name	Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing
tradchinesename	張國榮
simpchinesename	张国荣
hakkachinesename	Zong Gwet Win
pinyinchinesename	Zhāng Guóróng
jyutpingchinesename	Zoeng1 Gwok3wing4
used name	張發宗 (Traditional)张发宗 (Simplified)Zhāng Fāzòng (Mandarin)Zoeng1 Faat3zung1 (Cantonese)
ancestry	Meizhou, Guangdong
birth date	September 12, 1956
birth place	Hong Kong
death date	April 01, 2003 (Suicide)
death place	Hong Kong
othername	哥哥 (Ge4ge1; ''lit.'' Big Brother)
origin	Hong Kong
occupation	Singer, actor, director, songwriter
genre	Cantopop
instrument	Vocals, piano
label	Polydor, Capital Artists, Cinepoly, Rock, Apex Music, Universal
yearsactive	1977–2003
parents	Cheung Wut Hoi
hongkongfilmwards	Best Actor1991 ''Days of Being Wild''Best Original Film Song1995 ''He's a Woman, She's a Man''The Most Favorite Actor in 100 Years of Chinese Cinema2005Silver Jubilee Best Actor2006
hkfcsawards	Best Actor1994 ''Ashes of Time''
goldenhorseawards	Best Original Song1993 ''The Bride with White Hair''
rthktop10goldsongsawards	Sales Award (Best-Selling Artist of the Year)1987 ''Summer Romance''IFPI Award1988 ''Leslie''Golden Needle Award1999
awards	Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music AwardsMost Popular Male Artist1988, 1989Honours Award1999, 2000Golden Phoenix AwardsSpecial Contribution Award1993 ''Farewell My Concubine''Japan Film Critics SocietyBest Actor1993 ''Farewell My Concubine''CCTV-MTV Music AwardsBiggest Asian Artist2000Chinese Pop Music Media AwardsBest Male Singer2001 }}

Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003), nicknamed Gor Gor (哥哥), which means elder brother, was a Hong Kong film actor and musician. Cheung was considered as "one of the founding fathers of Cantopop", and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".

In 2000, Cheung was named ''Asian Biggest Superstar'' by China Central Television, and voted/ranked the 1st as ''The Most Favorite Actor in 100 Years of Chinese Cinema'' in 2005. Recently, he was voted the third of the CNN's "top five most iconic musician of all time" placing behind Michael Jackson and The Beatles.

Childhood and education[link]

Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Cheung was the youngest of ten children in a middle-class Hakka family. Cheung Wut Hoi, his father, was a fairly well known tailor, whose customers included American actors William Holden, Marlon Brando, and Cary Grant. His parents divorced when he was quite young. While in Hong Kong, Cheung attended Rosaryhill School (Stubbs Road, Hong Kong).

At the age of 13, he was sent to England as a boarder at Eccles Hall School. After six month study, he transferred himself to a school in Chelmsford, and obtained a scholarship. He worked as a bartender at his relatives' restaurant and sang during the weekends. It was around this period that he chose his name, "Leslie". According to Cheung, he chose this name because "I love the film ''Gone with the Wind''. And I like Leslie Howard. The name can be a man's or woman's, it's very unisex, so I like it."

In several of his interviews, Cheung stated that he had had a fairly unhappy childhood. "I didn't have a happy childhood. Arguments, fights and we didn't live together; I was brought up by my granny." "What I would say most affected me as a child, was that my parents were not at home with me. As a young kid, one could not always understand why his parents weren't at home. This made me depressed sometimes."

Cheung attended the University of Leeds in northern England, where he studied textile management. He dropped out of university at the end of his first year, when his father fell ill. After his father's recovery, Cheung did not return to England to complete his studies.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

In 1977, Cheung won first runner-up by singing Don McLean's "American Pie" at the Asian Music Contest held by Rediffusion Television (RTV). He signed a contract with RTV, which subsequently became Asia Television Limited (ATV) and began his career in the entertainment industry. He also signed a music contract with Polydor Records, releasing ''Day Dreaming'' (1977) and ''Lover's Arrow'' (1979).

The early days of his career were not easy. He was once booed off the stage during a public performance, and his first two albums were not welcomed by the public. He left Polydor Records at the end of his contract. Cheung's first film, ''The Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber'' (紅樓春上春) in 1978 was a soft porn film. Cheung later stated that he was unaware of the sexual nature of the film when he signed the contract.

During the 1970s and 1980s, he appeared in a number of TV dramas such as ''The Young Concubine'' (我家的女人), ''Agency 24'' (甜甜廿四味), ''Pairing'' (對對糊), and ''The Spirit Of The Sword'' (浣花洗劍錄). These TV dramas helped turn him into a household name in South East Asia.

Ascent to fame[link]

In 1982, Cheung joined Capital Artists upon the end of his contract with RTV. It was at Capital Artists that Florence Chan became his music agent and remained as such through his entire career. While at Capital Artists, he also met Anita Mui, another Hong Kong Cantopop idol, starting a long lasting friendship. In 1983, Cheung released his first hit song, "The Wind Blows On" (風繼續吹). In 1984, he released his first top ten hit song "Monica", which became the first so-called "fast" song that won the ''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award''. "Monica" became representative of a new genre of Hong Kong music in the mid 1980s. Fans began to demand fast and energetic Cantopop songs that would be suitable for both dancing and listening. Other ''Top Ten Gold Songs'' released by Cheung through Capital Artists included "Wild Wind" (不羈的風) (album, ''For Your Love Only'', 1985); "Who Can Be With Me" (有誰共鳴) (album, ''Leslie Cheung: Allure Me'', 1986) and "Love in Those Years" (當年情) (theme song for ''A Better Tomorrow'', album ''Leslie Cheung: Allure Me'', 1986). "Who Can Be With Me" became the ''Gold of the Gold Songs'' (Best Song) of the Year for 1986. In the same year, Cheung released his first Mandarin album in Taiwan, also titled "Love in Those Years," and became an instant hit.

Cheung's movie career was a little slower to take off. He appeared in supporting roles in his second and third movies ''Encore'' (1980) and ''On Trial'' (1981). However, his acting talent was soon recognized with his nomination for the Hong Kong Film Awards' Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''On Trial''. Subsequent to this nomination, he played the leading role in ''Teenage Dreamers'' (1982) and held the lead role in almost every movie he was in from then on. From the early 1980s through 1986, most of the movies in which he had starred were teenage movies. Among them, ''Nomad'' (1982, directed by Patrick Tam Kar-ming) is widely considered by film critics as representative of Hong Kong "New Wave" films. Cheung's role as Louis in ''Nomad'' won him his first Best Actor nomination of the Hong Kong Film Awards. Later, Cheung stated that he considers ''Nomad'' as his first "real" movie. During this period, Cheung continued to act in a number of Television Broadcasts (TVB) dramas, such as ''Once Upon an Ordinary Girl'' (儂本多情) and ''The Fallen Family'' (武林世家), opposite Maggie Cheung.

Stardom and retirement[link]

In 1986, he joined Cinepoly Records Hong Kong and released the album ''Summer Romance'' in 1987. ''Summer Romance'' became the ''Best Selling CD of the Year'' and ''IFPI Best Selling Album'' in Hong Kong. The success of ''Summer Romance'' made him one of the top two Cantopop idols at the time (the other was Alan Tam). In 1988, he composed one of his most famous songs "Silence is Golden" (沉默是金), which was later adapted to both Mandarin and Taiwanese versions. Other popular albums published by Cheung through Cinepoly Records included ''Hot Summer'' (1988), ''Virgin Snow'' (1988), ''Leslie '89'' (''Side face'', IFPI Best Album of the Year, 1989), ''Final Encounter'' (1989), and ''Salute'' (1990). In the meantime, Cheung also released several Mandarin albums in Taiwan, such as ''Refuse to Play'' (拒絕再玩) and ''Car Ride''. ''Salute'' was the first non-profit album released by a superstar in Hong Kong music history that would only compile songs originally performed by other singers. According to Cheung, ''Salute'' is his homage to music. He donated all the proceeds from the sales of ''Salute'' to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (香港演藝學院), which was named the ''Leslie Cheung Memorial Scholarship'' after his death.

With the popularity of Cheung and Tam, fans of these two stars became increasingly hostile to each other, starting a long-standing conflict that soon put heavy pressure on both singers. In 1988, Alan Tam publicly quit all pop music award ceremonies. In 1989, Cheung announced his intention to retire from his music career as a singer. Cheung then set a record by being the first singer ever in Cantopop history to hold a retirement concert series (''Final Encounter of the Legend''), which ran for 33 consecutive nights (he was 33 at the time) at Hong Kong Coliseum. In 1990, he left Hong Kong at the peak of his music career and emigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he reportedly "found peace and tranquility." Cheung gained Canadian citizenship in 1992 and returned to Asia full-time in 1995 for his re-emergence in Chinese-language popular music.

From 1986 to 1989, Cheung acted in a number of movies that are considered as Hong Kong classics by film critics and Asian movie fans. In 1986, Cheung co-starred with Chow Yun-fat in ''A Better Tomorrow'' (directed by John Woo), which was widely considered as a trend starter for Hong Kong triad movies in the 1980s. Cheung played Kit, a righteous and idealistic young cop. Cheung's role in the movie was widely considered his debut as a serious actor. He also starred in the sequel, ''A Better Tomorrow II'' (1987). Also in 1987, Cheung starred in Stanley Kwan's ''Rouge'' where he played Chen-Pang Chan, an infatuated, opium-smoking playboy and doomed lover of a beautiful prostitute, Fleur (played by Anita Mui). Further, in the same year (1987), he appeared in Tsui Hark's ''A Chinese Ghost Story'' (directed by Ching Siu-tung). Cheung played ''Ling Choi Sin'', a well-meaning but cowardly debt collector who had fallen in love with a beautiful ghost (played by Joey Wong). His performance in these movies won him two Best Actor nominations from Hong Kong Film Awards. The success of ''A Better Tomorrow'' and ''A Chinese Ghost Story'' made his name known in the Japanese and South Korea film markets.

Golden age in film[link]

The mid-80s to mid-90s was a golden age in Hong Kong's film industry, which coincided with Cheung's film career. In 1990, Cheung acted as Yuddy, a handsome, ruthless bad boy, philanderer and narcissist in Wong Kar-wai's movie ''Days of Being Wild''. His performance in ''Days of Being Wild'' won him the ''Best Actor Award'' at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1991 and his first nomination of ''Best Actor'' at the Golden Horse Film Festival (Taiwan). He also acted in two other Wong Kar-wai movies. In the 1994 martial arts film, ''Ashes of Time'', he starred as Ouyang Feng, a swordsman and assassin who spent his days in a desert. His role as Ouyang won him the ''Best Actor Award'' at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards. In 1997's movie ''Happy Together'' which centrally depicts a complex relationship between two gay lovers (although Wong insists that it isn't essentially a "gay" film), he played the capricious Ho Po-wing, who goes to Argentina with his lover Lai Yiu-fai (played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai).

In 1992's historical masterpiece ''Farewell My Concubine'' (directed by Chen Kaige), Cheung acted as the Peking opera star Dieyi Cheng, a Beijing opera artist who reaches fame with his exquisite performances of female roles. ''Farewell My Concubine'' is the first Chinese film to have won the ''Golden Palm'' award at the Cannes Film Festival. It also won more than twenty other film awards including a Golden Globe for ''Best Foreign Film'' and Oscar nominations for ''Best Foreign Film'' and ''Best Cinematography''. Cheung's performance in the film won him international fame as a film star and set his steps in the mainland China film industry. In 1996, he worked again with Chen Kaige, playing the role of a misty gigolo, Zhongliang Yu, in ''Temptress Moon''. In 1998's ''A Time to Remember'' (directed by Yip Ying), he acted as Jin, an underground Chinese Communist leader. His Hong Kong background caused a heated debate at the time, but the film still achieved box office success in mainland China and in 2004 won a "Most Popular Foreign Film" Award at the Pyongyang Film Festival.

Other important movies Cheung starred in during this period include ''The Bride with White Hair'' (with Brigitte Lin, 1993), ''He's a Woman, She's a Man'' (with Anita Yuen, 1994), ''The Phantom Lover'' (1995), and ''Viva Erotica'' (with Shu Qi, 1996). His performance in these movies won him three Best Actor Award nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards and three Best Actor Award nominations at the Golden Horse Film Festival from 1990 to 1998.

As a versatile actor, Cheung also acted in many comedies. In 1991, teamed again with Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung, Cheung played a skillful and charming thief in John Woo's ''Once A Thief''. In 1992's ''All's Well, Ends Well'', he acted as an effeminate brother who would later realize the meaning of true love. Other well-known comedies included ''The Eagle Shooting Heroes'', ''It's a Wonderful Life'', and ''The Chinese Feast'', where he starred opposite Anita Yuen. Cheung was also a box office attraction in Hong Kong; from 1990 to 1998, 13 out of 39 movies in which he starred were listed as yearly top ten box office movies.

Although Cheung quit his career as a pop singer from 1989 to 1995, he continued his music career as a composer. He composed more than ten songs during that time. In 1993, he won ''Best Original Movie Song Award'' from Golden Horse Film Festival for the theme song ''Red Cheek, White Hair'' to the movie ''The Bride with White Hair'' (as a composer). In 1995, he composed all three theme songs for the film ''The Phantom Lover''. As a composer, Cheung won four nominations for ''Best Original Movie Song Award'' at the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards and two nominations for ''Best Original Film Song'' at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 1998, he was a member of the jury at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.

Return to music[link]

In 1995 Cheung signed a contract with Rock Records, returning to music as a singer. At the same year, he released his first post-"retirement" album, ''Beloved''. ''Beloved'' achieved large market success with the award of ''IFPI Best Selling Album'', but it did not receive much acclaim from music critics as it is a collection of Cheung's movie theme songs from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, Cheung released possibly his most highly acclaimed album, ''Red''. ''Red'' was a fusion album, mixing smooth jazz, R&B;, trip hop, etc., into Cantopop, forming a consistent unique style. Cheung worked since then on cutting-edge music as well as Cantopop, his new music style being markedly different from before his earlier retirement. In this album, Cheung also composed another important song in his music career, ''Red''. In April 1998, Cheung released ''Printemps'', a Mandarin album in collaboration with renowned Taiwanese song writers and music producers, Liu Chi Hong (劉志宏) and Liu Si Ming (劉思銘). Another version of ''Printemps'' was released in Japan titled ''Gift.'' Both versions include Cheung's first song sung in Japanese, "Marshmallow."

In 1997 Cheung held his first post-retirement concert series: ''World Tour 97'', which lasted from 12 December 1996 to 17 June 1997. As with the refinements to his musical style, Cheung introduced a new image to his audience. The most daring part possibly was the closing dance "Red" where Cheung did a tango duet in a pair of red high-heels with a macho dancer. ''World Tour 97'' included 55 concerts: 24 concerts were held in Hong Kong Coliseum and 31 concerts were held in the cities around the world. Among them, six concerts were held in Japan and mainland China respectively. ''World Tour 97'' was the first concert series that Cheung held in these two areas.

In 1999 Cheung started a music company, Apex Music, signing a distribution contract with Universal Music Group(UMG). Important albums released via UMG includes ''Count Down With You'' (1999), ''Big Heat'' (2000), and ''Untitled'' (2000). The hit songs released by him during this period include "Passing-by Dragonfly", the top one hit song, "Big Heat", and "Left Right Hands", Top Ten Gold Song of the Year (1999). He also composed the song ''I'' (first released in album ''Big Heat''), which was considered by him as a song of self-statement. In 1999 Cheung was awarded the Golden Needle award (lifetime achievement award in Cantopop music). In 2000, Cheung had been assigned as the "Music Ambassador" of Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH) until his death. Cheung also composed the theme song "Noah's Ark" for the ''CASH Golden Sail Award''.

The later years[link]

In 2000, Cheung held his last concert series, ''Passion Tour''. ''Passion Tour'' included 43 concerts, lasting from 31 July 2000 to 16 April 2001. Cheung worked at the first time as the art director as well as the singer for the concert. He invited Jean-Paul Gaultier to design all eight costumes for the concert. However, the costumes, together with his long wig and beard, were criticized bitterly by Hong Kong media at the early stage of the concerts. Cheung later disclosed that Gaultier was very angry about the criticism and claimed in an email (sent to Cheung) that he would never design costumes again for any Asian performer. Despite the early criticisms from the media, ''Passion Tour'' achieved huge success. ''Passion Tour'' was highly welcomed in Japan and made Cheung hold 10 concerts there. Together with ''World Tour 97'' concerts, Cheung set a record of foreign artists of holding 16 concerts in Japan. In China, Cheung set a record yet to be broken by holding two consecutive night concerts in Shanghai Stadium (capacity of 80,000). He was also awarded the "Grand Salute Award" (2000) by ''Mingpao Weekly'' (Hong Kong) and "Music Salute Award" (2000) from Chinese Pop Music Media Association (mainland China) for his work in ''Passion Tour''.

By the end of the 1990s, Cheung had begun to focus on acting in non-romance roles. In ''The Kid'' (1999, directed by Jacob Cheung Chi-Leung), he starred as a poor single father who fostered an abandoned baby boy. In the action thriller ''Double Tap'' (2000, directed by Lo Chi Leung), he played a psycho killer, Rick. In the 2002 psycho thriller ''Inner Senses'' (directed by Lo Chi Leung), he played psychologist Dr. Law, who discovered his own emotional issues when he tried to treat his patient Yan (Kar Yan Lam). His performance in these films earned him another ''Best Actor'' nomination from the Hong Kong Film Awards. He also garnered another two ''Best Actor Award'' nominations from Taiwan Film Festival. During this period, Cheung began to try his hand at film direction. In 2000, he directed his first movie, the 45 minutes ''From Ashes to Ashes''. In 2002, he began to film his first regular length movie ''Stealing Heart''. The film was not completed due to the deterioration of his health.

Death[link]

Cheung committed suicide on 1 April 2003 at 6:41 pm (HKT). He leapt from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, located in the Central district of Hong Kong Island. He left a suicide note saying that he had been suffering from depression. He was 46 years old.

As one of the most popular performers in Asia, Cheung's death shocked the Asian entertainment industry and Chinese community worldwide. The day after Leslie's death, his family confirmed that Cheung suffered from (clinical) depression and had been seeing psychiatrists for treatment for almost a year. They also revealed that Cheung had attempted suicide in 2002. Later at his funeral, Cheung's niece disclosed that her uncle had severe clinical depression and suffered much over the past year (2003).

Despite the risk of infection from SARS and the WHO's warning on travels to Hong Kong, tens of thousands attended Cheung's memorial service, which was held for the public, on 7 April 2003, including celebrities and other fans, many from other parts of the world such as mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, the United States and Canada. Cheung's funeral was on 8 April 2003. For almost one month, Cheung's death dominated newspaper headlines in Hong Kong and his songs were constantly on the air.

Cheung's last album ''Everything Follows the Wind'' (一切隨風) was released three months after his death.

Cheung's suicide note (translation): "Depression! Many thanks to all my friends. Many thanks to Professor Felice Lieh-Mak (Cheung's last psychiatrist, 麥列菲菲). This year has been so tough. I can't stand it anymore. Many thanks to Mr. Tong. Many thanks to my family. Many thanks to Fei-Fei (Lydia Shum Din-ha). In my life I did nothing bad. Why does it have to be like this?"

Cheung's suicide note (Chinese): "Depression! 多謝各位朋友，多謝麥列菲菲教授，這一年很辛苦，不能再忍受， 多謝唐先生，多謝家人，多謝肥姐. 我一生沒做壞事 為何這樣?"

Achievement lists[link]

Selected awards [link]

''RTV Asian Song Contest'' Runners-up with the song "American Pie" 1977

''Overseas Chinese Daily News'' The Best Newcomer Award 1977

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award'' winner with the song "Monica" 1984

''TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award'' winner with song "Monica" 1984

''Commercial Radio Chinese Pop Songs Award'' winner 1984

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award'' winner with song ''Wild Wind'' 1985

''TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award'' winner with song ''Wild Wind'' 1985

''Commercial Radio Chinese Pop Songs Award'' winner 1987

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award'' winner with song ''Who Can Be With Me'' 1986

''TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award'' winner with songs ''Who Can Be With Me and'', ''Love in Those Years'' 1986

''Commercial Radio Chinese Pop Songs Award'' winner 1986

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award'' winner with song ''Sleepless Night'', Summer Romance is also the Best Selling CD of the year and IFPI Best Selling Album in 1987

''TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award'' winner with song ''Sleepless Night''

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award'' winner with songs ''Silence is Golden'' and ''Up Close'' 1988

''TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award'' Most Popular Male Singer 1988

''CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards'' Best Male Singer 1988

''TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award'' winner with song ''Start From Zero'', and also winner of the Most Popular Male Singer 1989

''Commercial Radio Ultimate Song Chart Male Gold Award 1989'' winner LESLIE, album is also the IFPI Best Album of the Year

''IFPI Best Selling Album'' winner with ''Fondness'' 1999

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award'' Millennium Gold Song Award for "Monica" 1999

''RTHK Golden Needle Award'' (lifetime achievement award in Cantopop) 1999

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award'' winner with song ''Left Right Hand'' 1999

''CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards'' Top Ten Albums for Countdown With You 1999

''CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards'' Best Song Award for ''Left Right Hand'' 1999

''Metro Radio Hit Music Awards'' Best Song Award for ''Left Right Hand'' 1999

''Metro Radio Hit Music Awards'' Top Ten Best Hits for ''Left Right Hand'' 1999

''TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Awards'' Music Salute Award 2000

''Mingpao Weekly'' Outstanding Male Singer Award 2000

''Ming Pao Weekly'' Grand Salute Award for Passion Tour 2000

''Joint Award by RTHK, CR, TVB & Metro Radio for the Best Album of the Year'' winner with album ''Untitled'' 2001

''Chinese Pop Music Media Awards'' Best Male Singer Award 2001

''Chinese Pop Music Media Awards'' Best Concert Award for Passion Tour 2001

''Chinese Pop Music Media Awards'' Top Ten Chinese Songs for ''Passing Dragonfly'' 2001

''"Sprite My Choice" China Original Music Pop Chart Awards'' Golden Song Award for ''Fever'' 2001

''"Sprite My Choice" China Original Music Pop Chart Awards'' Millennium Outstanding Achievement Award 2001

''RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards'' Silver Jubilee Award of Excellence 2002

''Chinese Pop Music Media Awards'' Lifetime Achievement Award 2003

''Chinese Pop Music Media Awards'' Top Ten Chinese Songs for ''So Far So Close'' 2003

''CASH'' My All-time Favorite Song for ''I'' 2003

''CASH Golden Sail Music Awards'' Best Alternative Composition for ''So Far So Close'' 2003

''Hong Kong Film Awards'' winner Best Actor for ''Days of Being Wild'' 1991

''Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival'' winner Best Original Movie Song for ''White-haired Beauty'' 1993

''Chinese Performance Art Association'' Special Achievement Award for ''Farewell My Concubine'' 1993

''Japanese Critic Society Best Actor Award (Foreign Movie)'' for ''Farewell My Concubine'' 1994

''Hong Kong Film Awards'' Best Original Film Song Award for ''Chase'' 1995

''Winner of HK Film Critics Society Best Actor Award'' for ''Ashes of Time'' 1994

''Taiwan Golden Horse Awards, Udn, Phoenix TV, and World Journal'' Global Top Ten Chinese Movie Stars Award 1996

''Ming Pao Weekly Performing Arts Awards'' Most Outstanding Actor for ''Inner Senses'' 2002

''Nikkei Entertainment Japan'' Top Ten Best Actors in Asia 2004

''NHK Japan'' Top Ten Favorite Movie Stars 2006

''Hong Kong Film Awards'' Eternal Glory Performing Arts Award 2004

''Hong Kong Film Awards'' Most Favorite Actor Award in 100 Years of Chinese Cinema 2005

''Hong Kong Film Awards'' Silver Jubilee Best Actor Award 2006

''Standard Chartered Hong Kong'' Platinum Multi-Talented Award 2000

''CCTV-MTV Music Awards'' Biggest Asian Artist Award 2000

''Sina China'' Top 10 Cultural Idols of the 20th century 2003

''Sina China'' Most Missed Artist 2007

''Sohu China "Remembering My 1997"'' Most Memorable Celebrity 2007

''CNNGO'' Asia's 25 greatest actors of all time 2010

''CNNGO'' Top 5 Global Music Icon No.3 2010

''CNNGO'' 19 most beautiful men from Hong Kong cinema No. 1 2010

Discography [link]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Cinema of Hong Kong

References [link]

Further reading[link]

Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, ''World Music Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific'', BBC Radio, 2000, ISBN 1-85828-636-0

Klein, A. (2003). Farewell, Leslie Cheung. ''Los Angeles City Beat''. Retrieved 17 December 2005, from .

Kei Mori, "夢想之欠片 (Broken pieces of dreams)", Renga Shyobo Shinshya Co Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, 2004, ISBN 4-902603-55-1

Chitose Shima, "Leslie Cheung Interview", ''All About Leslie'', p25–40, Sangyo Henshu Center Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 1999, ISBN 4-916199-10-3

Chitose Shima, ''Time of Leslie Cheung'', Sangyo Henshu Center Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 2004, ISBN 4-916199-59-6

City Entertainment Editor Committee, ''Leslie Cheung's Movie World 2 (1991–1995)'', City Entertainment, Hong Kong, 2006, ISBN 962-8114-98-0

De Hui, ''Leslie Cheung's Movie Life'' I, II, Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, Shanghai, 2006, ISBN 7-80678-557-4.

External links [link]

レスリー・チャン（張國榮）スマイル

In Memory Of Leslie Cheung

Leslie Cheung Cyberworld Official website of Red Mission, providing material on Cheung's music, movies, interviews, photos, etc.

Leslie Cheung Fan Club of China Official website of Leslie Cheung Fan Club of China, providing material on Cheung's music, movies, interviews, photos, radio, forum, etc.

Leslie Cheung Internet Fan Club Official website of the Leslie Cheung Internet Fan Club

张国荣遗书版本多

张国荣真假遗书之谜

张国荣遗书出现第二个版本全文寥寥五十余字

Category:Hong Kong film actors Category:Hong Kong male singers Category:Cantonese-language singers Category:Cantopop singers Category:Hong Kong Mandopop singers Category:Cantopop singer-songwriters Category:Hong Kong film producers Category:Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Category:Best Actor HKFA Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada Category:Hong Kong people of Hakka descent Category:Actors who committed suicide Category:Suicides by jumping from a height Category:1956 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Suicides in Hong Kong Category:Hong Kong actors Category:LGBT people from Hong Kong Category:LGBT musicians Category:LGBT musicians from Hong Kong

be:Леслі Чун da:Leslie Cheung de:Leslie Cheung es:Leslie Cheung eo:Leslie Cheung fr:Leslie Cheung gan:張國榮 hak:Chong Koet-yùng（Chong Fat-chûng） ko:장국영 id:Leslie Cheung it:Leslie Cheung ms:Leslie Cheung nl:Leslie Cheung ja:レスリー・チャン no:Leslie Cheung pt:Leslie Cheung ru:Чун, Лесли sh:Leslie Cheung fi:Leslie Cheung sv:Leslie Cheung th:เลสลี่ จาง vi:Trương Quốc Vinh zh-classical:張國榮 zh-yue:張國榮 zh:張國榮

Name	Sandra Ng
Chinesename	吳君如
Tradchinesename	吳君如
Simpchinesename	吴君如
Pinyinchinesename	wu2 jun1 ru2
Jyutpingchinesename	ng4 gwan1 jyu4
Ancestry	Panyu, Guangdong
Origin	Hong Kong
Birth date	August 02, 1965
Birth place	Hong Kong
Occupation	Actress
Yearsactive	1983 - present
Partner	Alex To (1980s)Peter Chan (1990s-)
Children	Jillian Chan, born on April 15, 2006
Hongkongfilmwards	Best Actress1998 ''Portland Street Blues''
Hkfcsawards	Best Actress1998 ''Portland Street Blues''
Goldenhorseawards	Best Actress2002 ''Golden Chicken'' }}

Sandra Ng Kwan-yu (born August 2, 1965) is a Hong Kong film and television actress.

Biography[link]

The daughter of Ng Kam-chuen, Ng was born in Hong Kong, where she attended St. Stephen's Girls' College. Encouraged by her parents, she began her entertainment career at the age of 16. She is most known through her comic roles, where she often pokes fun at her plain looks. She has frequently collaborated with Stephen Chow, notably in ''All For The Winner'', ''Magnificent Scoundrels'' and ''Royal Tramp'', among others. In a career spanning over 20 years, she has filmed over 100 films and TV shows. She co-hosted ''Club Sparkle'' (星星同學會), a celebrity talk show, during the first half of 2009 and is also a radio personality for CRHK. Her radio program, ''He She Hit'' (她他她打到o黎！), aired from 12am to 2am on Monday to Friday.

She received the 2003 Best Actress Award at the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan for her role as a prostitute in ''Golden Chicken''. She has a daughter (born in 2006) with film director Peter Chan, but she and Chan are not legally married.

Filmography[link]

!Year	!Title	!Role
rowspan=3	2012	''All's Well, Ends Well 2012''
''Princess and Seven Kung Fu Masters''
''Marry a Perfect Man''
rowspan=2	2011	''Mr. and Mrs. Incredible''
''I Love Hong Kong''	Ng Shun's wife and the three Ng children's mother
rowspan="4"	2010	All About Love (2010 film)>All About Love''
''Beauty on Duty''
''Just Another Pandora's Box''	Wu's Chef
''All's Well, Ends Well 2010''
rowspan="4"	2009	''Echoes of the Rainbow''
''On His Majesty's Secret Service''
''McDull, Kung Fu Kindergarten''
''All's Well, Ends Well 2009''
rowspan="2"	2007	''The Matchmaker''
''Simply Actors''
rowspan="2"	2006	''Men Suddenly in Black 2''
''McDull, the Alumni''
rowspan="2"	2005	Perhaps Love (film)>Perhaps Love''
''DragonBlade: The Legend of Lang	DragonBlade''	Bali-ba
rowspan="3"	2004	''Kung Fu Soccer''
''McDull, prince de la bun''	Mrs. Mc
''Super Model (movie)	Super Model''
rowspan="3"	2003	''Golden Chicken 2''
''Men Suddenly in Black''
''Good Times, Bed Times''
2002	''Golden Chicken''
rowspan="4"	2001	''Dance of a Dream''
''My Life as McDull''	Mrs. McDull
''City of Desire''
''Martial Angels''	Monkey
rowspan="5"	2000	''Jiang hu: The Triad Zone''
''Young and Dangerous 6''	Sister 13
''Those Were the Days (2000 film)	Those Were the Days''	Sister 13
''Juliet in Love''	Judy Chu
''My Loving Trouble 7''
rowspan="4"	1999	Tarzan (1999 film)>Tarzan''
''Gorgeous (film)	Gorgeous''	Conwoman at the airport
''Metade Fumaca''	Third Sister
''The Tricky Master''	Wasabi
rowspan="4"	1998	''Young and Dangerous 5''
''The Lucky Guy''
''Young and Dangerous: The Prequel''	Sister 13 (cameo)
''Portland Street Blues''	Sister 13
rowspan="4"	1997	''Young and Dangerous 4''
''Black Rose II''	Sandra Suen May-tong
''Killing Me Tenderly''	Siu
''Hold You Tight''	Video Dealer
rowspan="2"	1996	''Mahjong Dragon''
''4 Faces of Eve''
rowspan="7"	1994	''Her Fatal Ways 4''
''The Returning''	Julia
''Fiery Romance''	Tang Lyn-yu
''Modern Romance''	Frankie Chan Bo-chu
''I Will Wait for You''	Mei-lan
''Winner Takes All''
''The Eight Hilarious Gods''	Buddy Wall
rowspan="4"	1993	''Holy Weapon''
''All's Well, Ends Well Too''	Gut
''1993 Year's Love of Vampires''	Chap-Lay Vamp
''Boys Are Easy''	Chi Sum Chan
rowspan="15"	1992	True Love (1992 film)>True Love''
''She Starts the Fire''
''Game Kids''	Veronica
''Cash on Delivery''
''The Inspector Wears Skirts 4''	Amy
''Casino Tycoon II''	Chu Lin-lin
''Hero of the Beggars''	Yue
''Forced Nightmare''
''All's Well, Ends Well''	Ching
''My Americanized Wife''	Cameo appearance
''Royal Tramp''	Sister Bond
''Royal Tramp II''	Sister Bond
''Miracle 90 Days''	Woman who has supernatural powers
''Chinese Vampire Story''	Birdie
''Changing Partner''	Yue
rowspan="7"	1991	''The Family Squad''
''Money Maker''
''Top Bet''	Ping
''God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai''	Spring
''Party of a Wealthy Family''	Waitress
''Vampire Kids''
''Magnificent Scoundrels''	Jenny
rowspan="9"	1990	''All for the Winner''
''The Spooky Family''	Customer
''The Inspector Wears Skirts III''	Amy
''She Shoots Straight''	Huang Chia-ju
''Here Comes a Vampire''	Sister Nine
''Ghostly Vixen''	Lumy
''Love Is Love''
''When Fortune Smiles''	Rubbish Feng / Chao Fei-fei
''Vampires Settle on the Police Camp''	Madam Lee
rowspan="13"	1989	''In Between Loves''
''Ghost Fever''
''They Came to Rob Hong Kong''	Comrade Monroe
''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World III''
''Lucky Guys''
''Ghost Busting''
''Crocodile Hunter (1989 film)	Crocodile Hunter''	Bitchy Yuen Ying
''Thunder Cops II''	Fong Ngoi-nam
''Return of the Evil Fox''	Yu
''Funny Ghost''
''The Inspector Wears Skirts 2''
''Vampire Vs. Vampire''	General's Cousin
''The Crazy Companies II''	Doriana
rowspan="8"	1988	''The Inspector Wears Skirts''
''Soldier of Love (film)	Soldier of Love''	Candy Ho
''The Greatest Lover''	Miss Hong Kong wannabe
''Three Wishes (1988 film)	Three Wishes''
''In the Line of Duty 3''	Cop
''Love Hungry Suicide Squad''	Mei You-kong
''The Crazy Companies''	Doriana
''Two Most Honorable Knights''	Third Lady
rowspan="3"	1987	''The Happy Bigamist''
''Trouble Couples''	Oi-Chee
''Thunder Cops''	Fat Cop's Wife
rowspan="3"	1986	''Operation Pink Squad''
''Peking Opera Blues''
''The Return of Luk Siu Fung''	Kei Kei
1985	''Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars''
1984	The Duke of Mount Deer (1984 TV series)>The Duke of Mount Deer''

Achievements[link]

Hong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film Awards

!Year	!Award	!Category	!Film	!Result
1989	|	Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer>Best New Performer	''The Inspector Wears Skirts''
1995	|	Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress>Best Supporting Actress	''The Returning''
1997	|	Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress>Best Actress	''Four Faces of Eve''
rowspan="2"	1999	|	Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress>Best Actress	''Portland Street Blues''
Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress>Best Actress	''Golden Chicken''
Golden Horse Awards	Best Actress
2004	|	Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress>Best Actress	''Golden Chicken 2''
2010	|	Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress>Best Actress	''Echoes of the Rainbow''

References[link]

External links[link]

IMDb entry

Category:Best Actress HKFA Category:Hong Kong actors Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:People from Panyu Category:Hong Kong radio personalities Category:TVB actors

fr:Sandra Ng no:Sandra Ng th:อู๋ จินหยู zh-yue:吳君如 zh:吳君如

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Charity Barbecue Party[link]

;Date & time: 3-9 pm, 15 Jan 2011 ;Description: A Charity Barbecue Party, featuring review of milestones of the local and global community and video chat with other communities in the nearby region. ;Location: Yuen Long West Rail Barbeque Field ;Organizers: Wikimedia Hong Kong ;Social Media: Facebook Page ;Registration Form: Here

Chinese New Year Fair [link]

;Date: 28 Jan - 3 Feb 2011 ;Description: A fair stall where you can purchase our latest souvenirs, and get our promotional materials for free. ;Location: Stall No. 101, Chinese New Year’s Fair in Kwai Tsing District, Kwai Chung Sports Ground, Kwai Chung, NT ;Organizers: Wikimedia Hong Kong ;Social Media: Facebook Page

Further details will be released later, please stay tuned the update here. And we strongly recommend you follow the chapter's official twitter, and those twitter accounts of the Chapter's executives, as some update may release there.

Category:China Category:2011-01-15 Category:2011-01-28 Category:2011-01-29 Category:2011-01-30 Category:2011-02-01 Category:2011-02-02 Category:2011-02-03 Category:2011-01-31

name	Chow Yun-fat
tradchinesename	周潤發
simpchinesename	周润发
pinyinchinesename	Zhōu Rùnfā
jyutpingchinesename	Zau1 Jeon6faat3
ancestry	Kaiping, Guangdong
birth date	May 18, 1955
birth place	Lamma Island, Hong Kong
yearsactive	1974–present
occupation	Actor
spouse	Candice Yu (1983–1983) Jasmine Tan (1986–present)
hongkongfilmwards	Best Actor1987 ''A Better Tomorrow''1988 ''City on Fire''1990 ''All About Ah-Long''
goldenhorseawards	Best Actor1985 ''Hong Kong 1941''1987 ''An Autumn's Tale''
tvbanniversaryawards	My Most Memorable Male Leading Role1999 ''The Bund''
awards	}}

Showflag	stp
S	周润发
T	周潤發
P	Zhōu Rùnfā
Mi
Myr	Jhōu Rùnfā
J	Zau1 Jeon6faat3
Y	Jāu Zeuhnfaat
Ci	}}

Chow Yun-fat, SBS (born May 18, 1955) is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films ''A Better Tomorrow'', ''The Killer'', and ''Hard Boiled''; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''. He mainly plays in dramatic films and has won three Hong Kong Film Awards for "Best Actor" and two Golden Horse Awards for "Best Actor" in Taiwan.

Personal life[link]

Chow was born in Hong Kong, to a mother who was a cleaning lady and vegetable farmer, and a father who worked on a Shell Oil Company tanker. Of Hakka origins, he grew up in a farming community on Lamma Island in a house with no electricity. He woke up at dawn each morning to help his mother sell herbal jelly and Hakka tea-pudding on the streets and in the afternoons he went to work in the fields. His family moved to Kowloon when he was ten. At seventeen, he quit school to help support the family by doing odd jobs including bellboy, postman, camera salesman, and taxi driver. His life started to change when he responded to a newspaper advertisement and his actor-trainee application was accepted by TVB, the local television station. He signed a three-year contract with the studio and made his acting debut. With his striking good looks and easy-going style, Chow became a heartthrob and a familiar face in soap operas that were exported internationally.

Chow has been married twice; first in 1983, to Candice Yu (), an actress from Asia Television Limited; the marriage lasted nine months. In 1986, Chow married Singaporean Jasmine Tan (). Currently, the couple have no children, although Chow has a goddaughter, Celine Ng, a former child model for Chickeeduck and other companies. Chow has acknowledged having cosmetic surgery on his eyelids in 1989 to reverse a drooping effect.

Career[link]

It did not take long for Chow to become a household name in Hong Kong following his role in the hit series ''The Bund'' in TVB in 1980. ''The Bund'', about the rise and fall of a gangster in 1930s Shanghai, made him a star. It was one of the most popular TV series ever made in Hong Kong and was a hit throughout Asia.

Although Chow continued his TV success, his goal was to become a big screen actor. His occasional ventures onto the big screens with low-budget films, however, were disastrous. Success finally came when he teamed up with director John Woo in the 1986 gangster action-melodrama ''A Better Tomorrow'', which swept the box offices in Asia and established Chow and Woo as megastars. ''A Better Tomorrow'' won him his first Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. It was the highest grossing film in Hong Kong history at the time, and it set the standard for Hong Kong gangster films to come. Taking the opportunity, Chow quit TV entirely. With his new image from ''A Better Tomorrow'', he made many more 'gun fu' or 'heroic bloodshed' films, such as ''A Better Tomorrow 2'' (1987), ''Prison on Fire'', ''Prison on Fire II'', ''The Killer'' (1989), ''A Better Tomorrow 3'' (1990), ''Hard Boiled'' (1992) and ''City on Fire'' an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's ''Reservoir Dogs''.

Chow may be best known for playing honorable tough guys, whether cops or criminals, but he also starred in comedies like ''Diary of a Big Man'' (1988) and ''Now You See Love, Now You Don't'' (1992) and romantic blockbusters such as ''Love in a Fallen City'' (1984) and ''An Autumn's Tale'' (1987), for which he was named best actor at the Golden Horse Awards. He brought together his disparate personae in the 1989 film ''God of Gamblers'' (''Du Shen''), directed by the prolific Wong Jing, in which he was by turns suave charmer, broad comedian and action hero. The film surprised many, became immensely popular, broke Hong Kong's all-time box office record, and spawned a series of gambling films, as well as several comic sequels starring Andy Lau and Stephen Chow. His character's often tough demeanor and youthful appearance has earned him the nickname "Babyface killer".

The ''Los Angeles Times'' proclaimed Chow Yun-Fat "the coolest actor in the world." In the mid '90s, Chow moved to Hollywood in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to duplicate his success in Asia. His first two films, ''The Replacement Killers'' (1998) and ''The Corruptor'' (1999), were box office disappointments. In his next film ''Anna and the King'' (1999), Chow teamed up with Jodie Foster, but the film suffered at the box office. Unable to play down the Asian stereotype, Chow took advantage of it by accepting the role of Li Mu-Bai in the (2000) film ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.'' It became a winner at both the international box office and the Oscars. In 2003, Chow came back to Hollywood and starred in ''Bulletproof Monk'' in yet another Asian stereotyped role of a martial art expert. In 2006, he teamed up with Gong Li in the film, ''Curse of the Golden Flower,'' directed by Zhang Yimou.

In 2007, Chow was cast as the pirate captain Sao Feng in ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End''. His character, however, was omitted when the movie was shown in mainland China. His character was criticized as demeaning as it "vilifies and humiliates the Chinese."

Chow had often wished to be regarded as a serious dramatic actor in Hollywood. Unfortunately, he often landed in roles that stereotyped him as an Asian action hero.

In the live action version of ''Dragonball Evolution'', which performed poorly in the USA and grossed $57 million worldwide, Chow Yun-fat played Master Roshi.

Book[link]

On June 26, 2008, Chow released his first photo collection in Hong Kong, which includes pictures taken on the sets of his films. Proceeds from sales of the book were donated to Sichuan earthquake victims. Published by Louis Vuitton, the books were sold in Vuitton's Hong Kong and Paris stores.

Filmography[link]

Chow has appeared in over 110 films and 24 television series.

Video games[link]

''Stranglehold''

''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)''

''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (video game)''

Awards and nominations[link]

Hong Kong Film Awards

Best Actor Nomination for ''Hong Kong 1941''

Best Actor Nomination for ''Women''

Best Supporting Actor Nomination for ''Love Unto Waste''

'''Best Actor for ''A Better Tomorrow''

Best Actor Nomination for ''Prison on Fire''

Best Actor Nomination for ''An Autumn's Tale''

'''Best Actor for ''City on Fire''

Best Original Film Song Nomination for ''The Diary of a Big Man''

Best Original Film Song Nomination for ''Triads: The Inside Story''

Best Actor Nomination for ''God of Gamblers''

'''Best Actor for ''All About Ah-Long''

Best Actor Nomination for ''Once a Thief''

Best Actor Nomination for ''Treasure Hunt''

Best Actor Nomination for ''Peace Hotel''

Best Actor Nomination for ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''

Best Actor Nomination for ''Curse of the Golden Flower''

Best Supporting Actor Nomination for ''The Postmodern Life of My Aunt''

(13 Best Actor Nominations, 2 Best Supporting Actor Nominations, 2 Best Original Film Song Nominations)

See also [link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Chow Yun-Fat: The Undisputed King of Cool - Article

Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Hakka people Category:Hong Kong actors Category:Hong Kong people of Hakka descent Category:Indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories in Hong Kong Category:Lamma Island

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