Françoise Fong-Wa Yip (葉芳華; born September 4, 1972) is a Canadian actress. She first became known for her performances in
Hong Kong films
The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of po ...
, before later also starring in North American films and television shows. She is best known to international audiences for her roles in
action films
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...
opposite
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
and
Jet Li
Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...
.
Early life and education
Yip was born in
North Vancouver,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada, and was raised in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. Her father is a
Canadian of Chinese descent and her mother is French-Canadian.
Career
Yip is known for her roles in
Stanley Tong
Stanley Tong () is a Hong Kong film director, producer, stunt choreographer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Early life
Stanley Tong was born on April 7, 1960 in Hong Kong, and he completed his education in Hong Kong and Canada.
Fi ...
's ''
Rumble in the Bronx
''Rumble in the Bronx'' (Chinese title: 紅番區, ''Hong Faan Kui'' (transl. ''Red Turn District'') is a 1995 American-Hong Kong martial arts film starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui and Françoise Yip. It was directed by Stanley Tong, with action ...
'' and
Daniel Lee's ''
Black Mask''.
She did two movies with Jet Li, the first in a starring role in ''Black Mask'' and the second in ''
Romeo Must Die
''Romeo Must Die'' is a 2000 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in his feature film directorial debut, and featuring fight choreography by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li and Aaliyah in her feature film debut, It follows a Chi ...
'',
where she played a Chinese gangster motorcycle assassin. She also starred in the Doris Yeung film ''Motherland''
and appeared in the American action horror films ''
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem'' and ''
Blade: Trinity''.
Yip appeared in the television series ''
Andromeda'' as two different characters, and guest-starred in the Canadian TV show ''
Blood Ties''.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yip, Francoise
1972 births
Living people
Actresses from British Columbia
Canadian actresses of Chinese descent
Canadian film actresses
Canadian television actresses
Canadian people of French descent
Franco-Columbian people
People from North Vancouver
20th-century Canadian actresses
21st-century Canadian actresses
Canadian-born Hong Kong artists