Charmaine Sheh’s journey to TVB royalty: how the Hong Kong star went from 90s beauty pageant contestant to best actress award winner for TV drama The Queen of News

Jan 27 , 2024

Queen of TVB: Hong Kong actress Charmaine Sheh Sze-man has starred in hit shows and modelled Tiffany & Co. jewellery. Photo: @charmaine_sheh/Instagram

Like fellow actresses Maggie Cheung, Anita Yuen and Michele Reis, Sheh rose to fame after placing in the Miss Hong Kong pageant, becoming known for roles in historical dramas such as Story of Yanxi Palace

She just won best actress for the third time at the recent TVB Anniversary Awards – a first in the industry – and rocks Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston jewellery, and Louboutin shoes

At the height of Hong Kong television broadcasting company TVB’s influence in the Asian entertainment scene in the 1980s and 1990s, one way for young aspiring actresses with no screen experience to break into the industry was to join the Miss Hong Kong pageant.

Some of the most prominent female talents in Asian entertainment, including Cannes Film Festival’s best actress Maggie Cheung and former actress and socialite Michele Reis, were contestants in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in the 1980s.

Charmaine Sheh was the second runner up in the 1997 Miss Hong Kong pageant. Photo: Sina

The pageant also gave rise to several big-name actresses in the 1990s. Along with 1993 Hong Kong Film Awards best newcomer award winner Anita Yuen, 1997 Miss Hong Kong second runner-up Charmaine Sheh stands out as one of the most prolific actresses of her generation.

Charmaine Sheh Sze-man stars in the hit TV show The Queen of the News. Photo: Apple TV+

Having spent the past decade in mainland China and landing iconic roles in some of the most-watched television dramas in recent years, Sheh found herself at the centre of the Hong Kong entertainment scene once again with the recent TV hit The Queen of News. Her role as a fierce television news anchor landed her a best actress award at the recent TVB Anniversary Awards on January 14. She’s the first to win the accolade three times, per 8 Days.

Louis Koo and Charmaine Sheh play a married couple in the 2017 film Always Be With You. Photo: Handout

Sheh has come a long way since landing her second runner-up title at the Miss Hong Kong pageant. Though she was a graduate of the International Hotel Management Institute Switzerland, Sheh signed a contract with TVB soon after competing at Miss International 1997.