Fala Chen

Fala Chen (born 24 February 1982) is a Chinese‑American actress and singer who first gained fame after winning the Miss Chinese International Pageant in 2005. Raised in Chengdu until age fourteen, she emigrated with her family to Atlanta, where she excelled academically and later earned a BA in Marketing and International Business at Emory University. To fund her studies she entered a series of beauty contests, culminating in a first‑runner‑up finish at the Miss Chinese International competition, which opened the door to a contract with TVB and a rapid rise in Hong Kong television. Chen’s breakout performances came in the dramas Heart of Greed (2007) and its sequel Moonlight Resonance (2008), where she portrayed a mute girl and learned sign language for the role; her nuanced work earned her back‑to‑back Best Supporting Actress trophies at the TVB Anniversary Awards for Steps (2007) and No Regrets (2010), as well as an Asian Television Award. Transitioning to film, she debuted in the crime thriller Turning Point (2009) and later headlined a variety of Hong Kong productions, including the drama series Lives of Omission (2011) and the horror film Tales from the Dark 2 (2013). After her TVB contract ended, Chen pursued a Master of Fine Arts at the Juilliard School (2014‑2018), graduating with honors and subsequently breaking into the U.S. market with the HBO miniseries The Undoing (2020). Her international profile surged when she portrayed Ying Li in Marvel’s Shang‑Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), followed by appearances in Irma Vep (2022) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). Beyond acting, Chen released the Cantonese pop album Beautiful Life (2012) and has served as a brand ambassador for Olay and a Pink Ambassador for breast‑cancer awareness campaigns. She is married to French entrepreneur Emmanuel Straschnov, with whom she has two children, a daughter born in February 2021 and a son born in March 2024.