Tony Leung Chiu Wai

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Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a 2006 promotional photograph for the Hong Kong Entertainment Expo
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Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a 2006 promotional photograph for the Hong Kong Entertainment Expo

Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chinese: 梁朝偉; pinyin: Liáng Cháowěi) (born in Hong Kong on June 27, 1962) is a Hong Kong movie and ex-television actor. He is not to be confused with another actor, Tony Leung Ka-Fai. (Due to the difference in their respective physical stature, Chiu Wai is known colloquially in Hong Kong as "Short Tony," while Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony.")

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[edit] Background

Born in Hong Kong, with ancestry in Taishan, Guangdong, China, Tony Leung was brought up by his mother in a single-parent family. In 1982, after passing the training courses of the television channel TVB, Tony Leung became an actor and became known for his comedy roles in television and film.

Many consider Tony Leung's role in director John Woo's 1992 action film Hard Boiled where he acted with Chow Yun-Fat as his breakthrough role in film. However, Leung first gained international exposure through Hou Hsiao-Hsien's 1989 film A City of Sadness, which won the Venice Golden Lion.

Leung often collaborates with director Wong Kar-wai and has appeared in many of his films. His most notable roles in Wong Kar-wai's films include the lonely policeman in Chungking Express (1994), a homosexual Chinese expatriate living in Argentina in Happy Together (1997), and a repressed victim of adultery in In the Mood for Love (2000), for which he won the Best Actor award at Cannes.

He is considered by many to be the finest actor of his generation in Hong Kong. Robert de Niro, who is an admirer of his work, has called Leung Asia's answer to Clark Gable.

He is good friends with actor and comedian Stephen Chow.

Carina Lau, a fellow actress, has been in a steady relationship with him since 1989. Despite this, the couple have no intention of marrying.

Leung also has an on-and-off Cantopop and Mandarin pop singing career and sang the theme song of Infernal Affairs with Andy Lau.

Leung speaks impeccable English and is well read and well versed on historic issues. During the late 1990's, some predicted that it would be difficult for him to break into Hollywood since he would not take on degrading roles because of his pride and character. To date, he has not done a Hollywood movie, but is primed to appear in one after signing on with an American film agent. [1] [2]

During the promotion of the movie Hero, pro-colonial and pro-British politicians and commentators in Hong Kong attacked Leung for expressing the view on that the suppression of the Tiananmen Square demonstration was necessary to maintain stability. Under constant political pressure and boycott threats, Leung made a single statement that he may have been quoted out of context. He refused to retract his statement in the magazine. [3] However, the movie magazine editor maintained that the orginal statement was not out of context and challenged people to read the complete interview.

[edit] Relationship with Carina Lau

Tony Leung Chiu Wai has dated Carina Lau since the end of 1989.

He had known her since The Replica in 1984 as she had been good friends with Margie Tsang, his ex-girlfriend.

Except for a few short breaks, Tony and Carina have been dating steadily since 1989. In 1993, Tony was rumored to be dating Valarie Chou after appearing on MTV with her. At one time, Carina had met Valarie at a movie premiere and refused to take pictures with her. However when the rumor cooled down, everything was back to normal. In 1994, Carina filed a lawsuit against her personal assistant for stealing her checks. Her male assistant testified on the court that he had been in a sexual relationship with her. Later, Tony dismissed the case by publicly going on air and said "I love Ka-Ling" on a radio show in New Year's Eve. In 1997, Carina was involved again in a complicated family matter. Her longtime friend Mr. Lo was filing for divorce and rumors claimed she was to blame for the demise of his marriage. Both Tony and Carina denied the rumor. The neverending rumor mills were targeted at Tony again on the March of 1998, Tony was caught on camera driving Rosamund Kwan home. The HK East Touch Magazine took photos of them outside a night bar on 3/7. Apparently, they were having a good time with a group of friends in the "97's bar". Later, he drove her home. Rosamund claims that nothing happened. She is a good friend of Carina, and Tony simply gave her a ride home. Soon another rumored affair between Carina and a Taiwanese actor hit the stand,and Tony claimed the rumor was ludicrous. All of things listed above were so-called "juicy" rumors, none had been proven true.

In 1990, during the filming of Days of Being Wild, Carina was abducted and topless photos of her were snapped. (Years later, photos of a nude and frightened Carina tastelessly appeared in Hong Kong tabloids.)

Originally, Wong Kar Wai said, there were plans for "Days of Being Wild" I and II, and the sequence featuring Tony Leung was meant to be the opening scene of the second movie. But two things happened, one of which was that "Days of Being Wild" didn't do well in Hong Kong, so the producers said, "No Part 2." The other reason was that of Carina's kidnapping.

"I was doing the shoot," Tony said, "and a friend came and told me, 'Your girlfriend has just been kidnapped.' And I told Kar-wai I couldn't do any more, I had to go find her." The thugs who grabbed Carina set her free several hours later, and it is now believed that the man behind the kidnapping is a show business entrepreneur with whom Carina was having a financial dispute. Tony said she has never wanted to talk about what happened in those missing hours with anyone, including him. "I told her that was fine, I had no right to ask," he said. "I was just glad to have her home safe." He then told Kar Wai that he didn't want to go back to work anytime soon. "A human being is more important than a movie," he said.

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award in 2000 (In the Mood for Love)
  • Golden Horse Film Festival
    • Best actor award in 2003 (Infernal Affairs)
    • Best actor award in 1994 (Chungking Express)
  • Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor awards. Nominated nine times, won five times:
    • 2005 Won Best Actor (2046)
    • 2003 Won Best Actor, for his role as the undercover cop Yan (Infernal Affairs)
    • 2001 Won Best Actor (In the Mood for Love)
    • 1999 Nominated Best Actor (Longest Nite)
    • 1998 Won Best Actor (Happy Together)
    • 1995 Won Best Actor (Chungking Express)
    • 1993 Nominated Best Supporting Actor (Hard-Boiled)
    • 1990 Won Best Supporting Actor (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose)
    • 1988 Won Best Supporting Actor (People's Hero)
    • 1987 Nominated Best Actor (Love Unto Waste)
  • Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards Best Actor award in 2005 (2046) [4]

[edit] Female Co-stars

Maggie Cheung Police Cadet (1984), The Yangs' Saga (1985), Days of Being Wild (1991), Ashes of Time (1994), In the Mood for Love (2000), Hero (2003), 2046 (2005)

Margie Tsang Police Cadet (1985, 88), The Yangs' Saga (1985), The New Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (1986), Grand Canal (1986), Young Cops (1985)

Kitty Lai The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (1986), Two Most Honorable Knights (1988), Da Du Hui (1988)

Elaine Jin (Elaine Kam) Love Unto Waste (1986), People's Hero (1987)

Carina Lau Replica (1984), Duke of Mount Deer (1984), Police Cadet (1984,85,88), The Yangs' Saga (1985), Days of Being Wild (1991), He ain't heavy, he's my father (1993), Ashes of Time (1994), 2046 (2005)

Michelle Reis Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Healing Hearts (2000)

Christy Chung Aces Goes Place (1997), Mack the Knife (1995)

Anita Mui Mad Mad 83 (1983), Young Cops (1985), The Magic Crane (1993)

Faye Wong Chungking Express (1994), Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002), 2046 (2005)

Barbara Yung The Roughride (1985)

Chingmy Yau Blind Romance (1996)

Gong Li 2046 (2004)

Zhang Ziyi Hero (2002), 2046 (2004)

Tang Wei Lust, Caution (2007)

[edit] Friendship with Maggie Cheung

In an interview with Tony by renowned director Wong Kar Wai, Tony had this to say about Maggie:

"She is like my alter ego. We started our careers at almost the same time and acted opposite each other in our first television series and on some other occasions - like on the Days of Being Wild sequel, which was never released, and on Ashes of Time. But we did not work opposite each other again until In the Mood for Love. Maggie is a truly formidable partner - one to waltz with. We do not spend a lot of time with each other, as we like to keep some mystery between us. Whenever I see her, I discover something new about her."

["Interview" magazine, September 2005]

Their first TV serial together was the highly successful "Police Cadet" (later named "Police Cadet 84" to distinguish it from subsequent sequels). Tony played an outgoing young man who decides to become a police officer in order to earn a living for his family; Maggie played a shy bookworm, Tony's upstairs neighbor and love interest.

[edit] Filmography, as actor, includes


[edit] Discography

  • Hard to Forget You (1993)
  • Cannot Forget Collections (?)
  • The Past And The Future (Cantonese) (?)
  • The Past And The Future (Mandarin Ver.) (March 2000)
  • Tony Leung Greatest Hits (June 2000)
  • IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Nov 2000)
  • Feng Sha (2004) (The reissue version was released in January 2006)


[edit] External links

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