Vicky Tseng
Taiwanese actress (born 1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vicky Tseng Wan-ting[1][2] (Chinese: 曾莞婷; born 5 May 1982) is a Taiwanese actress who debuted as a child actress at the age of 16 with minor television roles. She began starring in sitcoms after 2006, including her role as Lin Ai-ting in Lee's Family Reunion (2010). Tseng is best known for her portrayal of the main villain Kuo Jia-jia in the Hokkien sitcom Ordinary Love (2013). Since then, she has continued her career in sitcoms, appearing in Taste of Life (2015) and 100%Wife (2018), while also expanding her work into other genres, including the coming-of-age series Youngsters On Fire (2021-2022), as well as the Netflix drama series Mom, Don't Do That! (2022) and Born for the Spotlight (2024).
Early life and education
Tseng was born on 5 May 1982 in Taipei, Taiwan,[3][4] and grew up in Taichung.[5] Her father is a surveyor who operates his own surveying company,[6][7] and Tseng described her family as "wealthy" during her childhood years.[8][9] She has an elder brother, nine years her senior, who later pursued a career as a film director.[9][10] Aspiring to become an actress from a young age, Tseng attended Hwa Kang Arts School to study performing arts, influenced by her brother.[4][11] She was a classmate of musician Daniel Lee at Hwa Kang.[12] She had her first acting experience when talent scouts from Public Television Service selected students from her school to serve as cast extras.[11] When Tseng was in primary school, her family was scammed by relatives, leaving them with millions in debt,[13] while her father's business also declined, resulting in poor financial conditions for the family.[8][14] Unable to repay the debts, Tseng's mother briefly left the family,[9][15] and she often faced debt collectors at their home starting from junior high school.[8]
Though she initially aimed to study at Shih Hsin University after graduating high school,[16] Tseng was forced to leave school and start working at age 16 to alleviate her family's financial struggles.[17][18] She later moved to Hong Kong to work as a model and television host at the age of 19.[19][20] When she was 23, her father was killed in a train accident while conducting a survey in Keelung.[21] The accident prompted her to return to Taiwan,[20] and Tseng described it as a turning point that made her the breadwinner of the family.[15][22] She managed to repay the debts three years after landing recurring roles in sitcoms.[12] In June 2024, Tseng graduated with a master's degree in communications management from Shih Hsin University, along with an outstanding achievement award, which she described as "[realising her] dreams".[23][24]
Acting career
Early roles (1998–2012)
Tseng made her acting debut as a child actress at the age of 16, taking on her first role as a maid in The Legends of Tudigong without any dialogue.[25] She then appeared in numerous television series as a background actor and in minor roles, including Taiwan Horror Stories and Strokes of Life,[26][27] before landing her first credited role in the 2001 TTV series Farbidden Love, where she portrayed a 20-year-old married woman despite being much younger.[28] After several guest appearances, including in Spicy Teacher and In Love,[29][30] Tseng received her first recurring role in the 2003 drama series The Pink Godfather.[31] She continued to take on minor roles in series, such as the 2004 series The Unforgettable Memory and the 2009 series The Amazing Strategist Liu Bo Wen.[32][33]
After starring in Amazing Strategist Liu Bo Wen, Tseng aimed to take on more sitcom roles to pursue a more stable income.[9] For this reason, she began learning Hokkien to expand her opportunities in Hokkien sitcoms.[22][11] In 2010, Tseng was cast in a recurring role as Tsin Mei-hsuan, a young woman suffering from domestic violence, in the drama series The Wife Wars.[34] That same year, she began to receive public attention for her role as Lin Ai-ting in the sitcom Lee's Family Reunion.[28][35] In 2011, Tseng landed her first leading role in the romance series Wives.[36] She then starred in main roles in the 2012 television series Peak Times and Father's Wish,[37][38] as well as a recurring role as Chao Yu-wei in the romance series The Heart of Woman.[39]
Breakthrough with Ordinary Love (2013-Present)
In 2013, Tseng received her breakout role as Kuo Jia-jia, a selfish businesswoman who served as the main villain in the family drama Ordinary Love.[40] Her performance was critically acclaimed and earned her widespread recognition,[41] with TVBS describing the role as "iconic",[28] and several of the character's lines becoming popular memes.[42] It also established her as a character actress known for portraying villainous roles.[43][44] She took on another villainous main role as Zhou Xiao-jing, a disfigured woman, in the 2015 drama series Taste of Life.[45][46] In 2016, she made her feature film debut with a supporting role as Lin Mei-hsiu's character's sister in the comedy film The Big Power,[47] and appeared in a recurring role in the drama series Stand By Me.[48] The following year, Tseng made a cameo as one of Tia Lee's character's split personalities in the thriller film The Perfect Girl.[49] She then starred as one of the main family members in the 2018 sitcom 100%Wife,[50] and played a supporting role as an undergarment shop owner in the 2019 comedy film Big Three Dragons.[51] In December 2019, Tseng announced that she would no longer appear in sitcoms for health reasons.[52] Tseng secured another main role as Miranda, a discipline teacher, in the coming-of-age drama series Youngsters On Fire from 2021 to 2022, appearing in all three seasons.[53] She and the other teacher cast members departed in the spin-off fourth season, which focused on the adult lives of the student cast.[54] Tseng also starred in the 2021 gangster film Gatao: The Last Stray as a corrupt councilwoman.[55] During the COVID-19 pandemic, most productions in Taiwan were suspended, and Tseng applied to pursue a master's degree in 2021.[56] She deferred her studies for a year in 2022 and returned to fulfill her contracted film roles as productions began to resume.[56][57] She also announced her transition from television to web series in the same year,[58][59] starting her new career path with leading roles in the web miniseries Lang, Always by Your Sideand the Netflix drama series Mom, Don't Do That!.[60][61] In 2023, she then had a supporting role in first TVBS original series Lovely Villain.[62] That same year, she took on a leading role as a possessed woman in the horror film Antikalpa,[63] and played a mistress in the horror film The Rope Curse 3.[64] In 2024, Tseng was cast in main roles in the comedy series The Thrifty Family,[65] and as Yin-yin, a well-known diva, in the Netflix drama series Born for the Spotlight.[1]
Business career
In October 2017, Tseng announced the launch of her cosmetics brand Chwanme,[66] headquartered in Taichung.[67] The same year, she and her mother established food manufacturer AwesomeFood Zhen.[68] In November 2018, she launched another clothing brand I.Real.[69] In October 2019, Tseng published her autobiography I.REAL Vicky Tseng.[70][71] The book sold over 10,000 copies within the first month of its release.[72]
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Legends of Tudigong | Maid | Cast extra[25] |
| 2001 | Taiwan Horror Stories | N/a | Cast extra[26] |
| Strokes of Life | Fen Fang (芬芳) | Guest role[27] | |
| Farbidden Love | Chen Pei-yung (陳佩蓉) | Guest role[28] | |
| 2002 | Spicy Teacher | Tseng Yuan-hua (曾婉華) | Guest role[29] |
| In Love | Song Chien-chien (宋芊芊) | Guest role[30] | |
| 2003 | The Pink Godfather | Feng Kai-li (馮凱莉) | Recurring role[31] |
| 2004 | 40 Carats | Hu Mei-mei (胡美美) | Guest role[32] |
| The Unforgettable Memory | Hsin Hsin (欣欣) | Guest role[32] | |
| 2006 | The Amazing Strategist Liu Bo Wen | Lan Hsiao-die (藍小蝶) | Guest role[33] |
| 2009 | Lai Buyi the Steward | Liu Fei-yen (柳飛燕) | Guest role[73] |
| 2010 | The Wife Wars | Tsin Mei-hsuan (秦美璇) | Recurring role[34] |
| Lee's Family Reunion | Lin Ai-ting (林艾婷) | Recurring role[74] | |
| 2011 | Wives | Chen Yu-siu (陳育秀) | Main role[36] |
| 2012 | Peak Times | Tseng Yu-ting (曾玉婷) | Main role[37] |
| Father's Wish | Tsai Jia-min (蔡佳敏) | Main role[38] | |
| The Heart of Woman | Chao Yu-wei (趙郁惠) | Recurring role[39] | |
| 2013 | Ordinary Love | Kuo Jia-jia (郭佳佳) | Main role[40] |
| 2015 | Taste of Life | Zhou Xiao-jing (周曉菁) | Main role[45] |
| 2016 | Stand By Me | Chiang Yu-wei (江雨薇) | Recurring role[48] |
| 2018 | 100%Wife | Jin Chien-chien(金倩倩) | Main role[50] |
| The Sound of Happiness | He Xin-di (何辛蒂) | Cameo[75] | |
| 2019 | The Devil Punisher | Li Shu-hui (李淑惠) | Cameo[76] |
| 2021–2022 | Youngsters On Fire | Miranda (米蘭達) | Main role (season 1–3)[53][54] |
| 2022 | Lang, Always by Your Side | Ursula (烏蘇拉) | Main role[60] |
| Mom, Don't Do That! | Ceng Kai-te (曾凱特) | Main role[61] | |
| 2023 | Lovely Villain | Wang Pei-tsi (王沛芝) | Recurring role[62] |
| 2024 | The Thrifty Family | Lin Hsuan-shui (林尚水) | Main role[65] |
| Urban Horror | Soybean (豆花) | Main role[77] | |
| Born for the Spotlight | Yin-yin (潘茵茵) | Main role[1] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 60th Golden Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series | Born for the Spotlight | Won | [78] |