Full Name: Katie Liu Leung

Date of Birth: 8th August 1987
Place of Birth: Motherwell, Scotland, UK
Nickname: Katt
Height: 5' 4½" (1.64 m)
Eye Color: Dark brown
Hair Colour: Black


Katie lives with her father, Peter, two brothers and a younger sister in a £400,000 house in an exclusive district of Motherwell, near Glasgow. When her father married Katie's mother Kar Wai Li, 38, in Edinburgh in 1986 (who are now separated), he was running a Chinese take-away in Inverkeithing, Fife. He built up his business interests and is now a millionaire with a successful restaurant in the Glasgow city centre and a thriving Chinese food wholesale business. Katie attended Scotland's most prestigious private schools, a £5,000-a-year college.

Katie had always wanted to go to university and study art and design. Her entry into the big world of Harry Potter started as a bit of fun, when her dad saw an advertisment on TV for oriental-looking girls to audition for the part in the movie. She was reluctant at first as she had never acted before and didn't want to make a fool of herself. But since both Katie and her dad wanted to go to London, the audition happened.

"I thought there would be 20 or 30 girls at the most, but the queue went on for miles and miles. But I'd gone all the way down there and that was what I'd come for, so I wasn't going to give up."

It came as a big surprise when she won the part. The whole audition process took around two months and involved drama workshops and a screen test, which according to her was incredibly terrifying but an amazing experience.

"Before I got the part I wanted to attend university and study design or something, but I hadn't set my mind on a particular career. So this has started me off. "

"Acting could be a possibility, but I don't want to rely on it, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it goes. "

"I can go back to university any time - this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Katie just loves doing what a normal teenagers like to do! In her free time, she enjoys shopping, playing her guitar and piano, listening to music and spending quality time with family and friends.


Trivia:
- Beat out over 3,000 girls to make her debut as "Cho Chang" in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- Author J.K. Rowling insisted that the actress to play "Cho" had to be a complete unknown
- She achieved pass results in English, maths, chemistry, biology and art in her Highers (Scottish High School Exams)
- Can speak Cantonese (Chinese dialect)
- Parents are originally from Hong Kong
- Her father married again when Katie was five. She has a stepmother Cecilia, and a stepbrother Darren
- She also has a halfsister, Nicole, from her mother's second marriage
- Her favorite Chinese actors are Aaron Kwok and Stephen Chow


Katie Quotes:

- "It feels great! I feel even luckier and appreciative to have got this role because so many girls would do anything to be in my position. The scenes where he's gazing at me from afar were really fun to film because you had to give him this look and tease him. I had to do a lot of looking back to make him think he's got a chance when really he hasn't because I have a boyfriend." (When asked how it feels like to be Harry's first kiss).

- Her best friend on set is Bonnie Wright who plays Ginny Weasley, ironically the girl who displaces Cho in Harry Potter's affections. "Everyone expects us to be rivals, but we hang out a lot."

- Her big smooching scene with Daniel Radcliffe was re-shot 30 times, before they finally got it right. But Katie added: "Daniel is a good kisser. I really enjoyed it."

- Even after attending the London premiere all she could say was, “It’s really daunting, I can’t believe I’m here.”

- When asked if she could have one magical power, Katie replied, "I think to read boys' minds."

- "I think Prince Harry is lovely." The teenage actress said she would like a date with the royal and would choose him over his brother William.


Filmography:
- (2008) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (filming) - Cho Chang
- (1 episode, 2008) Poirot - Hsui Tai Wan
- (2007) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Cho Chang
- (2007) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Cho Chang
- (2005) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Cho Chang


Contact information:

Katie Leung
Cho Chang
GoF
c/o Harry Potter Production
Leavesden Studios, PO Box 3000
Hertfordshire
WD2 7LT
United Kingdom


Biography by: Sarah R. (angeline_fire)

Credit:
Imdb and Katie Leung Interviews.