Ms Connie Chan Po Chu

1947-

Actress

Born Ho Pui Kan, actress and Cantonese opera artist Connie Chan Po Chu was born to a poor family. At age four, she was adopted by Cantonese opera singers Chan Fei Nung and Kung Fan Hung, who taught her their art. She went on to apprentice under Peking opera master Fen Juhua and Cantonese opera virtuoso Yam Kim Fai. Hence, at a young age, Chan was trained in both the southern and northern styles of operatic and martial arts. At 11, she made her big screen debut with Madam Chun Heung-lin (1958), but it was not until the late 1960s that she gained real fame playing in Colourful Youth (1966) alongside Josephine Siao. A 1960s teen idol, Chan was given the moniker “the Princess of Film Fans” by her largely young and female followers. In 1967 alone she appeared in 32 films, including Girls are Flowers (1966), Lady Bond (1966), Summer and Spring (1967) and Mary, I Love You (1969). Chan was a versatile actress who played both male and female roles in diverse genres, specifically martial arts, romantic dramas, comedies and musicals. In 1972, she retired from the screen when productions of Cantonese films came to a halt. In 1999, she took to the stage once again in the plays A Sentimental Journey (1999), Red Boat (2000) and Only You (2006), as well as Cantonese operas Dream of the Red Chamber (2012), The Reincarnation of Red Plum (2014), and Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom (2017).