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Andy Lau

 
Andy Lau

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Andy Lau



 
 
Not to be confused with film director Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau

Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong film director, Film producer, cinematographer, presenter and actor.He most famously worked with Ringo Lam on City on Fire and Wong Kar-wai on Chungking Express as cinematographer and has directed Wong Jing-produced sex exploitation movie Naked Killer 2 and the immensely popular Triad soci...
.


Andy Lau Tak-Wah MH
Medal of Honour

The Medal of Honour is part of the honours system in Hong Kong. It was created in 1997 to replace the British honours system after the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ....
, JP
Justice of the Peace

A Justice of the Peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a letters patent to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions....
 (born September 27, 1961) is a Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
 Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 Cantopop
Cantopop

Cantopop is a colloquial portmanteau for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music"....
 star, movie actor, and producer
Film producer

A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the 1990s.

The first lead role that made his initial popularity was the TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited

Television Broadcasts Limited , commonly known as TVB, was the first over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967.....
 series Hunting
Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to law....
 in 1982. In the same year, Andy acted in his first movie Once Upon a Rainbow.






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Not to be confused with film director Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau

Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong film director, Film producer, cinematographer, presenter and actor.He most famously worked with Ringo Lam on City on Fire and Wong Kar-wai on Chungking Express as cinematographer and has directed Wong Jing-produced sex exploitation movie Naked Killer 2 and the immensely popular Triad soci...
.


Andy Lau Tak-Wah MH
Medal of Honour

The Medal of Honour is part of the honours system in Hong Kong. It was created in 1997 to replace the British honours system after the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ....
, JP
Justice of the Peace

A Justice of the Peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a letters patent to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions....
 (born September 27, 1961) is a Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
 Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 Cantopop
Cantopop

Cantopop is a colloquial portmanteau for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music"....
 star, movie actor, and producer
Film producer

A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the 1990s.

The first lead role that made his initial popularity was the TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited

Television Broadcasts Limited , commonly known as TVB, was the first over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967.....
 series Hunting
Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to law....
 in 1982. In the same year, Andy acted in his first movie Once Upon a Rainbow. Later in 1983, his role as Yang Guo
Yang Guo

The fictional character Yang Guo is the protagonist in the 1959 Chinese language wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jinyong....
 in the popular wuxia
Wuxia

Wuxia or Wuxi? . Wuxi? is a Chinese martial literary form that has figured prominently in the popular culture of Chinese-speaking areas since ancient times to the present; the most important Wuxi? writers have devoted followings....
 TV serial The Return of the Condor Heroes
The Return of the Condor Heroes

The Return of the Condor Heroes is a classic wuxia novel written by Louis Cha, first published on May 20, 1959 in the first issue of Ming Pao and ran for about three years....
 landed him his first leading role in a Shaw Brothers' film called On the Wrong Track.

He is rumoured to wed his long rumoured Malaysian girlfriend, Ms. Carol Chu, in the near future.

Andy Lau has since appeared in more than 100 films and 300 mini series with Hong Kong's TVB channel, and has a huge fan base throughout Asia with the success of both his onscreen performance and his musical career. Andy Lau is best known for his (often) recurring roles as a "Heroic Gangster."

Though a respectable actor, Lau in the early days was known more for his good looks, though he has answered his detractors since the turn of the century with a series of critically acclaimed movies, especially those directed by Johnnie To
Johnnie To

Johnnie To Kei-Fung, born April 22, 1955 is a Cantonese film director and Film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas....
. His first major acting prizes came with A Fighter's Blues
A Fighter's Blues

A Fighter's Blues is a 2000 Cinema of Hong Kong drama film directed by Daniel Lee Yan-Kong and starring Andy Lau....
 and Running Out of Time in 2000. With Running Out of Time, he won his very first Hong Kong Film Award ("aka" Golden Statue Award) for Best Actor. In 2004, he won the prestigious Golden Horse Award for his performance in Infernal Affairs 3, the sequel to the popular Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs

Infernal Affairs is a Hong Kong films of 2002 Cinema of Hong Kong crime film-Thriller directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the crime gang, and a Mole secretly working for the same gang....
. Western
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 audiences may also be familiar with his performance in the House of Flying Daggers
House of Flying Daggers

House of Flying Daggers , is a Chinese films of the 2000s Cinema of China action film/romance film directed by Zhang Yimou. The film is in the wuxia genre, similar in style to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero , and Warriors of Heaven and Earth....
.

Andy Lau was awarded "No.1 Box Office
Box office

A box office is a place where Ticket s are sold to the public for admission to a venue. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall, or at a wicket ....
 Actor 1985-2005" of Hong Kong, yielding a total box office of HKD
Hong Kong dollar

The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of Hong Kong. It is the 9th most traded currency in the world. In English language, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies....
 1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in the past 20 years. It is compared to the first runner-up Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow Sing-Chi???, born 22 June 1962 , is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, scriptwriter, film director and film producer.Chow is a well-known, top-tier comedian and superstar of Cinema of Hong Kong....
 (HKD 1,317,452,311) and second runner-up Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, Silver Bauhinia Star, Member of the Order of the British Empire is an actor, Stage combat, film director, film producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer from Hong Kong....
 (HKD 894,090,962). "I've never imagined that would be as much as 1.7 billion!" he told the reporters.

Musical career

In the 90s, despite having a voice not tradionally associated with popular music, Andy Lau's hard work resulted in his being one of the most successful Chinese music celebrities, with an extensive list of Cantonese and Mandarin hits to his credit. He was trained in singing under ???
???

??? may refer to:*Nihonbashi, a business district of Chuo, Tokyo, Japan, surrounding a famous bridge of the same name*Nipponbashi, a shopping district of Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan...
(Tai Sze Chong)since 1982. He has even sang a Taiwanese song entitled ?????. His first music contract came in 1985, but his singing career reached stellar status in 1990 with the release of the album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
 entitled ???? "Would It Be Possible?", and his subsequent releases only solidified his status as a marketable singer. Andy Lau along with Jacky Cheung
Jacky Cheung

Jacky Cheung Hok-Yau is a Hong Kong singer and actor from the mid-1980s to the present. The Chinese language media refer to him, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings ...
, Aaron Kwok
Aaron Kwok

Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing is a popular Hong Kong singer and Actor. The media refer to Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings ...
 and Leon Lai
Leon Lai

Leon Lai is a Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings ....
 also named as the Cantopop
Cantopop

Cantopop is a colloquial portmanteau for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music"....
 Four Heavenly Kings (???? Cantonese
Standard Cantonese

Standard Cantonese, or Guangzhou dialect, is the prestige dialect of Cantonese language. It is used in Hong Kong and Macau as the spoken language of government and instruction in the schools....
: sêi daài tïn wong, Pinyin
Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: sì dà tian wáng).

Andy Lau also entered into Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing an internationally recognized...
 for "Most Awards Won By A Canto-Pop Male Artist". By April 2000, Andy Lau had won an unprecedented 292 awards, for a singing career that began in 1988. Since 1992, Lau has appeared in concert more than 180 times.

The most notable hits by Andy Lau include ??????? (The Days We Spent Together), ??? (Everlasting Love), ?? (The Tide), ??? (Forget Love Potion), ??? (Chinese People), ??? (Stupid Child), ????? (Love You Forever (lit. Love You For 10,000 Years)), ?????? (You Are My Woman), ???? (Secret Admiration).

As well as being a versatile singer, Andy Lau also writes lyrics and composes music for many of his songs.

He also participated and sung in the theme song of the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR with the other three Heavenly Kings and other famous Hong Kong Famous singers.

Andy Lau sang along side of Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, Silver Bauhinia Star, Member of the Order of the British Empire is an actor, Stage combat, film director, film producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer from Hong Kong....
 during a part of the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony
2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony

The 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and began at 8:00 pm China standard time on August 24, 2008....
 on August 24th, 2008. In addition, Andy Lau, as the Goodwill ambassador for the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, led other performers in singing and performing the song "Everyone is No.1" in the Beijing National Stadium just a few hours before the 2008 Paralympic ceremony began to show their support for the disabled athletes . In fact, Andy Lau's music video "Everyone is no.1" was especially made to support athletes with disabilities . He also sang the theme song, "Flying with the Dream," with Han Hong
Han Hong

Han Hong is a China singer and songwriter of ethnic Tibetan people and Han Chinese origin . She is also a songwriter who specializes in a variety of Chinese folk music....
 during the 2008 Paralympics opening ceremony
2008 Summer Paralympics

The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. Mainland China fielded more Sportspersons than any other country....
 on September 6, 2008 .

Andy is about to embark on a tour of Australia - visiting Sydney in early October 2008 on his Wonderful World tour.

Trivia

  • Madame Tussauds Hong Kong
    Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

    Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, part of the renowned chain of wax museums founded by Marie Tussaud of France, is located at the Peak Tower on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong....
     unveiled the wax figure of Lau on June 1, 2005.
  • Lau has demonstrated a proficient command of Chinese
    East Asian calligraphy

    The art of calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian civilizations that use or used Chinese characters. These include China, Japan, Korea, and to a lesser extent, Vietnam....
     calligraphy
    Calligraphy

    Calligraphy is the art of writing . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner" ....
     during onstage performances. Some film titles have been written by his hand (Jiang Hu
    Jiang Hu (film)

    Jiang Hu is a 2004 in film Cinema of Hong Kong about Hong Kong Triad society. It was directed by Wong Ching-Po and stars Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung....
    , A Battle of Wits
    A Battle of Wits (2006 film)

    A Battle of Wits is a Hong Kong films of 2006 Cinema of Hong Kong List of historical drama films Hong Kong action cinema drama film, based upon a Japanese historical novel of the same name, which was in turn inspired by Warring States history in China....
    , etc) and used in their respective promotional materials.
  • In 2003, he started his own media company called Focus Group Holdings Limited
    Focus Group Holdings Limited

    Focus Group Holdings Limited , is a company formed by Andy Lau, a popular Hong Kong actor and singer. It is managed by a professional and experienced team....
    .
  • In the mid-nineties, Lau had his own brand of sunglasses
    Sunglasses

    Sunglasses or sun glasses are a visual aid, variously termed spectacles or glasses, which feature lenses that are coloured or darkened to prevent strong light from reaching the eyes....
     called ALD, pronounced "old", (Andy Lau Design).
  • Over the years, like a number of other celebrities, Lau has voiced and appeared in a number of public service announcement
    Public service announcement

    A public service announcement or community service announcement is a non-commercial advertising broadcast on radio or television, ostensibly for the public interest....
    s. One of his public service announcements for customer service
    Customer service

    Customer service is the provision of Service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , ?Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction ? that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.?...
     was spoofed in the 2003 film, Golden Chicken
    Golden Chicken

    Golden Chicken is a 2002 Cinema of Hong Kong directed by Samson Chiu starring Sandra Ng and involving cameo appearances from Andy Lau and Eric Tsang....
    , in which Lau appeared in a cameo role. His most recent (as of April 2008) public service announcement is to encourage businesses to join the Quality Tourism Services Scheme
    Hong Kong Tourism Board

    The Hong Kong Tourism Board , a Government-subvented body, was founded in 2001. It has 15 branch offices and 5 representative offices around the world, and its primary mission is to maximise the social and economic contribution that tourism makes to the community of Hong Kong, and consolidate the city?s position as a unique, world-class and most...
    . The advertisement uses excerpts from Infernal Affair, whilst recreating a scene from the movie.
  • Andy Lau experienced unexpected notoriety with the encounter of 29 year old fan Yang Lijuan , who idolized him for 16 years. After her parents sold the family house to pay the trip to Hong Kong, she finally met him on March 25, 2007. One day later, Yang's father committed suicide by throwing himself into the Salisbury Sea (Hong Kong), possible reasons being bankruptcy, shame and pressure from the media. This was the second trip to Hong Kong for this Sichuanese family, and a third trip was even considered but the late father Yang would have had to sell his kidney, which stirred up an outcry from the public.


Duets

  • With Anita Mui
    Anita Mui

    Anita Mui Yim-fong was a popular Hong Kong singer, actress, and sex symbol. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours....
    • Dance of a Dream
    • Don't Say Love Hurts
    • Moon Represents My Heart


  • With Rosamund Kwan
    Rosamund Kwan

    Rosamund Kwan Chi-lam is a Chinese people Actor born in Hong Kong with her ancestry in Shenyang, Liaoning in People's Republic of China. She is the daughter of Shaw Brothers Studio star Kwan San and actress Cheung Bing Sai....
    • ????? - Xiang Yue Dao Yong Yuan


  • With Jacky Cheung
    Jacky Cheung

    Jacky Cheung Hok-Yau is a Hong Kong singer and actor from the mid-1980s to the present. The Chinese language media refer to him, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings ...
    • Miao Xiang Tian Kai


  • With Kelly Chen
    Kelly Chen

    Kelly Chen is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actor. She is also credited as Chen Huilin, Wai-Lam Chan, Kelly Chan, Kelly Chen Wai Lam, and Wai Lun Chen....
    • ????? - I Don't Love You Enough


  • With Sammi Cheng
    Sammi Cheng

    Sammi Cheng Sau-Man is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actor. Having enjoyed much success in the Hong Kong music industry, Sammi has been known as a diva....
    • Happily Ever After


  • With Sharon Cuneta
    Sharon Cuneta

    Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan is a popular Filipino people actress, TV Host , and singer. She is also known as The Mega Star of Philippine Showbiz having been a grandslam awardee, a box office queen hall of famer and a recipient of several lifetime achievement awards at a relatively young age....
    • In Your Eyes


  • With Kenny G
    Kenny G

    Kenneth Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is a Grammy winning American saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986....
    • ?????? - You Are My Woman (1998)


  • With Sandra Ng
    Sandra Ng

    Sandra Ng Kwan-Yue, born 2 August 1965, is a Hong Kong actress. She is the wife of film director and film producer Peter Chan....
    • Love Is Like A Dream


  • With Tony Leung
    Tony Leung Chiu Wai

    Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is a Cannes Film Festival and five-time Hong Kong Film Award-winning Chinese people film and television actor. He has been a major film star since the 1990s....
    • ??? - Infernal Affairs (Cantonese Version) (2002)
    • ??? - Infernal Affairs (Mandarin Version) (2002)


  • With Dicky Cheung
    Dicky Cheung

    Dicky Cheung Wai Kin , born on 8 February 1965) is a Hong Kong television actor. He is the winner of the 3rd annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1984....
    • ???? - Journey to the West III (2002)


  • With Eason Chan
    Eason Chan

    Eason Chan Yik-Shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong's music industry. Undoubtedly one of the most dominant male singers in the post-1997 era of Hong Kong music industry, Eason Chan has been praised by Time magazine as a front runner in the next generation of Cantopop....
    • ?? - Brothers (2007)


See also

  • Cinema of Hong Kong
    Cinema of Hong Kong

    The Movie theater of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language film, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan....
  • Cantopop
    Cantopop

    Cantopop is a colloquial portmanteau for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music"....


External links

  • (Chinese)
  • - Andy Lau's Official Fan Club (Chinese/Japanese/English)
  • - Andy Lau Forum (English)
  • - Andy Lau Forum (Chinese)