Valerie Chow Biography

Valerie Chow, aka Rachel Shane (born 16 December 1970 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a Hong Kong actress.

She has starred in numerous films and several television series, most memorably in Wong Kar-wai's internationally acclaimed 1994 feature, Chungking Express, which earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 14th Hong Kong Film Awards. A former Miss Hong Kong runner-up (1991), she is also the first Chinese model to be signed by US cosmetics company Revlon in 1998.

Career

1991-93: Early Career

After winning the first-runner up award at the 1991 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, Chow began her career in television as a host on TVB Pearl, following a brief study break where she completed her degree in Law at the University of Hong Kong (1993). She went onto begin her film career with a cameo in Peter Chan's He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father released in late 1993.

1994-96: Hong Kong Films

She received some media attention early on in 1994 for her role in the box office hit Twenty Something, which dealt explicitly with themes of sexuality. It remains the only film from the Hong Kong movie production house UFO (United Filmmakers Organisation) to be given a Category-III rating. Her following role in Wong Kar-Wai's widely acclaimed Chungking Express also made an impression, which garnered her critical attention and an award nomination. Her career would take a sharp turn months later after appearing in a television series as the extramarital interest of a family man. The series was a success but her character was ill-received by the public. The antagonistic image of seductress came to be closely identified with Chow, further cemented by rumours of her alleged affair with Tony Leung Chiu Wai (then already dating long-time partner Carina Lau), whose music videos she also featured in. In the subsequent period between 1995"97, she was cast in a string of B-movies, usually in the role of a villain. The more notable of these were that of the female terrorist in Jing Wong's High Risk, a commercial hit, and a guest appearance in Tsui Hark's acclaimed wu-xia feature The Blade.

1997-99: Hollywood and Revlon

In 1997, she left the Hong Kong film industry to pursue a career in Hollywood, adopting the new screen name, Rachel Shane. She had a small part in the film Phantoms which starred Peter O'Toole and Ben Affleck. More substantially in 1998, she became the first Chinese spokesmodel for Revlon US, appearing in national print and television campaigns alongside Halle Berry, Salma Hayek, and Melanie Griffith. She is to be followed by Lucy Liu.

2000-02: Part-Time Actor

She returned to Hong Kong as a part-time actor in 2000. The following year saw her return to the small screen in the ATV series, Healing Hearts, with greater success. Her role as a smart and sophisticated lawyer was much better received and made her recognised by audiences as emblematic of the 'perfect modern woman.' The role briefly revived her career, leading to many magazine covers, and an ad campaign with Neutrogena Hong Kong. She also appeared alongside co-star Leslie Cheung in Inner Senses (2002), which was to be Cheung's last film.

2003-present: Publicist, Entrepreneur

Since 2003, she has more or less decided to leave the entertainment industry and for the next six years continued to work as publicist for the Pedder Group, the shoes and accessories division of Lane Crawford. She took a short break in mid-2004 when she was offered a part in a television series which never made it to air until Dec. of 2010, after more than six years since filming completed. She made periodical appearances in the press throughout these years as a senior executive during her company's seasonal showcases. She left her job in 2009 to become a full-time mother and in September 2010 opened Mama Kid, a children's clothing boutique in Hong Kong's Central District, with plans to opening additional branches in 2011.

Filmography

• He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father (-"?"?"?"??) (1993)
• Twentysomething (???"?) (1994)
• Chungking Express ("?"??"?) (1994)
• Lover of the Last Empress ("???"?"??) (1995)
• Dream Killer ("??"?"?"?"?) (1995)
• The Case of the Cold Fish (?"???) (1995)
• Ghostly Bus (???) (1995)
• Spider Woman (?"?"??) (1995)
• Wind Beneath My Wings (????) (1995)
• High Risk (?"???) (1995)
• The Armed Policewoman (95????) (1995)
• Red Zone ("?"??) (1995)
• The Blade (?) (1995)
• Street Angels ("?"??) (1996)
• Hero (???) (1997)
• Phantoms (1998)
• Futuresport (1998)
• Bridge of Dragons (1999)
• Sausalito (?"??"?) (2000)
• Healing Hearts (????) (2000)
• The Vampire Combat (????) (2001)
• Inner Senses ("???-") (2002)
• Freaky Story (?"??"?"?) (2002)

TV series

• Fate of the Clairvoyant ("?"????"? alt. ?"?"?"??) (1994)
• John Woo's Once A Thief (appears in one episode) (1997)
• Healing Hearts (????) (2001)
• Shanghai Legend (???"??"?"?"?) (2004, aired 2010)