Steven Ma Chun-wai (born 26 October 1971) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 1993, Ma won a record deal after winning first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, later releasing his debut album, Lucky for Meeting You (幸運就是遇到你), that December. Not long after his singing debut, Ma joined TVB and began filming television dramas, later achieving fame through his supporting role in 1995's legal drama File of Justice IV. Many of Ma's television works are critically acclaimed and are popular successes in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Southeast Asia, notably Healing Hands (1998), Return of the Cuckoo (2000), and Where the Legend Begins (2002). Ma currently holds the record for holding the most "Favourite Character" awards with a total of four recognitions. Ma's best known for his portrayals of historical characters in many period television dramas.

Ma was born in a family of "grassroots" background. He was raised in the Pak Tin Estate in Sham Shui Po and lived with his father, a bus driver, his mother, three older sisters, and one younger sister. He attended the Pak Tin Catholic Primary School and later the CMA Secondary School.

In 1993, Ma won first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, also winning a record deal. He released his debut album, Lucky for Meet You (幸運就是遇到你), that December. To promote the album, his record label created the slogan "He's not Leon Lai, he's not Jacky Cheung" to describe Ma's singing talent, which caused fans of both Lai and Cheung to criticize and badmouth Ma. After releasing one more album, Ma's record label refused to renew an album contract with him.

At around the same time, Ma signed an acting contract with TVB and had been portraying small minor roles in various television dramas. In 1994, Ma was casted as the supporting character Dr. Stephen Chan Cheuk-yiu in the fourth installment of the popular legal drama File of Justice series. The drama was a popular success, and Ma's popularity also soar. His portrayal of the intelligent Hong-hei Emperor in the 1998 remake of the popular wuxia novel The Duke of Mount Deer garnered even more interest from critics and producers alike, and Ma began earning leading roles.

The death of his mother in 1999 devastated him. Ma had difficulty filming while working in Ultra Protection, and the drama's poor reception also contributed to his slight depression. He eventually overcame his struggles and released two books Steven Ma's Veritable Records of Society I: Why Commit Suicide? (2002) and Steven Ma's Veritable Records of Society II: I Am the Patient's Family (2003).

Ma's portrayal of the historical figure Cho Chik in the drama Where the Legend Begins (2002) was both a popular and critical success. Following Where was the popular but critically mixed Perish in the Name of Love (2003), a 30-part television drama remake of the famous Cantonese opera Di Nü Hua. Gradually, Ma began filming more dramas with historical or period backgrounds, in which Ma subsequently became known for. Ma is also the first actor to win the My Favourite Male Character award at the 2006 TVB Anniversary Awards through his performance in the 2006 low-budget period drama Safe Guards (2006).
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