Taiwanese American Kelly Lin Stars in Sparrow









Taiwanese American Kelly Lin co-stars with Simon Yam in the stylish and witty Johnnie To film Sparrow. In a film notable for having taken 4 years to produce, Lin plays a mysterious woman who enters the lives of four virtuoso Hong Kong pickpockets, bringing both good fortune and bad. Sparrow was a Golden Bear nominee at the Berlin Film Festival.

Kelly Lin was born in Taiwan in 1975. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was nine. After graduating from UC Irvine with degrees in both economics and literature, Lin returned to Taiwan to pursue a show biz career. Her singing ambitions were placed on hold to accommodate a rush of modeling gigs. Her alluring looks also placed her on a steady stream of fashion and beauty magazines.



Lin's lovely face soon won her roles in films by Tsui Hark, Patrick Tam, Stephen Chow and, most recently, Johnnie To. She surprised everyone with her convincing portrayals of a meek Japanese reporter in Tokyo Trial and a social-climbing hooker in After This Our Exile which won her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2006 Hong Kong Awards. Despite her continuing success in an international assortment of acclaimed films, Lin's top ambition remains marriage and three kids. To that end she is rumored to be dating Taiwanese pop star Ken Chu.

Introducing Kelly LIn

Kelly Lin Hsi-Lei (林熙蕾) is a Taiwanese actress and model who has appeared mainly in films made in Hong Kong.

Chinese name:林熙蕾
Pinyin:lín xī lěi (Mandarin)
Jyutping: lam hei lui (Cantonese)
Born: October 29, 1975 (1975-10-29) (age 32)Taiwan
Other name(s): Lam Hei-Lui, Lin Xilei, Kelly Lam
Occupation: Actress and model
Genre(s): Cinema of Hong Kong
Spouse(s): Ken Chu


Biography
Lin was born in Taiwan in 1975. She moved to Los Angeles, California with her family at the age of 9. She finished college at the University of California in Irvine (UC: Irvine) with a Degree in Economics and Comparative Literature. Not knowing what to do after college, Lin decided to pursue a career in show business in Taiwan.

Career
Lin initially wanted to be a singer and has already recorded demo tapes for a record company, but she was given numerous offers for modeling on television and print ads. She was hailed by FHM as "Asia's Sexiest Woman" in 2002, and has graced the cover of numerous fashion magazines in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. She has also appeared on copies of Marie Claire - French Edition (2005) and VOGUE Italia (2007).
Lin has been seen in various Hong Kong films and has worked with film directors such as Tsui Hark, Patrick Tam and, most frequently, Johnnie To. Lin has co-starred alongside Asian superstars, including Andy Lau, Stephen Chow and Ekin Cheng. With her success as an actress, she decided to drop her hopes of becoming a singer.

After a two-year of hiatus from the film industry, Lin returned to acting with films such as Tokyo Trial and After This Our Exile for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 2006, she worked with award-winning French director, Olivier Assayas, and shared film credits with Italian-born Hollywood actress, Asia Argento, in the film, Boarding Gate, which aired at the Midnight Screening of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. She also co-starred in the three-part-segment film, Triangle, which was also shown at the festival, and in Mad Detective, which was a runner-up and a "surprise film" at the 64th Venice International Film Festival.

Her newest film, Sparrow, directed by Johnnie To, which took three years to make, was nominated for the "Golden Bear" at the Berlin International Film Festival. Lin has also participated in other numerous international film festivals including the New York Asian Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, the Udine Far East Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival and the Barcelona Film Festival.

Lin has recently signed under Stellar Entertainment Ltd., owned and managed by international superstar Michelle Yeoh, international film producer Terence Chang and Taiwan veteran journalist David Tang. The new company aims to launch asian artists for international stardom.

Filmography
The Conmen in Vegas (1999)
The Tricky Master (1999)
The Legend of Speed (1999)
Raped by an Angel 5 (2000)
For Bad Boys Only (2000)
Martial Angels (2001)
Fulltime Killer (2001)
The Legend of Zu (2001)
Running Out of Time 2 (2001)
Devil Face Angel Heart (2002)
The Irresistible Piggies (2002)
Sleeping with the Dead (2002)
My Left Eye Sees Ghosts (2002)
Tokyo Trial (2006)
After This Our Exile (2006)
Triangle (2007)
Boarding Gate (2007)
Mad Detective (2007)
Sparrow (2008)
Yearning (2008)

Television Works/Appearances
Astrology Stories: A Dcumentary On Kelly Lin(1999)
Xin Shao Lin Wu Zu (2000)
Shuangfei MV(2000)
Asian Charlie's Angels (2001)
Xiang Shuai Chuan Qi (2001)
Hong Yan Hua (2001)
Huan Xi Ren Jia (2001)
Existence Of Love MV(2001)
Honour And Unforgiven (2002)
The Seventh Grade (2003)
Beautiful Girls (2005)
Atheism MV(2006)

Book
Offbeat (1999)

Awards
Best Actress Nominee - The 29th Hundred Flowers Film Festival (2008) The Tokyo Trial
Best Supporting Actress Nominee- 26TH Hong Kong Film Awards After This Our Exile
Best Supporting Actress Nominee -2006 HongKong Bauhulian Awards After This Our Exile
ELLE Magazine's Most Fashionable Chinese Actress (2006)
FHM's Sexiest Asian Woman (2002)

Endorsements
PC Ladies Brassiere & Lingerie (2008)
Celine (2008)
Louis Vuitton (2004-2008))
Jaeger-LeCoultre (2007-2008)
Emporio Armani (2007)
Versace (2007)
Laneige Cosmetics (2007)
Cartidea (2007)
ESPRIT (2007)
Adidas (2007)
Omega Jewelries (2006)
Raymond Weil Geneve Watch (2006)
Motorola (2006)
Cartier (2005)
Lancome (2005)
Ponpon (2002)
Neutrogena Facial Cleanser (2002)
LAUREL Foods - Cairu Wanton(2000)
Taiwan Mobile TV Ad - (1999)

source: wikipedia