Louise Lee (李司棋) has been a staple in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for four decades. Older viewers will remember the former Hong Kong Princess as a heavily promoted TVB fadan from the 1970s, while younger viewers will identify with her strong maternal roles in recent dramas. Louise’s ability to win over audiences is not only due to her persuasive acting skills, but also a reflection of her caring personality and real-life role as a mother to her daughter and owner of two dogs. Currently in Reality Check <心路GPS>, Louise plays the biological mother of Owen Cheung (張振朗) and the adopted mother of Ruco Chan (陳展鵬). However, her relationship with Ruco is better than her relationship with her biological son in the drama. Louise feels that blood connections may not necessarily be thicker than water when it comes to relationships. It eventually depends on the interaction and communication between people, which is to be cherished and shaped by one’s own actions. To add on to her point, Louise mentioned her close relationship with her sister. Although the sisters live far apart, they took the effort to plan a long-distance vacation together to enjoy each other’s company. Louise had taken time off her filming in Macau to go back to Hong Kong to meet with her sister who flew in especially from New Zealand. The sisters then took off on a short holiday in Taiwan before Louise rushed back to Macau to continue filming. Despite the scuttling back and fro, Louise was happy she could meet up with her sister whom she hardly sees. Comfort in Daughter’s Independence Louise’s family is scattered throughout the world. After a brief stint as a news anchor in Toronto’s Chinavision Canada station, Louise went back to Hong Kong to act for TVB. Her daughter, Leslie Yip (葉子青), remains in Toronto working as a DJ. Although the mother and daughter live in different continents, they are in each other’s hearts. Fortunately, Leslie only brings comfort and relief to her mother. Louise elaborated, “For many years, I never had to worry about her. The only time she needed me by her side was when she was divorced. Now that she has remarried and the couple is happily working together at A1 Chinese Radio, I don’t have to worry. She never asked me for a single cent.” Even when it comes to work, Leslie never asked Louise to use her celebrity connections. Louise related, “Once Leslie wanted to invite Ron Ng (吳卓羲) to her radio station for an interview. Even though he lives on the same block as me, I asked Leslie to approach TVB instead.” Deep Feelings A decade ago, while recuperating from cervical cancer, Louise adopted two dogs to keep her company at home. Without her own family by her side, the two dogs provided much companionship to her. Her two dogs, Milk Tea and Man Man, are now 10 and 8 years old respectively. Most pet owners will easily understand that one almost becomes a parent to the animals over time due to the emotional attachment. After recovering from cancer, Louise resumed work and hardly had time to rest, let alone play with the dogs. It was Louise’s thoughtful domestic helper of many years who played with the dogs and brought them to her own room, so that Louise could have her rest. Now that her helper is retiring, Louise felt sad as she and her dogs will miss her dearly. She also worries who will care for her two dogs. Work and Charity Since her magnificent comeback in Heart of Greed <溏心風暴>, which secured her the TVB Best Actress award in 2007, Louise has filmed one to two dramas each year. “As long as it’s not too tough, I can still continue to work. It’s odd that I have not been approached to film in China. Actually, I’m from northern China and I’ve done dubbing in Mandarin before.” After a pause, she added, “Or maybe I haven’t actively looked for opportunities there.” Aside from her dedication to acting, the 62-year-old is tireless and full of heart, especially when it comes to charities helping others. Louise regularly donates to small organizations. Not only does she support the donation drive to give coal to northern Thailand, she has also bought stationery supplies of her own accord and offered them to children of new immigrants. The simple pleasure of watching faces light up is what motivates Louise to continue her charity work. Creds: Apple Daily
