Maria Cordero, MH (), nicknamed Fat Mama (), is a singer, actress, TV Host and DJ from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. She grew up in

. She also has her own cooking show, Maria's Kitchen (肥媽私房菜) on

Cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broadc ...

. Her fans nicknamed her "Fat Mama" (肥媽; Fei4 Maa1).

Biography

Cordero was born to a Macanese family of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

-Chinese heritage at the Hospital Conde S. Januário in Macau in 1954. She is of paternal Portuguese descent. Her family moved to

Shelley Street Shelley Street () is a street in Central, Hong Kong. It is a ladder street and the Central–Mid-Levels escalators run along the entire length of the street. Name The street is named after Adolphus Edward Shelley, an early British colonia ...

, Hong Kong when she was ten years old. When she was eleven her father died, and she began working to support her seven brothers and sisters. She resorted to using

identity cards An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any documentation, document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID c ...

from friends, because the legal working age in Hong Kong was 14. Her first job was as an usher for a local cinema. While working as a hotel telephone operator, Cordero came across the opportunity to learn the bass guitar. The hotel resident band found out and hired her to play at night after she auditioned. For several years she worked a triple job of telephone operator in the day, band player at night, and working as a cashier. But she also worked as a line cook for takeaway contractors for office workers, thus having excellent cooking skills, which led to her having hosted 3 food and cuisine shows. Cordero married a widowed Filipino pianist and bandmate 22 years her senior when she was in her late teens. She and her first husband have been divorced since 1989 and now married to Portuguese engineer. She is the mother of six children (two boys with her ex-husband, two boys and two girls from her ex-husband's previous marriage). Her eldest son Alfonso Bibi Cordero () is a member of the Hong Kong Hockey Team which won the bronze medal in the

2009 East Asian Games ) , Host city = Hong Kong , Teams participating = 9 , Athletes participating = 2,377 , Events = 262 events in 22 sports , Opening ceremony = December 5, 2009 , Closing ceremony = December 13, 2009 , Officially opened by = State Councilor L ...

Singing and movie career

Cordero's singing career began after word spread about her singing ability at a newly opened disco in 1985. Offers of recording contracts, movie roles, and stage performances came after a string of hits which began with a tailor-made song written for her by director and songwriter Teddy Robin, titled "Sai Hei". Parts of this song were also used in one of

Edison Chen Edison Chen Koon-hei (, born Chen Hing-wah on 7 October 1980) is a Canadian-born Hong Kong actor, singer, rapper, fashion designer and entrepreneur. Chen is the co-founder of CLOT, a Hong Kong-based streetwear and fashion label. Debuting in 19 ...

's track 嘥氣 (Waste of breath).

Filmography

* '' City on Fire'' (龍虎風雲, 1987) * '' The Good, The Bad & The Beauty'' (1988) * ''

Bet on Fire Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

'' (1988) * '' Walk on Fire'' (1988) * '' Women Prison'' (1988) * ''

King of Stanley Market King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ti ...

'' (1988) * ''

Vampire Vs. Vampire ''Vampire Vs Vampire'' (一眉道人) is a 1989 Hong Kong comedy horror film directed by and starring Lam Ching-ying. The title references the interaction in the film between a jiangshi child, a creature from Chinese jiangshi fiction, "hopping" c ...

'' (1989) * '' Mr. Coconut'' (1989) * '' Crocodile Hunter'' (1989) * '' Mr. Sunshine'' (1989) * ''

Carry On Yakuza Carry or carrying may refer to: People * Carry (name) Finance * Carried interest (or carry), the share of profits in an investment fund paid to the fund manager * Carry (investment), a financial term: the carry of an asset is the gain or cost of ...

'' (1989) * ''

Aces Go Places 5 ''Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit'' is a 1989 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Lau Kar-leung with action choreography by Lau Kar-wing. This is the fifth installment in the ''Aces Go Places'' film series. It was released in the Un ...

'' (1989) * ''

Pedicab Driver ''Pedicab Driver'' () is a 1989 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by and starring Sammo Hung, who portrays the leader of a crew of cycle rickshaw drivers in 1930s Macau. The movie features guest appearances by Eric Tsang, Corey Yuen and Lau ...

'' (1989) * ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a h ...

'' (1989) (voice-over for

Pat Carroll Patricia Ann Carroll (May 5, 1927 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress and comedian. She was known for voicing Ursula in ''The Little Mermaid'' and for appearances in CBS's ''The Danny Thomas Show'', ABC's '' Laverne & Shirley'', and NB ...

) – Ursula (Cantonese dub) * ''

Jail House Eros A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correct ...

'' (1989) * '' To Spy With Love'' (1990) * ''

Tiger on Beat 2 The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

'' (1990) * '' The Banquet'' (1991) * ''

Second To None ''2nd to None'' (also known as ''ELVIIS: 2nd to None'') is a collection of songs by American rock and roll musician Elvis Presley. The album was released by on October 7, 2003 by RCA Records as the sequel to the previous year's highly successful ...

'' (1992) * ''

Gangs '92 ''Gangs '92'' is a 1992 Hong Kong action film directed by Dick Cho and starring Aaron Kwok as a rich heir who befriends a group of junior delinquents and helps them turn their lives around go straight. The film was released on 7 March 1992 by N ...

'' (1992) * '' Fatal Love'' (1993) * ''

The Enigma Of Love ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1993) * '' Whores from the North'' (1993) * '' Our Neighbour Detective'' (1994) * ''

Sexy and Dangerous Sexy is an adjective to describe a sexually appealing person (or thing), primarily referring to physical attractiveness. It may also refer to: * Sexual arousal, the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity * Sexual a ...

'' (1996) * '' Street Angels'' (1996) * ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'' (1996) * ''

Thanks for Your Love ''Thanks for Your Love'' is a 1996 Hong Kong romantic comedy film produced and directed by David Yu and Norman Law and starring Andy Lau and Rosamund Kwan. Plot Wah (Andy Lau) has an uninhibited romantic nature and is very optimistic. He also ...

'' (1996) * ''

97 Aces Go Places ''97 Aces Go Places'' is a 1997 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Chin Kar-lok and starring Alan Tam, Tony Leung, Christy Chung, Donna Chu and Francis Ng. The film is the sixth and final installment of the ''Aces Go Places'' film serie ...

'' (1997) * ''

Chinese Box ''Chinese Box'' is a 1997 movie directed by Wayne Wang and starring Jeremy Irons, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung and Michael Hui. The movie is set and was made at the time of Hong Kong's handover to the People's Republic of China on June 30, 1997. The ...

'' (1997) * ''

Knock Off Counterfeit consumer goods (or counterfeit and fraudulent, suspect items - CFSI) are goods, often of inferior quality, made or sold under another's brand name without the brand owner's authorization. Sellers of such goods may infringe on eith ...

'' (1998) * '' Fing's Raver'' (2001) * '' Let's Love Hong Kong'' (2002) * ''

Money Suckers Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

'' (2002) * '' I Want To Get Married'' (2003) * '' Men Suddenly in Black'' (2003) * ''

The Miracle Box ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (2004) * '' Forever Yours'' (2004) * ''

Invisible Waves ''Invisible Waves'' ( th, คำพิพากษาของมหาสมุทร) is a 2006 crime film by Thai director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, with screenplay by Prabda Yoon, cinematography by Christopher Doyle, and starring Tadanobu Asano – ...

'' (2006) * ''

Look for a Star ''Look for a Star'' () is a 2009 Hong Kong romantic comedy film that was produced and directed by Andrew Lau. Inspired by the relationship between Stanley Ho and his fourth wife, Angela Leong, the film stars Andy Lau as a billionaire, who falls ...

'' (2009) * ''

From Vegas to Macau ''From Vegas to Macau'' (), also known as ''The Man From Macau'' (), is a Hong Kong-Chinese crime comedy film directed by Wong Jing. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Nicholas Tse, Chapman To and Jing Tian. The film was released during 2014 Chinese Ne ...

'' (2014) * ''

Delete My Love ''Delete My Love'' () is a 2014 Hong Kong romantic comedy film directed and written by Patrick Kong and starring Wong Cho-lam, Ivana Wong and Michael Hui. Plot So Po-wing or So Boring as everyone calls him doesn't have much going for him, car ...

'' (2014) * ''

From Vegas to Macau III ''From Vegas to Macau III'' (賭城風雲III) is a 2016 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Andrew Lau and Wong Jing and starring Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Nick Cheung and Li Yuchun, with special appearances by Jacky Cheung and Carina Lau. The ...

'' (2016) * ''Lucid Dreams'' (2018)

Songs

* 救命 (Save My Life) * 友誼之光 (The Light of Friendship) * 媽媽 I Love You (Mama I Love You) * You Can't Stop Me Loving You * Old People

Personal

Cordero has been married twice and was married to her second spouse Rick da Silva from 1999 until his death on November 5, 2020. Her children (including step children) are from her first marriage.

References

External links

Maria Cordero
brns.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Maria 1954 births Living people Hong Kong people of Macanese descent

Cordero Cordero is Spanish and Italian last name origin. The name means "young lamb", per the Latin ''cordarius'' (a derivative of ''cordus'', meaning ‘young’, ‘new’). It may be an occupational name for a shepherd, or a nickname meaning "lamb" ...

English-language singers from Hong Kong 20th-century Hong Kong actresses 21st-century Hong Kong actresses Macau people Macanese people Macau people of Portuguese descent Macau emigrants to Hong Kong Recipients of the Bronze Bauhinia Star Macau-born Hong Kong artists