Karen Mok Man Wai | Hong Kong Movie World biography, filmography, photos (2025)

Karen Mok

(Mok Man Wai, Karen Joy Morris, Karen Morris, Mo Wen Wei)

Actress, Singer

Born: June 2, 1970- Hong Kong Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English

Multi-talented and multi-faceted,Karen Mok Man Wai has beenhighly successful at

marketing her abilities to the public. Intelligence, sex appeal and an amicable relationship

with the media have all added up to superstardom for the precocious pop star.

Raised in Hong Kong and educated in England, Karen (birth name: Karen Joy Morris) is an

exotic mix of influences and ancestry. She claims Chinese, Welsh, Persian, and German

heritage- speaks fluent English with a light British accent, and sings in both Cantonese and

Mandarin. Infatuated with Italian culture, Karen studied Italian literature in London and Italy

before returning to Hong Kong and launching her singing career in 1993. Her songs, which

covered topics such as love, relationships, and women'sindependence, struck a cord with the

public. She recorded Chinese and English versions of two of her early hits, the feminist

anthems 'I Say' and 'Love Yourself'- fitting captions to her can-do attitude.

Like Cantopop diva Faye Wong before her, Karen captured attention as an actress in a Wong

Kar Wai film. Her role as the bleached-blonde girlfriend of Leon Lai in Fallen Angels (1995)

earned her a Best Supporting Actress Award, and catapulted her into the big leagues.

Karen's films- comedies, action, and dramas- placed her in the company of such co-stars as

Jordan Chan, Eric Kot, Jet Li, and Leslie Cheung. In 1996 alone, she was in 7 movies,

and her breezy ballad from Viva Erotica, despite being barely audible in the film, got a Best

Original Song nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Mok's profile also rose significantlyas a recurring co-star in the comedies of box office champ

Stephen Chow Sing Chi, to whom she wasromantically linked for years.To date, Karen has

appeared in 7 of his films, more than any other actress.

Karen Mok has deliberately sold herself as an alternative to the formulaic, pre-packaged

Cantopop that permeates the landscape. Despite her unpolished vocal ability, she has turned

out music that is commercial and creative. Her 2001 release 'Golden Flower', produced by

Taiwanese musician Wu Bai, is an exceptionally experimental album combining electronica

and pop. Much of her other music is purely mainstream, mixing R&B, folk, dance, and rock.

Mok has always played with her image- shaving her head, posing nude on her album covers,

and frollicing provocativelyon stage during her live performances. In public, she can be coy

and playful, outspoken, orphilosophical. These contrasting qualities have complemented her

film roles- girlish innocence in Black Mask, edgy spunk in Sexy and Dangerous.

Karen raised eyebrows whenshe played an ugly snaggle-toothed street vendor in Stephen

Chow's The God of Cookery.She also ditched any trace of vanity in Shaolin Soccer

(as a mustached soccer player) andThe Irresistible Piggies (2002) (as a hairy neanderthal

woman).Yet Karen remains an object of desire to the male species on at least a couple of

continents. Ms. Morris recently co-starred withVicki Zhao Wei and Shu Qi in So Close,

and fought with Jackie Chan as the villainess 'General Fang' in Disney's

Around the World in 80 Days.

Karen Mok Filmography

Karen Mok- American Re-releases

Karen Mok- Movie Theme Songs

Karen Mok -Duets

Karen Mok-TV Credits

* presenter (receives a kiss from Richard Ng)

Hong Kong Film Awards

Best Supporting Actress Awards- Karen Mok

1995 Fallen Angels

Best Actress Nominations- Karen Mok

1996 God of Cookery

Best Original Song Awards- Karen Mok

1996 Viva Erotica (performed by Karen Mok)

Karen Mok Gallery

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