Vicky Tseng Wan-ting[1][2] (Chinese: 曾莞婷; born 5 May 1982) is a Taiwanese actress who debuted as a child actress at the age of 16 with minor television roles. She began starring in sitcoms after 2006, including her role as Lin Ai-ting in Lee's Family Reunion (2010). Tseng is best known for her portrayal of the main villain Kuo Jia-jia in the Hokkien sitcom Ordinary Love (2013). Since then, she has continued her career in sitcoms, appearing in Taste of Life (2015) and 100%Wife (2018), while also expanding her work into other genres, including the coming-of-age series Youngsters On Fire (2021-2022), as well as the Netflix drama series Mom, Don't Do That! (2022) and Born for the Spotlight (2024).
Early life and education
Tseng was born on 5 May 1982 in Taipei, Taiwan,[3][4] and grew up in Taichung.[5] Her father is a surveyor who operates his own surveying company,[6][7] and Tseng described her family as "wealthy" during her childhood years.[8][9] She has an elder brother, nine years her senior, who later pursued a career as a film director.[9][10] Aspiring to become an actress from a young age, Tseng attended Hwa Kang Arts School [zh] to study performing arts, influenced by her brother.[4][11] She was a classmate of musician Daniel Lee [zh] at Hwa Kang.[12] She had her first acting experience when talent scouts from Public Television Service selected students from her school to serve as cast extras.[11] When Tseng was in primary school, her family was scammed by relatives, leaving them with millions in debt,[13] while her father's business also declined, resulting in poor financial conditions for the family.[8][14] Unable to repay the debts, Tseng's mother briefly left the family,[9][15] and she often faced debt collectors at their home starting from junior high school.[8]
Though she initially aimed to study at Shih Hsin University after graduating high school,[16] Tseng was forced to leave school and start working at age 16 to alleviate her family's financial struggles.[17][18] She later moved to Hong Kong to work as a model and television host at the age of 19.[19][20] When she was 23, her father was killed in a train accident while conducting a survey in Keelung.[21] The accident prompted her to return to Taiwan,[20] and Tseng described it as a turning point that made her the breadwinner of the family.[15][22] She managed to repay the debts three years after landing recurring roles in sitcoms.[12] In June 2024, Tseng graduated with a master's degree in communications management from Shih Hsin University, along with an outstanding achievement award, which she described as "[realising her] dreams".[23][24]
After starring in Amazing Strategist Liu Bo Wen, Tseng aimed to take on more sitcom roles to pursue a more stable income.[9] For this reason, she began learning Hokkien to expand her opportunities in Hokkien sitcoms.[22][11] In 2010, Tseng was cast in a recurring role as Tsin Mei-hsuan, a young woman suffering from domestic violence, in the drama series The Wife Wars [zh].[34] That same year, she began to receive public attention for her role as Lin Ai-ting in the sitcom Lee's Family Reunion.[28][35] In 2011, Tseng landed her first leading role in the romance series Wives [zh].[36] She then starred in main roles in the 2012 television series Peak Times [zh] and Father's Wish [zh],[37][38] as well as a recurring role as Chao Yu-wei in the romance series The Heart of Woman.[39]
Breakthrough with Ordinary Love (2013-Present)
In 2013, Tseng received her breakout role as Kuo Jia-jia, a selfish businesswoman who served as the main villain in the family drama Ordinary Love [zh].[40] Her performance was critically acclaimed and earned her widespread recognition,[41] with TVBS describing the role as "iconic",[28] and several of the character's lines becoming popular memes.[42] It also established her as a character actress known for portraying villainous roles.[43][44] She took on another villainous main role as Zhou Xiao-jing, a disfigured woman, in the 2015 drama series Taste of Life.[45][46] In 2016, she made her feature film debut with a supporting role as Lin Mei-hsiu's character's sister in the comedy film The Big Power [zh],[47] and appeared in a recurring role in the drama series Stand By Me [zh].[48] The following year, Tseng made a cameo as one of Tia Lee's character's split personalities in the thriller film The Perfect Girl.[49] She then starred as one of the main family members in the 2018 sitcom 100%Wife [zh],[50] and played a supporting role as an undergarment shop owner in the 2019 comedy film Big Three Dragons [zh].[51] In December 2019, Tseng announced that she would no longer appear in sitcoms for health reasons.[52]
Tseng secured another main role as Miranda, a discipline teacher, in the coming-of-age drama series Youngsters On Fire [zh] from 2021 to 2022, appearing in all three seasons.[53] She and the other teacher cast members departed in the spin-off fourth season, which focused on the adult lives of the student cast.[54] Tseng also starred in the 2021 gangster film Gatao: The Last Stray [zh] as a corrupt councilwoman.[55] During the COVID-19 pandemic, most productions in Taiwan were suspended, and Tseng applied to pursue a master's degree in 2021.[56] She deferred her studies for a year in 2022 and returned to fulfill her contracted film roles as productions began to resume.[56][57] She also announced her transition from television to web series in the same year,[58][59] starting her new career path with leading roles in the web miniseries Lang, Always by Your Side [zh]and the Netflix drama series Mom, Don't Do That!.[60][61] In 2023, she then had a supporting role in first TVBS original series Lovely Villain [zh].[62] That same year, she took on a leading role as a possessed woman in the horror film Antikalpa [zh],[63] and played a mistress in the horror film The Rope Curse 3 [zh].[64] In 2024, Tseng was cast in main roles in the comedy series The Thrifty Family [zh],[65] and as Yin-yin, a well-known diva, in the Netflix drama series Born for the Spotlight.[1]
Business career
In October 2017, Tseng announced the launch of her cosmetics brand Chwanme,[66] headquartered in Taichung.[67] The same year, she and her mother established food manufacturer AwesomeFood Zhen.[68] In November 2018, she launched another clothing brand I.Real.[69] In October 2019, Tseng published her autobiography I.REAL Vicky Tseng.[70][71] The book sold over 10,000 copies within the first month of its release.[72]
