Kara Wai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kara Wai BBS
惠英紅
Wai at the USA Smithsonian Institution world premiere of Happiness on 15 July 2016
Born	(1960-02-02) 2 February 1960 (age 65) British Hong Kong
Other names	Kara Hui
Occupation	actress
Years active	1976–present
Family	Austin Wai (brother)
Awards	Changchun Film Festival Best Actress 2010 At the End of Daybreak Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Actress 1982 My Young Auntie 2010 At the End of Daybreak 2017 Happiness Best Supporting Actress 2014 Rigor Mortis Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards – Best Actress 2010 At the End of Daybreak Asian Film Awards – Best Supporting Actress 2010 At the End of Daybreak Golden Horse Awards – Best Leading Actress 2017 The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful Best Supporting Actress 2009 At the End of Daybreak Asian Television Awards – Best Actress 2017 Affairs of the Heart TVB Anniversary Award – Best Actress 2019 The Defected
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	惠英紅
Simplified Chinese	惠英红
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huì Yīng Hóng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Wai6 Jing1 Hung4

Kara Wai Ying-hung is a famous actress from Hong Kong. She was born on February 3, 1960. She is well-known around the world for her roles in action-packed martial arts films, especially those made by Shaw Brothers Studio in the 1970s and 1980s.

Over the years, Kara Wai has played many different kinds of characters in movies and on TV. She has won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress three times, which is a big achievement. Her role as a mother in the 2009 movie At the End of Daybreak earned her many acting awards. These awards came from places like the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards.

Because of her amazing performances, she has become one of the most celebrated actresses in Hong Kong. On July 1, 2018, she received the Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) from the leader of Hong Kong. This award recognized her important contributions to the Hong Kong film industry.

About Kara Wai's Life

Early Years and Family

Kara Wai was born in Hong Kong and is the fourth of six children. Her family has Manchu roots. Her older brother, Austin Wai, was also an actor. When she was young, her family lived in a very poor area called Rennie's Mill.

Kara Wai did not finish primary school. In an interview, she shared that her family lost all their money because of her father's business problems. This meant her mother, her siblings, and she had to sell things on the streets of Hong Kong to make money. As a teenager, she often sold gum and souvenirs to sailors in Wan Chai.

Learning to Perform

When she was 14, Kara Wai started taking dance lessons at a nightclub. She also learned Northern style weaponry, which is a type of Chinese martial arts, from Donnie Yen's mother, Bow-sim Mark. She performed Chinese dance in nightclubs for three years, from age 14 to 17.

The famous director Chang Cheh was like a godfather to her.

Overcoming Challenges

In 1999, Kara Wai went through a very difficult time in her life. She struggled with her health and took a break from acting. With the help of her friends and family, she started to feel better in 2003 and returned to her career.

Kara Wai's Acting Career

Starting with Shaw Brothers Studio (1977–1987)

Kara Wai began her acting journey as an extra in films. During the filming of Dirty Ho (1979), the main actress left. The director, Liu Chia-Liang, had seen Kara Wai's audition tape. He decided to give her the lead role. This was the first time they worked together.

The director was very impressed with her acting. He then cast her in many of his other movies. Kara Wai became very famous with her role in My Young Auntie (1982). For this movie, she won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress at the very first Hong Kong Film Awards. Her last movie with Shaw Brothers Studio was The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984).

Returning to Acting (2003–2010)

In 2005, Kara Wai quietly returned to the Hong Kong entertainment world. She joined the television network TVB. She was nominated for a TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009 for Rosy Business and again in 2010 for A Fistful of Stances.

In 2009, Kara Wai won the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 46th Golden Horse Awards. This was for her role as a very protective mother in At the End of Daybreak. This movie also brought her many other awards, including Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Continued Success (2011–Present)

Kara Wai started appearing in TV shows in mainland China. She played Wu Zetian in the drama Women of the Tang Dynasty. This role earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2013, she won Best Supporting Actress for the Malaysian film The Wedding Diary (2011). This award was given at the Golden Wau Awards, which celebrates Chinese films in Malaysia.

In 2014, Kara Wai won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards for her movie Rigor Mortis. In 2017, she won the Best Actress Award at the 36th Hong Kong Film Awards for Happiness.

In March 2018, she received the Excellence In Asian Cinema Award at the 12th Asian Film Awards. Later that year, she was again awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star for her great achievements in acting.

In 2018, Kara Wai starred in Tracey. She played the wife of a person who was secretly transgender. This role earned her another Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2019, Kara Wai received high praise for her role as Chief Superintendent Man Hei-wah in the TVB crime drama The Defected. For this role, she won the TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress.

In 2021, Kara Wai starred in the movie "Sunshine of my life" as a blind parent. In the same year, she was in the TVB crime thriller Murder Diary. She played a mental hospital assistant with schizophrenia and was highly praised for her acting skills once more.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations