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Katie Leung

 
Who2 Biography: Katie Leung, Actor
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  • Born: 1988
  • Birthplace: Motherwell, Scotland
  • Best Known As: Cho Chang in the Harry Potter film series

Katie Leung was first chosen to play Cho Chang, Harry Potter's love interest, in the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Leung was born in Scotland to Chinese parents who had immigrated from Hong Kong, and was attending the upscale private school Hamilton College when she won the part in an open casting call. (Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling reportedly insisted that a complete unknown be cast as Cho Chang.) The casting generated intense interest among Harry Potter fans, since Cho Chang gives the boy wizard (played by Daniel Radcliffe) his first kiss in the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Leung and Radcliffe did indeed smooch onscreen in the 2007 film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Leung also appeared in the 2009 sequel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Some sources list Leung's birthdate as 12 April 1988, but Who2 is unable to confirm this... According to a 2004 article in the Sunday Mirror, Leung's father "was running a Chinese take-away in Inverkeithing, Fife" when he married Leung's mother in 1986. "He built up his business interests and is now a millionaire with a successful restaurant in Glasgow city centre and a thriving Chinese food wholesale business."

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Wikipedia: Katie Leung
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Katie Leung

Leung at the Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire Tokyo premiere
Born Katie Liu Leung
8 August 1987 (1987-08-08) (age 22)
Motherwell, Scotland
Occupation Actress
Years active 2005-present

Katie Liu Leung (traditional Chinese: 梁佩詩; simplified Chinese: 梁佩诗; pinyin: Liáng Pèishī; Cantonese Yale: Lèuhng Pui-sī; born 8 August 1987) is a Scottish actress, best known for playing Cho Chang in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Contents

Biography

Personal life

Leung was born in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire to Peter, who was a businessman, and Kar Wai Li Leung, who works in a law firm. Her parents are now divorced, and she currently resides with her father, two brothers, and a sister in Battersea, South London.[1][2][3] Her father owns a successful Chinese restaurant named Regent in Glasgow and a Chinese wholesale firm named Jade Palace Trading. She attended high school at Scotland's Hamilton College[4].

Katie delayed plans to go to art college and university in order to film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Leung has said she is undecided about pursuing an acting career after Harry Potter and wishes to attend university to study art and design.[5] In 2007 she helped The Prince's Trust charity of Scotland raise £100,000 by launching a children's art competition and also donated one of her own paintings which was auctioned for £960.[6] In 2008 she attended University of the Arts London.[1] Katie has expressed a passion for photography.[7] In 2009 she was one of two celebrities who donated a photo to Sightsavers International's i:click 2009 competition. Sightsavers International is a charitable organization to combat blindness in poor countries.[8][9]

On set of Order of the Phoenix Leung became good friends with fellow actresses Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Afshan Azad (Padma Patil).

Career

Leung's father saw an advertisement for a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire casting call, and suggested she should try out. She waited four hours in line for a five-minute audition, and said that she would rather be shopping than stand in line for a role she was almost certain she wouldn't get.[4] Two weeks later, she was called back for a workshop and was cast as Cho Chang, in the process beating out over 4,500 other girls for the part, among them actresses Courtney Webb and Michelle Ang.[10] She stated in an interview with the Daily Record that her Scottish accent probably gave her an edge in the casting.[11]

She appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which she and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) shared an on-screen kiss that received much media coverage.[12]

Leung has contributed her voice to the video games Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Leung confirmed that she will return as Cho Chang in the Deathly Hallows movies.[13] It is unknown if she will be in part I or II (or both).

In July 2007, Leung was cast by Gold Label Records, a subsidiary of EMI in Hong Kong, to be the female lead in the music video Love Coming Home (愛回家) by Leo Ku. Leung filmed the video in London while promoting the new Harry Potter film. Leo described Leung's acting as "professional" and "mature."[14]

Leung played Hsui Tai in the episode "Cat Among the Pigeons" of ITV1's Agatha Christie's Poirot,[1][15] which premiered on ITV on 21 September 2008.

Leung has been named as Scotland's most stylish female and as the hottest Scotswoman by The Scotsman.[16] She has also been featured in Teen Vogue and in Evening Standard.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Cho Chang
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Cho Chang Film; Video game voiceover
2008 Agatha Christie's Poirot Hsui Tai (TV) Episode "Cat Amongst the Pigeons". ITV1 production.
2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Cho Chang Video game voiceover
2010/2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Cho Chang filming

Music videos

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Love Coming Home (愛回家) (Music Video) - Leo Ku Girlfriend

Awards

2008

2007

  • Scotland's Most Stylish Female[18]
  • #80 on the Cosmogirl's Hot 100 List.

2006

  • Outstanding Newcomer Award (Top 4)
  • Young Scots Award

References

  1. ^ a b c Williams, Amy (Sept.19, 2008). "Small-screen gems: The young British actresses to watch". MailOnline. http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/home/you/article-1053532/Small-screen-gems-The-young-British-actresses-watch.html. Retrieved 2009-08-12. 
  2. ^ LAU KIT WAI. Katie casts a spell. South China Morning Post. YOUNGPOST; Pg. 1. December 11, 2005.
  3. ^ Dougan, Andy (November 4, 2005). "'Motherwell girl Katie steals Harry Potter 's heart; MOVIE SPECIAL Katie Leung on her dream role . . . and the big secret she had to keep for two months.". Evening Times (Glasgow). NEWS: p. 14. 
  4. ^ a b Synnot, Siobhan (June 21, 2007). "KISS ME KATIE". Daily Record. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=kiss-me-katie--&method=full&objectid=19331234&siteid=66633-name_page.html. Retrieved 2009-11-29. 
  5. ^ Antrobus, Corrina. "Katie Leung interview". Virgin Media. http://www.virginmedia.com/movies/interviews/katieleung.php. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2009. 
  6. ^ Edinburgh Evening News (Dec. 4, 2007). "Potter star Katie helps raise £100,000". news.scotsman.com. http://news.scotsman.com/jkrowlingharrypotter/Potter-star-Katie-helps-raise.3586991.jp. Retrieved Dec. 12, 2009. 
  7. ^ Cheesman, Chris (Nov. 26, 2009). "HARRY POTTER STAR REVEALS PHOTOGRAPHY 'PASSION'". Amateur Photographer. http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Harry_Potter_star_reveals_photography_passion_news_292244.html. Retrieved Dec. 12, 2009. 
  8. ^ "i:click". Sightsavers International. http://www.sightsavers.org/teacherzone/campaigns_and_competitions/iclick/default.html. Retrieved Dec.12, 2009. 
  9. ^ Carswell, Andy (Dec. 3, 2009). "Amersham teen's photo to appear alongside work of Harry Potter actress". Bucks Free Press & Times Group. http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/4775535.Snapper_Emily_celebrates_contest_success/. Retrieved Dec. 12, 2009. 
  10. ^ "Katie Leung 5/2007 Interview BBC.com". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/07/09/katie_leung_harry_potter_5_2007_interview.shtml. Retrieved Nov.5, 2009. 
  11. ^ Exclusive: My Broad Accent Scot Me A Job As Harry Girl - The Daily Record
  12. ^ "Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter's First Kiss Took Several Takes to Get Right". FoxNews.com AP. June 29, 2009. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287345,00.html. Retrieved Dec.12, 2009. 
  13. ^ "More Deathly Hallows cast updates". mugglenet.com. http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/show/2711. Retrieved Dec.12, 2009. 
  14. ^ (Chinese) "基仔張秋親熱大汗疊細汗". Sina.com. 2007-07-31. http://ent.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/news/show_news.cgi?type=pic&date=2007-07-31&id=208134&ct=pic. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  15. ^ Hendry, Steve (2007-12-02). "What Katie Leung Did Again". Sunday Mail. http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/tv-showbiz-news/entertainment-news/2007/12/02/what-katie-leung-did-again-78057-20190968/. Retrieved 2007-12-02. 
  16. ^ Watson, Jeremy (2007-11-18), Harry Potter actress flies from Hogwarts to top of eligibles list, The Scotsman, http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=1819232007, retrieved 2007-12-02 
  17. ^ "2008 Movie Awards Winners". MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2008/. Retrieved Nov. 5, 2009. 
  18. ^ "Awards ceremony celebrates Glasgow’s style". Glasgow City Marketing Bureau. http://www.seeglasgow.com/media-office/news-archive/july---december-2007/scottsh-style-awards-2007. Retrieved Nov.5, 2009. 

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