Actor Tony Leung Chu Wai: biography, filmography and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

Famous actor Tony Leung Chu Wai was born in Hong Kong (June 27, 1962). Zodiac sign: Cancer. Year of birth - Tiger. The young man began acting in 1982. In addition to acting, Tony sings. The artist has been married to actress Karina Lau since 2008. The following is his biography and a list of the most popular films.

Childhood

Little Tony Leung grew up as a naughty boy. His dad was a gambler. However, the family was kept in relative prosperity. As a child, the boy often heard his parents quarrel about financial problems or his father's drunkenness. Having seen enough of such ups and downs, he promised himself that he would never be involved in the world of gambling.

The future actor intended to go to college. Everything was going to this, but, the father left the house, and the mother was left with two children. This family tragedy was forever deposited in the guy's soul and left an unpleasant imprint on his future fate, in particular, in relation to marriage. He considered family ties to be an unreliable and oppressive burden.

Growing Up

After dad left Tony Leung's house, Chu Wai settled down and became a true protector of his family, quickly turning into a mature man. The guy's mom worked tirelessly to be able to payprivate school. The funds were still not enough, and at the age of 15 Tony left this educational institution. Wanting to lighten the burden of his mother, he first worked as a courier in a grocery store. Then he changed several more jobs, including the position of a household appliance salesman.

The future actor was friends with Stephen Chow, who repeatedly mentioned the acting courses of the television company TVB, dreaming of graduating from them and becoming a movie star. At first, Leung was not particularly interested in this, but after persuading a friend, he soon sent a letter to this company himself. In 1982, the young man entered the TVB class, where his talents quickly attracted the attention of teachers. The first success came after participating in the children's program 430 Space Shuttle.

Career start

Tony Leung Chu Wai was a stubborn and purposeful young man with ambition. He understood that acting is the only area where he has achieved significant success. Besides, it was a real way to make his mom proud of her son.

He soon became a real star of the 80s after the release of projects Duke of Mount Deer and Police Cadet (1984). The television actor perfectly merged into the images of any characters, which allowed him to gain a reputation as a diverse and successful artist. In 1989, Tony decided to leave television for a voyage to the big cinema. One of the reasons was the small fees, compared with the return of the actor. Despite the fame, the young and ambitious man took a big risk, intending to get fame and decent pay for his work in a big movie.

Tony Leung Chu Wai: personallife

At the peak of popularity (1983 on TVB), the actor meets his love - actress Margie Tsang. They met in acting class. After the project "Police Cadet 85", the lovers were considered the most popular young couple both on and off the screen. The gap in their relationship took place three times, after which they reconciled loudly. Thus, the romance of these young people kept all the fans on their toes.

Relationship problems began after the actor moved to the major acting league. The schedule became tighter, and there was less and less time for dates with Margie. The actress was also absorbed in filming, meeting new people and making friends from a different circle. Love between young people finally died out in 1989.

It is worth noting that after the second "divorce" from Margie in 1986, Chu Wai met Kitty Lai. Their first collaboration was Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber. The film with Tony Leung Ka Fai and Kitty was released in 1986. Rumors soon began to circulate about a romance between them. Many fans of Margie poured mud on the new passion, although she continued to love Tony without falling into various insidious traps. However, the actor could not give her the same, continuing to grieve in his heart about parting with Tsang.

Interesting facts

Biography of Tony Leung Ka Fai is very interesting not only with ups and downs. By the beginning of the 1990s, the actor's life had gone downhill. He became addicted to alcohol and drugs. He self-destructed, often driving himself to unconsciousness. Basicthe reason for this behavior was the lack of a mentor and teacher nearby in life. Tony could not or did not want to share his emotional anguish with anyone, including his mother, for fear of upsetting her. As a result, without moral support, the actor went off the rails.

Despite early recognition, Chu Wai often gave his 100% on set, trying to improve his performance as much as possible. He strictly judged himself, and the growing pressure contributed to the artist's addiction to alcohol. Self-destruction became a habit, as a result of which the actor became a lost person with no definite purpose in life, missing out on great opportunities.

Transition to cinema

The transition to big cinema did not go smoothly. The first films with Tony Leung are not even worth mentioning. Often he acted as an actor of the second, and even the third plan. Despite the significant fees, the artist did not want to put up with secondary roles. He even received several awards in this category. The third time he refused the award (the film "Hard Boiled"), because he considered his role to be the main one. The actor simply withdrew from the list of nominees.

At the end of 1989, Tony starts dating Karina Lau. They had known each other since the production of "Replica" (1984). At one time she was a good friend of Margie. Before that, Lau's ex-boyfriend canceled her wedding just a few weeks before the wedding. Karina and Tony were also brought together by the fact that they had similar fates. She is a Chinese immigrant trying to adapt in Hong Kong, and he comes from a broken family.

Rumors and gossip

Things have been going pretty well for Tonya and Karina so far. There were several gossip and rumors that overshadowed the happiness of lovers. So, in 1993, after filming Chu Wai with Valerie Chow, in one advertisement, the yellow press launched a version about a romance between them. Thank God, the relationship survived and flowed further in its course.

A year later, the actress sued her assistant, claiming he stole her check. The assistant under oath declared an intimate relationship between them. Tony did not believe in this gossip and publicly stated in one of the radio broadcasts that he loved his passion. In 1997, another scandal occurred regarding the divorce of one of Karina's friends. According to rumors, he is connected with her. But the couple denied the gossip.

Among the "yellow" stories was the situation with Rosamund Kwan, whom Tony gave a ride home from the bar, as well as a version about Karina's affair with a Taiwanese actor. Not believing all this, Chu Wai repeatedly said that he would only tie the knot when he felt the urge to settle down and settle down.

What's next?

During a strong relationship with Karina, the actor has achieved a lot in his professional career. The film "Lust" with Tony Leung Chu Wai - became one of the cult bestsellers. At the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, the artist received an award for best male role. He also won the Best Actor award twice in Hong Kong. In addition, he has a lot of prizes won at various international film festivals.

Life together with Karina changed Tony. He becamean independent, self-confident man who no longer needs a firm hand from the outside. Only a strong person could withstand such tests, which makes him special. With a handsome face and intelligent soul, the actor received the recognition he deserves. It is worth noting that in addition to his main career, Chu Wai is a popular singer. He does not shy away from participating in second-rate films and farces, while scrupulously choosing serious roles. This makes him one of the toughest Hong Kong actors in any classification.

Tony Leung Ka Fai Filmography

The artist has played in more than 70 films during his career. Some of them are marked below:

• "Mad Mad" (Mad Mad) - 1983.
• Young Cops - 1985.
• "Just a Hero" - 1987.
• "I Love Mary" - 1988.
• "Forever in my heart" - 1989.
• "Bullet in the Head" - 1990.
• Great Pretenders, Wild Days - 1991.
• "Hard Boiled" - 1992.
• "Two of a Kind", "Tom, Dick and Hairy" - 1993.
• Chungking Express - 1994.
• "Cycle Rickshaw", "Heaven Doesn't Wait" - 1995.
• Mafia Wars, Blind Love - 1996.
• Mission Mad, The Longest Night - 1997.
• "Flowers of Shanghai" - 1998.
• "Magnificent" - 1999.
• Healing Hearts, Tokyo Spread - 2000.
• "Hero" - 2002.
• "Infernal Affairs" - 2003.
• "Seoul Alignment" - 2005.
• "Confessions of Pain" - 2006.
• Lust - 2007.
• "Battle of the Red Rock-" - 2009.
• The Great Magician - 2011.
• Quiet War - 2012.
• Great Master - 2013.

Finally

Actor Tony Leung Chu Wai (Ka Fai) proved by personal example that it is possible to reach the heights of cinema without having influential connections and huge money. There were ups and downs in his life, but he was able to stay afloat. In many ways, this became possible thanks to the beloved woman, attachment to the profession and a hardened strong character. Despite the fact that the father left the family when the actor was still a boy, this did not break the guy. He became a real support for the family, and subsequently did everything possible to make his own mother proud of him.