Vicky Tseng Wan-ting (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,[1][2] and grew up in Taichung.[3] Her father is a surveyor who operates his own surveying company,[4][5] and Tseng described her family as "wealthy" during her childhood years.[6][7] She has an elder brother, nine years her senior, who later pursued a career as a film director.[7][8] Aspiring to become an actress from a young age, Tseng attended Hwa Kang Arts School [zh] to study performing arts, influenced by her brother.[2][9] She was a classmate of musician Daniel Lee [zh] at Hwa Kang.[10] She had her first acting experience when talent scouts from Public Television Service selected students from her school to serve as cast extras.[9] When Tseng was in primary school, her family was scammed by relatives, leaving them with millions in debt,[11] while her father's business also declined, resulting in poor financial conditions for the family.[6][12] Unable to repay the debts, Tseng's mother briefly left the family,[7][13] and she often faced debt collectors at their home starting from junior high school.[6]
Though she initially aimed to study at Shih Hsin University after graduating high school,[14] Tseng was forced to leave school and start working at age 16 to alleviate her family's financial struggles.[15][16] She later moved to Hong Kong to work as a model and television host at the age of 19.[17][18] When she was 23, her father was killed in a train accident while conducting a survey in Keelung.[19] The accident prompted her to return to Taiwan,[18] and Tseng described it as a turning point that made her the breadwinner of the family.[13][20] She managed to repay the debts three years after landing recurring roles in sitcoms.[10] 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".[21][22]
After starring in Amazing Strategist Liu Bo Wen, Tseng aimed to take on more sitcom roles to pursue a more stable income.[7] For this reason, she began learning Hokkien to expand her opportunities in Hokkien sitcoms.[20][9] 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].[32] That same year, she began to receive public attention for her role as Lin Ai-ting in the sitcom Lee's Family Reunion.[26][33] In 2011, Tseng landed her first leading role in the romance series Wives [zh].[34] She then starred in main roles in the 2012 television series Peak Times [zh] and Father's Wish [zh],[35][36] as well as a recurring role as Chao Yu-wei in the romance series The Heart of Woman.[37]
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].[38] Her performance was critically acclaimed and earned her widespread recognition,[39] with TVBS describing the role as "iconic",[26] and several of the character's lines becoming popular memes.[40] It also established her as a character actress known for portraying villainous roles.[41][42] She took on another villainous main role as Zhou Xiao-jing, a disfigured woman, in the 2015 drama series Taste of Life.[43][44] 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],[45] and appeared in a recurring role in the drama series Stand By Me [zh].[46] The following year, Tseng made a cameo as one of Tia Lee's character's split personalities in the thriller film The Perfect Girl.[47] She then starred as one of the main family members in the 2018 sitcom 100%Wife [zh],[48] and played a supporting role as an undergarment shop owner in the 2019 comedy film Big Three Dragons [zh].[49] In December 2019, Tseng announced that she would no longer appear in sitcoms due to health reasons.[50]
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.[51] She and the other teacher cast members departed in the spin-off fourth season, which focused on the adult lives of the student cast.[52] Tseng also starred in the 2021 gangster film Gatao: The Last Stray [zh] as a corrupt councilwoman.[53] During the COVID-19 pandemic, most productions in Taiwan were suspended, and Tseng applied to pursue a master's degree in 2021.[54] She deferred her studies for a year in 2022 and returned to fulfill her contracted film roles as productions began to resume.[54][55] She also announced her transition from television to web series in the same year,[56][57] 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!.[58][59] In 2023, she then had a supporting role in first TVBS original series Lovely Villain [zh].[60] That same year, she took on a leading role as a possessed woman in the horror film Antikalpa [zh],[61] and played a mistress in the horror film The Rope Curse 3 [zh].[62] In 2024, Tseng was cast in main roles in the comedy series The Thrifty Family [zh],[63] and as Yin-yin, a well-known diva, in the Netflix drama series Born for the Spotlight.[64]
Business career
In October 2017, Tseng announced the launch of her cosmetics brand Chwanme,[65] headquartered in Taichung.[66] The same year, she and her mother established food manufacturer AwesomeFood Zhen.[67] In November 2018, she launched another clothing brand I.Real.[68] In October 2019, Tseng published her autobiography I.REAL Vicky Tseng.[69][70] The book sold over 10,000 copies within the first month of its release.[71]
