Sheren Tang

In 1985, Tang joined TVB's training classes. Months later, after her graduation, Tang was cast in her first role as female lead in The Legend of the General Who Never Was with Alex Man as her costar. She went on to play first or second leading roles in the first few years of her career. Tang was cast in comedy series Happy Spirit where she acted alongside Carol Cheng as her younger sister. She starred as Chow chi-yeuk in New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre, the 1986 adaptation of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber novel.[10] She played Ching Yuet Yue in Police Cadet 1988, the second sequel to the widely popular Police Cadet series.[11]

In 1989, she was featured in five series, three of which she starred alongside Roger Kwok; The Vixen’s Tale, I Do I Do, and The War Heroes.[12] That same year she was cast in Ode to Gallantry, a Wuxia comedy based on the famous novel, where she starred as the character Ding Dong, reuniting with Police Cadet and New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre costar Tony Leung.[13] In 1990, she was cast as Fong Hei Tung in the series Friends and Lovers alongside Teresa Mo. Tang had let producers know that she was interested in working with Mo if given the opportunity prior to her casting and has stated that she is extremely grateful to have been cast in the series.[14][15]

Her first supporting role was in the 1994 series The Intangible Truth where she starred as the sister to Roger Kwok’s character. The role was originally a guest role but subsequently became a significant character for the first half of the series.[16] That same year, Tang played Tong Man Yung, best friend to Amy Chan’s character in popular series at the time, Fate of the Clairvoyant and starred as Kam Yik Lin in the comedy Filthy Rich.

In 1995, Tang played Joyce Yan, a forensic pathologist in File of Justice IV, the fourth instalment of the popular File of Justice series.[17] She also starred as ICAC officer Poon Wai Yan in the female-led drama Corruption Doesn't Pay, alongside Esther Kwan and Kiki Sheung.[18]

In 1996, Tang joined ATV filming over 200 episodes in a span of one to two years. She starred in the 1996 adaptation of I Have A Date With Spring as Yiu Siu Deep. While the drama did not attract many viewers in Hong Kong, it was a huge success in Mainland China and the series has acquired a cult following.[19] She also reunited with costars Amy Chan, Kiki Sheung, and Maggie Shiu in one of the few popular ATV series The Good Old Days.[20][21] She was also in the drama Interpol released in 1997.[22] When her contract with ATV ended, she went on to act in several Taiwanese drama series.[23] In 1998, she also appeared in Liang Po Po: The movie as a foreign talent from Hong Kong that is engaged as an expert to impart knowledge of the triad to local gangsters like Liang Po Po. In 1999, Tang played a supporting role in the widely popular film Fly Me to Polaris.

In 2000, she returned to TVB and starred in the weekend drama series The Threat of Love, which featured a new plot every episode. It grew to be popular among audiences, particularly for a weekend drama and was praised for its unique and progressive storylines. A sequel was released in 2003.[24] Tang made a special guest star appearance in 4 episodes of Healing Hands 2.[25]

In 2001, Tang starred as a film director, Koi Ying-Jing in Screen Play and as Koo Yiu in the period drama Country Spirit.[26][27] She went on to play supporting roles in the 2002 drama Good Against Evil and 2003 teen drama Aqua Heroes.[28] Tang appeared as Su Tian Xin in the 2003 Taiwanese series Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story which featured a large cast from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.[29]

In 2003, she won the My Favourite Powerhouse Actress Award (renamed Best Supporting Actress Award in 2005) at the TVB Anniversary Awards for the various roles she played in The Threat of Love 2.[30] In 2004, she repeated her win for this award and also won one of the Favourite Television Character Awards for her role in War and Beauty.[31]

Her acting in War and Beauty as Yu Fei (如妃), an initially favoured consort who eventually falls from power, was critically acclaimed, making her a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award in 2004. However, she did not win, with the award being given to Gigi Lai instead. Voting was closed the night before the awards ceremony, with Tang leading by a landslide; thus many people concluded that the "Best Actress" award would surely go to her. Tang, instead, went home with the My Favourite Powerhouse Actress Award (now renamed as Best Supporting Actress award). This attracted a lot of backlash and anger from the citizens of Hong Kong,[32] which prompted the ICAC to conduct investigations into the award show. The situation worsened when TVB asked Lai to film The Charm Beneath, which Tang was originally supposed to film with Bobby Au-yeung.[33] However, her character Yu Fei has become a recognizable symbol and is still commonly referenced in Chinese media and society.[34]

She expanded her career to Mainland China in 2005 starring in two series, Huiniang Wanxin (徽娘宛心) and Love of Fate (青城之戀), the latter which she starred alongside War and Beauty costar Bowie Lam.[35][36]

Tang starred as So Sam in the costume drama The Prince’s Shadow which was the sixth highest drama in Hong Kong television viewership ratings in the year 2005.[37] In the same year, she starred in the suspense film Slim Till Dead.[38] She made an appearance in a flashback scene as the mother of Dragon played by Donnie Yen in the Hong Kong film Dragon Tiger Gate in 2006.[39]

In 2006, Tang starred in the series La Femme Desperado, which ranked number 1 in Hong Kong viewership ratings that year and won the Best Drama Award at the TVB Anniversary Awards in 2006. Tang was also nominated in the Best Actress Top 5 category and the My Favourite Female Television Role Top 5 category.[40] Her character, Hilda Hoi, became one of the most popular characters especially among women in Hong Kong that year.[41]

In 2007, Tang went on to star as Mung Ka Ka in the series The Family Link where she was once again nominated in the Best Actress Top 5 category. The drama was ranked number 1 in average Hong Kong viewership ratings that year and was nominated for Best Drama at the TVB Anniversary Awards in 2007.[42] That same year she played Wong Siu Fun in The Drive of Life, a TVB and CCTV joint grand production.[43]

She starred as Kelly Yim in Your Class or Mine in 2008, reuniting with her File of Justice and Screenplay costar, Bobby Au Yeung. That same year, in addition to Rosy Business, Tang also filmed two Chinese series; a guest role in Rose Martial World (玫瑰江湖) opposite Damian Lau and the lead role in Under Monumental Archway Woman (牌坊下的女人).[44][45][46]

In 2009, Tang's role as the 4th Wife (四奶奶) of a rice business owner in Rosy Business brought her much popularity, making her a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award once again. However, it was said that TVB pushed back the award show to December so that grand production dramas Born Rich and Beyond the Realm of Conscience could be included in the nominations, diminishing Tang's chance of winning the award again.[47] It was rumoured that TVB had initially wanted to promote female lead of Beyond the Realm of Conscience, Tavia Yeung, to become the Best Actress since Tang was not under a permanent contract with the network. However, Yeung openly said that if Tang did not get the "Best Actress" award, she would join the rest of the netizens to protest against TVB's decision.[48] Fortunately, this time round, with TVB producer Catherine Tsang backing her,[49] Tang was duly awarded her "Best Actress" award, much to the joy of Hong Kong citizens, whereby there was a petition signed by them for TVB to award Tang her long-overdue "Best Actress" award,[50] failing which they will hold protests outside TVB City, the network's headquarters.[51]

At the 2010 TVB Anniversary Awards which was held on 5 December 2010, thanks to her brilliant performance as Cheng Gau-Mui (鄭九妹), the complex daughter of a drug lord who plans to destroy her father's business from the inside, in the highly acclaimed indirect sequel to Rosy Business, No Regrets, Tang was once again seen as a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award. In addition to strong backing from netizens, Tang was once again awarded the coveted "Best Actress" award, making her the first actress in Hong Kong to win this top award consecutively. Her acting and the role gained even more praise and critical acclaim than Rosy Business and established Tang as one of the most talented actresses from TVB.[2] Tang has stated that her roles from Rosy Business and No Regrets are her favourite among all the characters she has played.[52]

Already notable from War and Beauty and other TVB drama series, Tang and her costar Wayne Lai gained even more popularity in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Cantonese-speaking Asian communities overseas after the release of both hit series Rosy Business and No Regrets, with many considering them as one of the best onscreen duos on television. They have continued to work together occasionally for charity, public events, and variety shows over the years.[53][54]

In 2011, she starred as the empress in the Mainland China series New My Fair Princess, a remake of the 1998 hit series My Fair Princess.[55] This role won her a Huading Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2011.[56]

From 2012 to 2014, she also played a supporting role as Aunt Poise in The Four film trilogy where she reunited with 2005 suspense film Slim Till Dead costar and friend Anthony Wong.[57]

In 2012, Tang starred as Bai Yuqin in the historical drama Allure Snow.[58] In 2013, she starred in Love Is Not For Sale as the executive of a supermarket chain.[59] Her contract expired with TVB after filming for the indirect sequel of War and Beauty, Beauty at War in 2012.[60] In mid 2013, during promotional events and interviews for the series' release, Tang commented about the lack of script available even on the day of shooting, which contributed to major anxiety and some physical health problems. She was diagnosed with dysautonomia during this time.[61] Tabloids reported that this caused TVB to announce they will not renew her contract, even though Tang had previously said in 2012 before production began that the drama will be her last with the network for the time being and will be focusing her work in China. Tang has always said that she is open to returning to TVB again if there is a role right for her. Both Tang and the network have later stated that there is no conflict.

In 2014, she starred in the costume comedy Cosmetology High playing historical figure, Wu Zetian, the only empress regnant (female emperor) of China.[62]

Tang took approximately two years off from acting in 2014 and 2015 to focus on her health after being diagnosed with dysautonomia and minor thyroid problems. She has since made a full recovery.[61][63]

In 2016, after a short hiatus, Tang appeared in the film Heartfall Arises. She signed a one year contract with Wong Cho Lam's new management Tailor Made Productions Limited which ended in 2017. In 2017, she was cast in Chinese dramas Star April and Once Given Never Forgotten, the latter which aired in 2021.[64]

In 2018, Tang filmed her first Hong Kong series in 5 years Till Death Do Us Part. The series is her first with new broadcaster ViuTV and her first time acting alongside former TVB cast mates Sunny Chan and Bernice Liu. It was released in 2019.[65]

In late July 2021, Tang confirmed on Weibo that she had signed with Chinese management company Haohan Entertainment, sparking excitement for netizens hoping to see more of her work. The company also confirmed she had wrapped filming new Chinese drama, 我們的當打之年.[66][67]

Sources had reported that Tang was asked to return to TVB for several dramas since 2015 after her contract ended in 2012 which included My Unfair Lady and Wonder Women, as the network tried to revamp after a couple years of low viewership and a hefty number of artistes and employees leaving the network.[68] She instead made an appearance as a presenter at the TVB Anniversary Awards in 2016 and appeared on a couple of the network's talk show programmes in 2017. Tang stated over recent years that she would like to read at least a partial script before taking a new role. In January 2021, TVB confirmed Tang's involvement in the fourth instalment of the Rosy Business franchise; accepting the gig before a script was written.[69] However, due to script issues which led to investment problems and multiple delays, news outlets reported the project may not move forward despite overwhelming fan anticipation, with Tang possibly having begun looking for other projects.[70] In August 2021, it was reported the project will start production in March 2022 but Tang's involvement is still unconfirmed.[71]

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• I Have A Date With Spring (1995)