Isabella Leong is a Hong Kong-based singer, actress, and model. She is considered a symbol of a new generation of actresses in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
Leong was born in Hong Kong on June 23, 1988. Her Portuguese father died when Leong was a few months old and she moved with her Chinese-English mother to Macau. They remained in Macau until Isabella was 15 years old.
To help her mother support the family, Leong joined the Emperor Entertainment Group at 12 years old and began to work as a teenage model. She later turned to singing and released her debut album, Isabella, at 16 years of age. Isabella did not achieve the success hoped for and Leong turned to acting instead.
In 2004, Leong appeared as a guest star in the TV series Sunshine Heartbeat. In 2005, she made her film debut in The Eye 10 and also appeared in Bug Me Not, for which she was nominated as Best New Performer in the Hong Kong Film Awards.
In 2006 Leong won the leading role in the highly successful Isabella. The film allowed her to win a number of award nominations — Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards, the Fantasporto and the Hong Kong Film Awards, and an award at Golden Bauhinia Awards for Best New Performer. The film also won the Silver Berlin award at the Berlin Film Festival for Best Film Music. Best of all, the film led to an increased level of public recognition and admiration, especially from the Chinese community.
At the Hong Kong Film Awards 2007, Leong received two nominations: one for Isabella, and one for Diary – Best Supporting Actress; these nominations further increased her growing popularity. In 2007 Leong co-starred in the arthouse and lesbian-related film Spider Lilies alongside Taiwanese pop singer and actress Rainie Yang. Spider Lilies was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film.
In an attempt to follow in the successful footsteps of fellow Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, Leong went to Hollywood and landed a supporting role in the film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor which was released on August 1, 2008.
Diskografi
* Isabella - First Album Versions A, B, C (Emperor Entertainment Group, 3 September 2004)
* I am Isabella (EP) (Emperor Entertainment Group, 8 Juli 2005)
* To Find Love (EP) (Emperor Entertainment Group, 8 Juli 2005)
* I am Isabella (Complete Version) (Emperor Entertainment Group, 16 September 2005)
* Say Goodbye... Luisa (DualDisc) (CD+DVD) (Emperor Entertainment Group, 5 Agustus 2006)
PHOTO ALBUM
* Isabella Photo Album (Megalink International Communications Ltd, 12 Agustus 2005) ISBN 988-98130-6-8
* Post Card - Isabella (Emperor Entertainment Group Showroom, 5 Mei 2005)
* Isabella Artiste Profile (Emperor Entertainment Group Showroom, 6 Mei 2005)
* EEG Artiste Crystal - Isabella (Emperor Entertainment Group Showroom, 29 Mei 2006)
Filmografi
Sunshine Heartbeat (赤沙印記＠四葉草２) Tamu (kameo) 2004
The Eye 10 (見鬼 10, Gin Gwai 10) April 2005
Bug Me Not! (蟲不知, Chung buk ji) Moon (小月)
Dragon Squad (猛龍, Maang lung) Kong Cheuk Chi (江綽芝)
A Chinese Tall Story (情癲大聖, Ching din dai sing) Red devil (紅孩兒)
McDull, The Alumni (春田花花同學會, Chun tian hua hua tong xue hui) Wing Sze (詠思) 2006
Isabella (伊莎貝拉) Yan (張碧欣)
Dragon Tiger Gate (龍虎門, Lung fu moon) suara
Diary (妄想, Mon seung) Leung Wing Na / Ho Lai Yee (梁詠娜 / 何麗儀)
The Knot (雲水謠, Yun shui yao) Xiao-rui (王曉芮)
Simply Actors (戲王之王, Hei wong ji wong) Tamu 2007
Spider Lilies (刺青, Ci qing) Takeko (竹子)
Missing (深海尋人)
2008
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Lin