Personal life
Leung was born in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire to Peter, who was a businessman, and Kar Wai Li Leung, who works in a law firm. Her parents are now divorced. Her father owns a successful Chinese restaurant named Regent in Glasgow and a Chinese wholesale firm named Jade Palace Trading. She attended high school at Scotland's Hamilton College[1]. As of 2008 she was residing in Battersea, South London.[2][3][4]
Katie delayed plans to go to art college and university in order to film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Leung has said she is undecided about pursuing an acting career after Harry Potter and wishes to attend university to study art and design.[5] In 2007 she helped The Prince's Trust charity of Scotland raise £100,000 by launching a children's art competition and also donated one of her own paintings which was auctioned for £960.[6] In 2008 she attended University of the Arts London.[2] Katie has expressed a passion for photography.[7] In 2009 she was one of two celebrities who donated a photo to Sightsavers International's i:click 2009 competition. Sightsavers International is a charitable organization to combat blindness in poor countries.[8][9]
On set of Order of the Phoenix Leung became good friends with fellow actresses Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Afshan Azad (Padma Patil).
[edit] Career
Leung's father saw an advertisement for a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire casting call, and suggested she should try out. She waited four hours in line for a five-minute audition, and said that she would rather be shopping than stand in line for a role she was almost certain she wouldn't get.[1] Two weeks later, she was called back for a workshop and was cast as Cho Chang, in the process beating out over 4,500 other girls for the part, among them actresses Courtney Webb and Michelle Ang.[10] She stated in an interview with the Daily Record that her Scottish accent probably gave her an edge in the casting.[11]
She appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which she and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) shared an on-screen kiss that received much media coverage.[12]
Leung has contributed her voice to the video games Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Leung confirmed that she will return as Cho Chang in the Deathly Hallows movies.[13] It is unknown if she will be in part I or II (or both).[14]
In July 2007, Leung was cast by Gold Label Records, a subsidiary of EMI in Hong Kong, to be the female lead in the music video Love Coming Home (愛回家) by Leo Ku. Leung filmed the video in London while promoting the new Harry Potter film. Leo described Leung's acting as "professional" and "mature."[15]
Leung played Hsui Tai in the episode "Cat Among the Pigeons" of ITV1's Agatha Christie's Poirot,[2][16] which premiered on ITV on 21 September 2008.
Leung has been named as Scotland's most stylish female and as the hottest Scotswoman by The Scotsman.[17] She has also been featured in Teen Vogue and in Evening Standard.
Leung was born in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire to Peter, who was a businessman, and Kar Wai Li Leung, who works in a law firm. Her parents are now divorced. Her father owns a successful Chinese restaurant named Regent in Glasgow and a Chinese wholesale firm named Jade Palace Trading. She attended high school at Scotland's Hamilton College[1]. As of 2008 she was residing in Battersea, South London.[2][3][4]
Katie delayed plans to go to art college and university in order to film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Leung has said she is undecided about pursuing an acting career after Harry Potter and wishes to attend university to study art and design.[5] In 2007 she helped The Prince's Trust charity of Scotland raise £100,000 by launching a children's art competition and also donated one of her own paintings which was auctioned for £960.[6] In 2008 she attended University of the Arts London.[2] Katie has expressed a passion for photography.[7] In 2009 she was one of two celebrities who donated a photo to Sightsavers International's i:click 2009 competition. Sightsavers International is a charitable organization to combat blindness in poor countries.[8][9]
On set of Order of the Phoenix Leung became good friends with fellow actresses Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Afshan Azad (Padma Patil).
[edit] Career
Leung's father saw an advertisement for a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire casting call, and suggested she should try out. She waited four hours in line for a five-minute audition, and said that she would rather be shopping than stand in line for a role she was almost certain she wouldn't get.[1] Two weeks later, she was called back for a workshop and was cast as Cho Chang, in the process beating out over 4,500 other girls for the part, among them actresses Courtney Webb and Michelle Ang.[10] She stated in an interview with the Daily Record that her Scottish accent probably gave her an edge in the casting.[11]
She appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which she and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) shared an on-screen kiss that received much media coverage.[12]
Leung has contributed her voice to the video games Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Leung confirmed that she will return as Cho Chang in the Deathly Hallows movies.[13] It is unknown if she will be in part I or II (or both).[14]
In July 2007, Leung was cast by Gold Label Records, a subsidiary of EMI in Hong Kong, to be the female lead in the music video Love Coming Home (愛回家) by Leo Ku. Leung filmed the video in London while promoting the new Harry Potter film. Leo described Leung's acting as "professional" and "mature."[15]
Leung played Hsui Tai in the episode "Cat Among the Pigeons" of ITV1's Agatha Christie's Poirot,[2][16] which premiered on ITV on 21 September 2008.
Leung has been named as Scotland's most stylish female and as the hottest Scotswoman by The Scotsman.[17] She has also been featured in Teen Vogue and in Evening Standard.
