Isabella Leong

Early life

Luísa Isabella Nolasco da Silva Lok-yau was born on 23 June, 1988, in Macao to Luís Alberto Marques Nolasco da Silva (b. Sé, 8 August, 1951; d. São Lourenço, 20 January, 1989) and a croupier. She has a sister who is seven years older.

Leong's father was a descendant of one of the most prominent and long-established Macanese families (Nolasco da Silva, 殷理基家族). Her father was born to Frederico Joao Moreira de Sousa Teles de Menezes, a Portuguese father and Terry Marques Nolasco, a Chinese woman living in Portugal. Frederico Joao is the sixth generation of the family and former President of the Macau Football Association. Leong's father has 2 elder brothers, Henrique and Frederico, and one younger brother, Jose Manuel.

Leong's father suffered from a secret drug addiction and died from an overdose when she was only 6 months old. Leong had never received recognition from her paternal family, so she took her mother's surname. Leong's mother worked as a croupier in Casino Lisboa and Leong was responsible for contributing to the family's finances.

In 1993, she moved from Macau to Hong Kong and enrolled in Po Leung Kuk Camões Tan Siu Lin Primary School, after which she went to several schools in Hong Kong and Macao. She attended Macau Sam Yuk Middle School in 1999 but dropped out.

Career

To help provide for her family, Leong abandoned school at age 12 to become a model for Emperor Entertainment Group.

She later began singing and released her debut album, Isabella, when she was 16 years old. Isabella did not achieve the success hoped for and Leong subsequently debuted with acting. From 2005 to 2007, she made a string of films including The Eye 10, Bug Me Not!, Isabella, Diary, and Spider Lilies.

Leong won her first American film role in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which was released in 2008.

EEG contract dispute

Emperor Entertainment Group filed a lawsuit in the High Court on 3 April, 2008, to seek damages from Leong for breaking a 10-year contract which Leong's mother signed for her when she was only 12 years old. Leong filed a writ against the company on 27 April. In November 2008, the legal battle between Leong and EEG ended in an out-of-court settlement, with the star "free to pursue her career".

Personal life

In 2008, Leong met Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li, son of billionaire Li Ka-shing, on a movie set, when she was 20 and he was 41. In April 2009, Leong gave birth to their first son Ethan Li Cheung Tsz. For this, Leong was allowed to use Li's family mansions in San Francisco. They also provided her with an entourage of caregivers, including five bodyguards, four full-time nannies and a personal attendant. Channel News Asia has speculated on whether Leong and Li have a prenuptial agreement. A 100-day-old banquet was held for her son from July 9–11, 2009, for three consecutive days, with some of the city's celebrities like Stanley Ho and his second wife Lam Wan Ying, and Tsang Yam Pui and his wife spotted in attendance.

In June 2010, Leong gave birth to Li's twin sons in San Francisco.

In March 2011, Leong announced that she and Li had ended their relationship. They both declared that the split was amicable and that they would both take care of their children.

Awards

Fantasporto (2006)

Golden Bauhinia Awards (2006)

Nominations

Hong Kong Film Awards (2005)

Hong Kong Film Awards (2007)

Hong Kong Film Awards (2007)

Golden Bauhinia Awards (2007)