Grace Chang

Hong Kong-Chinese actress and singer

Grace Chang

Grace Chang at Lee's Studio

Born

張玉芳

(1933-06-13) 13 June 1933 (age 90)

Nanking, Jiangsu, China

Other names

Ko Lan

Occupation(s)

Singer, Actress

Spouse

Gao Fuquan

Chinese name

Traditional Chinese

葛蘭

Simplified Chinese

葛兰

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Gě Lán

Grace Chang (born 13 June 1933), known in Chinese as Ko Lan (葛蘭), is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She was a popular idol in the 1950s, especially among students and the middle class.^[1]

She was a renowned Cathay Organization actress with many successes including It Blossoms Again, The Wild, Wild Rose, and Mambo Girl. Chang appeared in 33 films during her eleven-year acting career. Her last actual appearance was in 1964 though she has provided vocals for soundtracks.

Biography

Chang was a Haining, Zhejiang native, born in Nanking and grew up in Shanghai. In 1949, Chang moved to Hong Kong with her father. The great singer-actress Chow Hsuan was her idol.^[1]

Chang's stage name was Ko Lan, an approximation of her English name Grace. She began vocal training in her childhood. Chang began her career with Taishan Pictures where she starred in her debut show, “Seven Sisters” in 1952.

In 1961, Chang married Kao Fuchuan in London, England. Chang retired from acting in 1964.

Filmography

1953 Seven Sisters
1954 Red Bloom in the Snow
1954 Blood-Stained Flowers
1954 It Blossoms Again
1955 Soldier of Fortune^[2]
1956 Surprise
1956 The ingenious Seduction
1956 The Long Lane
1956 Over the Rolling Hills
1956 The Story of a Fur Coat^[3]
1957 Mambo Girl^[4]^[5]
1957 Booze, Boobs and Bucks
1957 Love and Crime
1957 Murder in the Night
1958 Torrents of Desire
1958 Golden Phoenix
Crimes of Passion (1959)
Spring Song (1959)
1959 Air Hostess - Lin Ke-Ping. in French.^[6]
1959 Our Dream Car - Lee Jiaying.^[7]
My Darling Sister (1959)
The Girl With a Thousand Faces (1960)
The June Bride (1960)
1960 Forever Yours - Yu Liying.^[8]
The Loving Couple (1960)
Miss Pony-Tail (1960)
The Wild, Wild Rose (1960)
Sun, Moon and Star (1961)
Sun, Moon and Star Part 2 (1961)
Because of Her (1963)
The Magic Lamp (1964)
A Story of Three Loves Part 1 (1964)
A Story of Three Loves Part 2 (1964)
The Hole (1998) (soundtrack only)
The Wayward Cloud (2005) (soundtrack only)
Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang (2008) (soundtrack only)
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) (soundtrack only)

References

^ ^a ^b Law Kar; Frank Bren; Sam Ho (2004). Hong Kong Cinema: A Cross-cultural View. Scarecrow Press. pp. 259–260. ISBN 978-0-8108-4986-0.
^ "Memories of the mambo girl". scmp.com. March 14, 2002. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ "The Story of a Fur Coat". hkmdb.com. December 14, 1956. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ "Book Chapter: The Mambo Girl". dukeupress.edu. May 2015. doi:10.1215/9780822375623-005. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ Lee, Kevin (May 2008). "Mambo Girl". sensesofcinema.com. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ "Air Hostess". hkmdb.com. June 4, 1959. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ "Our Dream Car". hkmdb.com. July 9, 1959. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ "Forever Yours". hkmdb.com. April 7, 1960. Retrieved April 18, 2021.