Violet Lee

Biography

Lee Ying was a Hong Kong actress born on August 7, 1971, in Hong Kong and raised there. She has one brother, and her father was in the plastic business. She lived in a rural area near Lam Tei in the Yuen Long District in her early years, then moved to Waterloo Road in Kowloon at the age of seven or eight. She attended government primary and English secondary schools and enjoyed extracurricular activities, which made her academic results poor. Before completing her secondary education, she worked at the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, caring for children with disabilities at a kindergarten in Wong Tai Sin for two to three months. In 1970, at a friend's suggestion, she enrolled in the 5th term of the actor training school at RTV, and after graduating in 1971, she accepted an invitation from the television station to work as a basic contract artist. Her classmates included Shen Siu-lan, Lau Chung-yan, Ma Tung-hung, and Hon Yee-sang. At the beginning of her career, she was transferred to the dubbing department to work on imported cartoons, and after six months was transferred back to the drama department on the suggestion of actor Cheung Ching. Lee Ying became well-known in 1973 when actor and director Chan Hung-lit cast her in the film "Chung Tin Pau" which he directed. From 1975 to 1979, she won the Top Ten Television Stars award in the Wah Kiu Yat Po poll five consecutive times. Lee Ying was one of the leading actresses at RTV, starring in many series. In 1975, RTV formed a four-member female singing group called "Buk Chi" to compete with the "Four Golden Flowers" group on TVB's "Enjoy Yourself Tonight" program. In 1988, she immigrated to Vancouver, Canada and retired from acting. She married clothing businessman Shen Hai-jian in 1984. In the 1990s, she filmed series for ATV and TVB as a freelancer. In 1996, she received the Film Performance Award from the China Literature and Arts Association. She returned to Hong Kong with her two daughters in 2003. In 2014, she appeared in the film "A Visitor Arrives" through HKTV. She passed away on February 25, 2024 in Vancouver after falling in her home, at the age of 70, and her death was confirmed by her friend actress Wong Shu-yi.