Leung Oi

Biography

Leung Oi was a Hong Kong actress known for Cantonese-language films and television series, born on 4 November 1938 in mainland China. She grew up in extreme poverty and was adopted by a wealthy family in Diamond Hill, Kowloon, but their fortunes declined and she left home at age twelve, working as a factory worker and restaurant waitress. She entered the entertainment industry at nineteen as a bit player and made her debut in Cantonese feature films. In the 1960s she married the renowned director and screenwriter Zuo Ji and had one son, but they lost their wealth during the 1967 riots and she returned to factory work. She joined TVB in the 1970s and became known for supporting roles, earning the nickname "TV factory worker." After retiring and emigrating to Canada, she returned to Hong Kong and joined ATV in 2000. In her later years she suffered a fall in 2019 and unexpectedly lost her son to a heart attack in 2025. In December 2025 she announced her pancreatic cancer diagnosis and refused chemotherapy or radiation treatment. She passed away on 8 July 2026 in a nursing home in Shenzhen at the age of 87.