Grace Chang, Hong Kong screen icon and Mambo Girl star, dies at 93
The Hong Kong singer-actress, also known as Ge Lan, starred in classics including Mambo Girl and The Wild, Wild Rose before retiring from entertainment in 1964.
Hong Kong icon Grace Chang, whose stage name was Ge Lan, passed away at the age of 93, according to reports shared by cultural commentator Tang Siu Yu. Born in Shanghai in 1933, Chang moved to Hong Kong in her youth and adopted the name Ge Lan, a Chinese rendering of her English name Grace. She began her film career in the 1950s, making her debut in "Seven Sisters" in 1952.
Chang became a prominent figure in the Cathay Organisation, starring in over 30 films throughout her nearly decade-long acting career. Among her notable works are "It Blossoms Again," "Mambo Girl," and "The Wild, Wild Rose." Her final appearance on screen was in "The Story Of Three Loves" in 1964 before she retired from the entertainment industry.
Chang continued to influence the Chinese diaspora through her music, appearing in films like "The Hole" (1998) and "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018). Her life and career were documented in a 2025 biography titled "The Life Of Grace Chang" by author and musician Samuel Murchison Seka. In 2021, Chang made a public appearance at her 88th birthday, surrounded by fellow Hong Kong celebrities Yao Wei, Brigitte Lin, and Chen Chen. Lin's tribute to Chang read, "Aunty Ge Lan is the prettiest."
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