Barbara Chan Man-yee

Biography

Barbara Chan Man-yee was born on October 17, 1959 in Hong Kong and grew up in a traditional tenement building in Sham Shui Po. She was educated at St. Canice's School in Hung Hom and later attended Pak Kei English Secondary School. In 1978, she joined TVB's night artist training course but stopped after three months due to inability to balance studies and training. She graduated in 1979 alongside TVB's eighth training course cohort, which included her future husband Leo Kai Chi. In the 1980s, she became one of TVB's leading actresses, starring in the hit series "The Hawk" alongside Andy Lau, and played various roles as a teacher, social worker, and lawyer. She also worked as a host, notably on "Sports World" where she parachuted at Shek Kong camp, becoming the first Hong Kong female artist to publicly parachute. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she served as a Cantonese voice actress for Carol Cheng in several films. In 1990, she participated in the stage play "The Flower Heart Husband" with fellow TVB trainees, touring Southeast Asia and North America. In July 1993, she stepped away from the entertainment industry and occasionally appeared in Christian media, sharing insights on life education and death education. In October 2024, she held a living funeral on her 65th birthday. She passed away on June 12, 2026 at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin at age 66, and her memorial service was held at St. Andrew's Church in Tsim Sha Tsui.