Deanie Ip

Deanie Ip (born 25 December 1947) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. Ip released her debut EP Deanie Ip in 1969 before shifting her focus to live performances. She returned to recording in the early 1980s and went on to release several hit songs, but largely stepped away from the music industry in the late 1980s and 1990s to concentrate on film acting. She resumed her singing career in the early 2000s; in 2004, she won the Ultimate Song Award at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards for her duet “Beauty Remains” (美中不足) with Andy Hui, and in 2014 she participated in the ensemble recording of “Raise the Umbrella” (撐起雨傘) in support of the Umbrella Movement. In 2019, she was blacklisted in mainland China for supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, with her music removed from streaming services.

As an actor, Ip is acclaimed for her portrayals of grassroots characters. For her performance in the 2011 film A Simple Life, she won nine Best Actress awards, including at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, the 48th Golden Horse Awards, the 6th Asian Film Awards, and the 31st Hong Kong Film Awards. She has also won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress three times and the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress twice.

Music career In the 1980s, Ip released five albums with a local producer. After complaining about the direction of the Cantopop industry and falling out with her then label, Black and White, Ip chose to retire from music in 1988 and went into semi-retirement, with occasional roles in movies. She returned to the Cantopop scene in 2002 with an EP, which, along with a live recording of her 2002 concert in Hong Kong, were both released by Universal Music Group. In the mid-90s, she teamed up with male star Andy Hui to produce the hit duet "教我如何不愛他" (lit. "Teach me how not to love him") and again in 2004 for the award-winner "美中不足" (lit. "A minor defect in something otherwise perfect").

Film career and recognition Ip has been recognised on several occasions, including in A Simple Life, for which she won Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Gregory So congratulated her for winning the award, stating the award was not only an international recognition of her outstanding achievement, but a testimony of the level of excellence of the Hong Kong film industry. A Simple Life marked the 10th collaboration between Ip and Andy Lau, with whom she first star in The Unwritten Law in 1985.

Ip has twice won Best Supporting Actress in the Hong Kong Film Awards for her roles in Dances with Dragon (11th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1991), and in My Name Ain't Suzy (5th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1985). She has also been nominated as Best Supporting Actress on three times occasions: Wrong Wedding Trail (4th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1984), Spiritual Love (7th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1987) and Murder (13th Hong Kong Film Awards, 1993).

She has also won Best Supporting Actress at the 36th Golden Horse Awards for Crying Heart (2012).

Before filming A Simple Life, Ip had a 12-year hiatus from acting, about the hiatus she stated “I was viewed by some in the business as a disobedient actress who loves to play the role of a director on set. I am also not great at networking. I guess these are the reasons why I haven’t been offered a lot of work."

Politics

Ip participated in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement, where protesters demanded electoral reform from the government. She was involved in recording Denise Ho's Cantopop song "Raise the Umbrella" . The song had been described as an inspiring anthem for the pro-democracy movement. During the 2016 Hong Kong legislative election campaign, Ip expressed her support for activist Nathan Law and stated, "I believe that this young man does everything he does for Hong Kong, and for his generation."

In 2019, Ip joined the pro-democracy demonstrations during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. Ip was one of few Hong Kong celebrities to voice support for the protesters, leading to her songs being removed from Mainland China's music streaming platforms. Untroubled by the loss of this income stream, she continued to voice her admiration for the young protestors.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes/1978 Killers Two Jing wang shuang xiong 1979 Lin Ya Zhen lao hu yu xia xie Madam policewoman 1980 Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind Police Officer 1981 The Executor Love Massacre Cream Soda and Milk Won – Golden Horse Awards for Best Supporting ActressSealed with a Kiss 1982Carry On Pickpocket Inspector Ling Mo deng za chai Love 1983 Di yi ba jiao yi 1984 Pom Pom Anna Wrong Wedding Trail Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best ActressThe Return of Pom Pom Anna Before Dawn The Owl vs Bombo Joyce Leung 1985 Mr. Boo Meets Pom Pom Anna Welcome Great-Grandfather's Wife Goodbye Mama Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars Person at the end #18 The Unwritten Law Lau Wai-lan Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best ActressMy Name Ain't Suzie Wong Ying Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated – Golden Horse Awards for Best Supporting ActressSeven Angels Sergeant 1986 The Lunatics Tina Lau Zai jian ma mi Liza Pom Pom Strikes Back Anna Soul Lee Yip-Cheong The Story of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen 1987 Spiritual Love Chin-Hua Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress1988 Dragons Forever Miss Yip The Truth Lau Wai Lan Fat lut mo ching Siu Yuk-Fong 1989 Carry on Yakuza!! Mrs. Wong The Truth: Final Episode 1991 Fantasy Romance Ghost Prostitute Dances with Dragon Shi-Yi / Baby Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress1992 Fight Back to School II Inspector Yip Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting ActressArrest the Restless Teddy's Mother The Prince of Temple Street Phoenix Deadly Dream Woman Witch Woman She Starts the Fire Big Beer Handsome Siblings Sissy To 1993 Murder Ma Mei-Chun Nominated – Golden Horse Awards for Best Supporting ActressNominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting ActressDays of Tomorrow Ling's Mother Man of the Times Mary 1994 The New Legend of Shaolin Red Bean's Mother 1995 Tragic Commitment Ngank 1996Thanks for Your Love Mrs. Li 1999 Criss-Cross Over Four Seas Ming Sing TV moviePrince Charming 'Babe' Fei Crying Heart Mrs. Fat Won – Golden Horse Awards for Best Supporting Actress2000 Don't Look Back... Or You'll Be Sorry!! Marianne Siu Queen of Kowloon Ah Si 2011 A Simple Life Chung Chun-tao Won – Coppa Volpi for the Best ActressWon – Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Jury Prize for Best ActressWon – Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards for Best ActressWon – Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress Won – Asian Film Award for Best ActressWon – Hong Kong Film Award for Best ActressWon – Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards for Best ActressWon – Hong Kong Salento International Film Festival for Salento AwardWon – Chinese Film Media Awards for Best ActressNominated – Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress(runner-up)No Regret 2013 A Complicated Story Gypsy The Intruder 2017Our Time Will Come Mrs. Fong Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated – Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress 2025Ballad of a Small PlayerGrandma

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