# Janel Tsai
**Janel Tsai** (蔡淑臻; born 1975) is a Taiwanese actress and model who moved from a long modeling career into television and film, winning Golden Bell Awards for *Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner* (2020) and *Mad Doctor* (2023) and appearing in the internationally released film *[Left-Handed Girl](https://www.edgepedia.org/left-handed-girl)* (2025).[1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) • [2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-an-oscar-contender-that-will-leave-you-laughing-and-stunned) Her birth date is given as 1975 by Taiwanese film databases and MyVideo, while IMDb lists 4 March 1975.[3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3317812/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975, [Taichung](https://www.edgepedia.org/taichung), Taiwan (IMDb gives 1975)[3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3317812/bio/) |
| Professions | Model and actress, longtime artist with Eelin Entertainment; height 174 cm[1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) |
| First Golden Bell nomination | Best Supporting Actress, 46th Golden Bell Awards (2011), for *The Fierce Wife*[5](https://act.chinesemov.com/actors/Janel%20Tsai) |
| First win | Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, 55th Golden Bell Awards (2020), as Tang Juan in *Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner*[1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) |
| Leading-role win | Best Actress in a Television Series, 58th Golden Bell Awards (2023), as Dr. Liu in *Mad Doctor*[6](https://www.filmcommission.taipei/retrieve/20250417165722.pdf) |
| Film recognition | Best Supporting Actress nomination, 62nd Golden Horse Awards (2025), for *Left-Handed Girl*[3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/) |
## Career
Tsai worked as a model for years before crossing into acting, and her screen career runs from the late 2000s film *Snowfall in Taipei* (2009) and *Step by Step* (2009) through television series such as *The Queen* (2013), *CSIC* (2015), and *Mad Doctor* (2022).[1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) • [5](https://act.chinesemov.com/actors/Janel%20Tsai) • [3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/)
**Golden Bell recognition.** Her first nomination came with the role of He Ailin in *The Fierce Wife*, which put her in contention for Best Supporting Actress at the 46th Golden Bell Awards in 2011.[1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) She was twice nominated for Best Actress in a Television Series for playing Yang Chien in the forensics series *CSIC* (2015) and its sequel *CSIC 2* (2019).[1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) In 2020 she won her first award, Best Supporting Actress at the 55th Golden Bell Awards, for playing Tang Juan in *Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner*.[1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) In 2022 she was nominated for Best Actress in a Mini-Series/Television Film for *You Have To Kill Me*, and in 2023 she won Best Actress in a Television Series at the 58th Golden Bell Awards for playing the runaway doctor Liu in *Mad Doctor*.[6](https://www.filmcommission.taipei/retrieve/20250417165722.pdf) • [1](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/) The Taipei Film Commission profile notes she was involved in production of *Mad Doctor* Season 2 afterward.[6](https://www.filmcommission.taipei/retrieve/20250417165722.pdf)
**Left-Handed Girl.** In Shih-Ching Tsou's *Left-Handed Girl* (2025), written with Sean Baker, Tsai plays Shu-Fen, a single mother who returns to Taipei with her two daughters and opens a noodle stand at a night market.[2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-an-oscar-contender-that-will-leave-you-laughing-and-stunned) • [7](https://le-pacte.com/storage/uploads/f84ade97-22eb-43ec-845e-d9651fc9dd95/Print-Line-up-Print--Fall2023.pdf) The film was selected by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture as the country's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, and Tsai received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards for the role.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/janel-tsai) • [3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/)
## Selected works
Her filmography includes the films *Starry Starry Night* (2011), *The Soul of the Bread* (2012), *Another Woman* (2015), *Life For Sale* (2022), and *Left-Handed Girl* (2025), and the television series *Office Girls* (2011), *CSIC* (2015), *Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner* (2019), *Mad Doctor* (2022), *U Motherbaker* (2023), and *Imperfect Us* (2024).[3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/) • [5](https://act.chinesemov.com/actors/Janel%20Tsai) Upcoming titles listed by the @movies database include *[Bloody Smart](https://www.edgepedia.org/bloody-smart)* (2026).[3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/)
## References
1. [蔡淑臻 - MyVideo 人物介紹](https://www.myvideo.net.tw/person/%E8%94%A1%E6%B7%91%E8%87%BB_S0001452/)
2. [Netflix just added an Oscar contender, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-an-oscar-contender-that-will-leave-you-laughing-and-stunned)
3. [蔡淑臻 Janel Tsai - @movies 開眼電影網](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/star/sgw0090484/)
4. [Janel Tsai - Biography - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3317812/bio/)
5. [Janel Tsai - Actress - Chinese Movies](https://act.chinesemov.com/actors/Janel%20Tsai)
6. [2024 Taipei International Golden Short Film Awards profile book, Taipei Film Commission](https://www.filmcommission.taipei/retrieve/20250417165722.pdf)
7. [Fall 2023 line-up, Le Pacte](https://le-pacte.com/storage/uploads/f84ade97-22eb-43ec-845e-d9651fc9dd95/Print-Line-up-Print--Fall2023.pdf)
8. [Janel Tsai news, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/janel-tsai)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › Taiwanese actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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