Patra Au

Au was born in 1952 or 1953.^[1] She migrated to the United States when she was young and attended the University of Missouri.^[2] After she got divorced, she returned to Hong Kong and taught English in a secondary school.^[2] She later acquired a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Hong Kong.^[3] In the early years of teaching, some of her students suggested her to join a theatre company because she often incorporates drama and roleplaying into her classes to pique the students' interest in language learning.^[2] Therefore, Au started acting as a hobby and began to feature in stage plays, most notably co-starring alongside Connie Chan in Raymond To's 1999 adaptation of A Sentimental Journey [zh].^[2][4]

After retirement, Au received her first onscreen role at the age of 67, as the wife of an aged and deflated taxi driver, in the 2020 drama film Suk Suk directed by Ray Yeung.^[1][5] Au won Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for Best New Performer in the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards,^[6] making her the oldest nominee of the Best New Performer category.^[7] She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the 56th Golden Horse Awards with the critically acclaimed role.^[8] After her breakout performance, she received her first television role in the ViuTV drama series Single Papa [zh] later in the same year.^[9] In 2022, Au appeared in the featured films The Sparring Partner and The Narrow Road.^[10][11] The latter role earned her another nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards.^[12] In 2024, she was cast in a lead role in Ray Yeung's drama film All Shall Be Well,^[13] for which she was nominated for Best Leading Actress in the 61st Golden Horse Awards.^[14]