed without public acknowledgment. The couple reportedly lived apart again in September 2001. In 2003, Leung and Lau moved into a new residence in Leung's Mid-Levels property. That same year, Leung publicly supported Lau during a protest by more than 500 Hong Kong entertainers against East Week.^[28]

In 2007, Taiwanese tycoon Terry Gou publicly expressed romantic interest in Lau, confirming to the media that their relationship had "just started" and stating he was "serious" about her. Lau responded by saying that Leung was aware of the situation. The relationship ended after Lau reportedly told Gou, "I'm not worthy of you."^[29][30]

Lau and Leung married on 21 July 2008 at the COMO Uma Paro hotel in Bhutan. The wedding reportedly cost more than HK$30 million, and Lau's 12-carat Cartier wedding ring was valued at over HK$10 million. Guests included singer Faye Wong, who performed at the ceremony, and director Wong Kar-wai, who oversaw the event.^[31]

Rumors have long circulated that Leung and actress Maggie Cheung were romantically involved, particularly following In the Mood for Love (2000), with subsequent speculation about a feud between Lau and Cheung. In 2013, Lau appeared to put the rumors to rest by posting a photo of herself with Cheung on social media.^[32] When asked about the alleged affair in a 2016 interview on The Jin Xing Show, Lau responded, "It's just a beautiful story," and added that she "knows about the affair as much as the public does."^[25]