New York — Fala Chen, a former TVB actress who has been pursuing a career in the United States has just given birth to a baby girl. Fala Chen announced the surprise Valentine’s Day news by posting a photo on Instagram featuring three hands, presumably belonging to her, her newborn, and her husband Frenchman Emmanuel Straschnov.
Fala Chen also posted another photo of herself during her pregnancy which she did not make public before the announcement, as reported by the Straits Times on February 14. She wrote in the caption that the past 10 months have been a wondrous journey, filled with unknowns, amazement, love, and lots of joy.
Fala Chen, 38 who tied the knot with Straschnov in 2019 added that their hearts are full as new parents and that they look forward to every day with the little lady. She added a sweet hashtag, #mylittlevalentine. She shared with Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily News that her daughter, nicknamed Little Minnie as she was born at the tail end of the Year of the Rat, has dimples like her husband and that it was a natural birth.
The actress is best known for her roles in drama serials such as No Regrets (2010) and Triumph In The Skies II (2013), is based in New York and most recently appeared in HBO miniseries The Undoing with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant last year. She will star in the upcoming Disney Marvel film Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings next year.
“Thank you everyone for your blessings. I’m a first-time mummy, so I’m very busy,” she said to the newspaper. “Hope there is a chance to see everyone soon.”
Born on February 24, 1982, Fala Chen is a Chinese-American actress who has appeared on film, television, and stage. She is best known for her roles in the Hong Kong drama series Steps, No Regrets, Triumph in the Skies II, and Lives of Omission. She also stars in the Hong Kong films Tales from the Dark 2 (2013), Turning Point (2009), and Despicable Me 3 (2017 – Cantonese). On stage, she portrayed Kyra Hollis in Skylight by David Hare (2016).
In 2018, Fala Chen wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Passenger, which was a finalist for the Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong Short Film Competition. She made her first Hollywood appearance in the HBO miniseries The Undoing in 2020 and is set to star in the upcoming Disney Marvel film Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. Fala’s mother tongue is Mandarin, but she is multilingual and fluent in English, Cantonese, and Japanese.