Katie Leung facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katie Leung
梁佩詩
Leung at the 2020 German Comic Con Home Edition
Born	(1987-08-08) 8 August 1987 (age 37) Dundee, Scotland
Alma mater	Edinburgh College of Art (BA) Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Children	1
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	梁佩詩
Simplified Chinese	梁佩诗
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liáng Pèishī Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Lèuhng Pui-sī Jyutping loeng4 pui3 si1

Katie Leung (born 8 August 1987) is a Scottish actress. She became famous for playing Cho Chang in the Harry Potter movies. Cho Chang was Harry Potter's first love interest in the films. Katie also played Caitlyn Kiramman in the Netflix animated series Arcane. Another big role was Ash in the Amazon Prime Video sci-fi series The Peripheral. In British TV, Katie Leung is known for her main roles in the dramas One Child and Strangers. She also had a supporting role in the police show Annika.

Early life

Katie Leung was born in Dundee, Scotland. Her father, Peter Leung, was a businessman and restaurateur from Hong Kong. Her mother, Kar Wai Li, was a banker. Katie's parents divorced when she was three years old. She stayed in Scotland with her father, stepmother, and siblings. Her mother moved back to Hong Kong.

Because of her father's job, Katie lived in many cities. These included Ayr, Hamilton, and Motherwell. She went to secondary school at Hamilton College.

Career

Becoming Cho Chang in Harry Potter (2004–2011)

Katie's father saw an advertisement for a casting call. It was for the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He suggested Katie should try out for a role. She waited four hours for a five-minute audition. She didn't think she would get the part.

Two weeks later, she was called back for a workshop. She was chosen to play Cho Chang! She beat over 3,000 other girls for the role. Katie has said that her Scottish accent might have helped her. The casting director asked, "Is there anyone here from Scotland?" Only Katie raised her hand.

Leung at the Tokyo premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2008

In 2011, Katie shared a special memory from Harry Potter. Her fondest memory was her first audition. Both her parents, who were separated, went with her. She said it was a "really nice moment." To promote Goblet of Fire, Warner Bros. sent Katie to China. This was unusual for that time.

Katie played Cho Chang in later Harry Potter movies. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, her character became Harry Potter's first romance. Katie and Daniel Radcliffe (who played Harry) shared a kiss on screen. This got a lot of attention from the media. While many fans liked Katie, some created negative websites. She faced some challenges and negative comments from a small group of fans, which was difficult for her.

In 2007, Katie was named Scotland's most stylish female. The Scotsman newspaper also called her the hottest Scotswoman. She was featured in magazines like Teen Vogue and the Evening Standard. In July 2007, she was in a music video for the singer Leo Ku. Katie filmed the video in London.

Her first role outside of Harry Potter was in 2008. She played Hsui Tai in an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot.

New roles on stage and screen (2012–present)

After the Harry Potter films ended, Katie wasn't sure about acting. But she felt inspired after a drama course. She decided to continue her acting career. In 2011, she got a role in the play Wild Swans. This was her first time acting on stage. Katie said acting live was "weirdly exciting." The play was shown in the US and then in London.

In 2012, Katie starred in the TV series Run. She played Ying, a Chinese immigrant. In 2013, she was in the play The World of Extreme Happiness. She played Sunny, a migrant worker in China.

In 2014, Katie took on the main role of Mei in One Child. Mei was a Chinese girl adopted by a British family. In the story, Mei goes back to China to help her birth mother. The series was filmed in London and Hong Kong. It was shown on TV in 2014 and 2016. Critics praised Katie's performance.

Later, in 2017, Katie acted with Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. This was in the movie The Foreigner. She played Fan, Jackie Chan's character's daughter. She also had a role in the TV drama Strangers.

Katie has continued to appear in many shows. She played DC Blair Ferguson in Annika. She voiced Caitlyn in the Netflix series Arcane. She also played Ash in the Amazon Prime Video series The Peripheral.

In 2022, Katie wrote an essay called "Getting into Character." It was published in a book about East and Southeast Asian identity in Britain. In her essay, Katie wrote about how her background affected her life and acting.

In 2023, Katie starred in The Chemistry of Death. In 2024, she appeared in the BBC One series Nightsleeper. In September 2024, Katie joined the cast of Bridgerton for its fourth season. She will play Lady Araminta Gun.

Charity-work

Katie Leung has helped several charities. In 2007, she helped The Prince's Trust raise money. She launched a children's art competition. Katie donated one of her own paintings. It was sold for £960 to help the charity. In 2009, she gave a photo to Sightsavers International. This was for a competition to help prevent blindness in poor countries.

Personal life

Leung at the German Comic Con Home Edition in 2020

Katie delayed going to art college to film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. After Harry Potter, she thought about her future. She decided to study art and design at university.

She studied painting for a short time. Then she got a photography degree from Edinburgh College of Art. After that, she went to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. There, she completed a degree in acting.

On January 1, 2023, Katie shared exciting news on Instagram. She revealed that her son was born on Halloween the previous year. Her pregnancy was included in the second season of her show Annika. She filmed the show before her son was born.

Katie speaks Cantonese very well. She also knows some Mandarin. She is a vegetarian.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre credits

Awards

See also

In Spanish: Katie Leung para niños