Andy Lau

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Andy Lau Tak-wah Template:Post-nominals[1] (Template:Lang-zh; born Lau Fook-wing; 27 September 1961), is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter, film producer, and philanthropist. He was named the "Fourth Tiger" among the Five Tiger Generals of TVB in the 1980s as well as one of the Four Heavenly Kings in the 1990s.[2][3][4]

Lau won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor three times, the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor twice, and was entered into the Guinness World Records for the "Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist" in 2000, with a total of 444 music awards by 2006.[5] In 2018, Lau became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[6][7] In 2024, Lau was elected vice chairman of the 11th China Film Association.[8] Over a career of four decades, Lau has been one of the most commercially and critically successful artists in the Chinese-speaking world.[9][10][11]

Early life

Lau was born Lau Fook-wing in Tai Po, British Hong Kong, to fireman Lau Lai (1934–2023). He is the fourth of six siblings and has three elder sisters, one younger sister, and a younger brother named Lau Tak-sing. Although his family was wealthy due to his grandfather being a landowner with farmland and villages, his father moved them to the slums of Diamond Hill when he was six years old so he could receive a bilingual education to improve his English. The area was full of wooden houses, which burnt down when he was eleven. During his childhood, Lau had to fetch water for his family up to eight times a day as their house lacked plumbing.[12] He graduated from a Band One secondary school, Ho Lap College in San Po Kong, Kowloon.[13] He also practices Chinese calligraphy and hair styling.[14] He was raised in a nominally Buddhist household and is a follower of the Lingyan Mountain Temple in Taiwan.[15]

Career

Acting

In 1980, Lau enrolled in TVB's actor training program and graduated the next year, signing a contract with TVB.[16] He was propelled to fame by the TVB series The Emissary (1982). His popularity soared the next year with his role as Yang Guo in the TVB wuxia series The Return of the Condor Heroes; at the end of the year, Lau was featured in the TVB Anniversary Gala Show, alongside Tony Leung, Michael Miu, Felix Wong, and Kent Tong. Since then they were known as the "Five Tiger Generals of TVB".[17]

Meanwhile, Lau also started his film career. He made a guest appearance in one of Susanna Kwan's music videos in 1981 and caught the eye of the manager Teddy Robin, who gave Lau his first minor role in the film, Once Upon a Rainbow.[18] Lau then landed a role in Ann Hui's 1982 film, Boat People.[16] In 1983, he had his first leading role in the Shaw Brothers-produced action film, On the Wrong Track.[19]

TVB insisted on a binding five-year exclusive contract, which Lau declined to sign, leading to his blacklisting by the network. In the late '80s, Lau departed from TVB and shifted his focus towards films.[12] He established himself for his performances in films such as The Truth (1988), Wong Kar-wai's As Tears Go By (1988), and Benny Chan's film A Moment of Romance (1990). His first major acting prize came with A Fighter's Blues, which was his first Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Actor.[20] He won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor award that year for Running Out of Time.[21] In 2004, he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Infernal Affairs III.[22]

Since the early 21st century, Lau has started working with filmmakers from China and beyond, notably in Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Feng Xiaogang's A World Without Thieves (2004). In 2006 he starred in the pan-Asian blockbuster A Battle of Wits (2006), followed by a series of big-budget historical films such as The Warlords (2007), Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (2008), and Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010).

File:Andy Lau (cropped).jpg
Lau being interviewed at the 2005 Hong Kong International Film Festival

In 2005, Lau received the "No.1 Box office Actor 1985–2005" award of Hong Kong, yielding a box office total of HKD 1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in the past 20 years.[12][14] The aforementioned figure is as compared to the first runner-up Stephen Chow's (HKD 1,317,452,311) and second runner-up Jackie Chan's (HKD 894,090,962). For his contributions, a wax figure of Lau was unveiled on 1 June 2005 at the Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.[23] In 2007, Lau also received the "Nielsen Box Office Star of Asia" award by the Nielsen Company (ACNielsen).[1]

April 2017, he starred in the Hong Kong action film Shock Wave,[24] which earned him another Best Actor Award at the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2018.[25] In February 2021, Lau reunited with Tony Leung since the Infernal Affairs series in the action film The Goldfinger.[26]

Film production

In 1991, Lau set up his own film production company, Teamwork Motion Pictures, which in 2002 was renamed to Focus Group Holdings Limited. He was awarded the "Asian Filmmaker of the Year" in the Pusan International Film Festival in 2006.[1] The films Lau has produced include Made in Hong Kong, A Simple Life, A Fighter's Blues, Crazy Stone, Firestorm, and Shock Wave.

Music

File:Andylau in concert 4.30.2011-02.jpg
Lau performing during the Unforgettable Tour in 2011

Lau released his first album Just Know I Only Love You (1985) under the record label Capital Artists to minimal commercial success.[12] However, he achieved mainstream success in 1990 with the release of the album Would It Be Possible, which won Lau his first RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Award.[27] The following year, he released the single "The Days We Spent Together" which topped Hong Kong's music charts and was an international hit across Asia. The song was lauded by Time Out which described its popularity as "practically a national anthem" and "one of the most notable hits" in Lau's career.[28] His subsequent albums brought him further recognition spawning hit singles such as Ice Rain (1993), Forget Love Potion (1994), and Stupid Fellow (1998). His popularity as a music artist was such that Lau was dubbed as one of the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings along with Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, and Leon Lai.[2] His album Love Notes Written in Bone Upon My Heart (1997) is certified 2× Platinum in Taiwan and is one of the best-selling albums with 640,305 copies sold. His other albums Because of Love (1996) and Love is Mysterious (1997) also reached 2× Platinum status there.[10]

At the Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards, he won the "Most Popular Hong Kong Male Artist" award 7 times and the "Asia Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Male Artist" award 15 times.[12] By April 2000, he had already won an unprecedented total of 292 awards.[12] That same year, he entered the Guinness World Records for "Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist" and again in 2021 for "Most Douyin Followers Gained in 24 hours" and "Fastest Time to Reach Ten Million Followers on Douyin".[29][30][31]

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lau sang "Please Stay, Guests From Afar" alongside Jackie Chan and Emil Chau during its closing ceremony. In addition, Lau, who has been supporting disabled athletes in Hong Kong for more than a decade, was appointed as the Goodwill ambassador for the 2008 Summer Paralympics.[32] He led other performers in singing and performing the song "Everyone is No.1" at the Beijing National Stadium before the 2008 Paralympics opening ceremony began.[33] He also sang the theme song Flying with the Dream with Han Hong during the Paralympics opening ceremony on 6 September 2008.[32]

In 2022, Lau set records when an online concert he held via Douyin attracted more than 350 million viewers.[34]

In addition to singing in Cantonese and Mandarin, Lau has also sung in other languages such as English, Japanese, and Taiwanese Hokkien. He has held concerts in Asia, North America, Western Europe, and Oceania, and toured throughout mainland China in summer 2024.[35]

Books

Lau has written two books, This Is How I Grew Up (Script error: No such module "Lang".) (1995), an autobiography,[36] and My 30 Work Days (我的30個工作天) (2012), a collection of his 30 personal diaries written while working on the 2011 film A Simple Life.[37]

Art exhibition

In 2023, Lau opened his debut art show titled the 1/X Andy Lau X Art Exhibition, which ran on 25 August at the Freespace venue located in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The exhibit includes a sculpture which Lau designed, a projection of images from his films and concerts, paintings made by him and his daughter, and works where he collaborated with other artists, such as collaborating with Hong Kong artists Sticky Line on a statue of his character from Running on Karma (2003), collaborating with Beijing artist Xu Zhuoer in glass covered film props from A Moment of Romance (1990), and a collaboration with ink painter where Lau showcases his calligraphy.[38][39]

Philanthropy

In 1994, Lau established the Andy Lau Charity Foundation which helps people in need and promotes a wide range of youth education services.[1] In 1999, he received the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World award, being the third person from Hong Kong at that time to receive this distinguished honour.[1] In 2008, Lau took a main role in putting together the Artistes 512 Fund Raising Campaign for relief toward the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.[40]

Personal life

Lau had two public relationships. In the fall of 1983, while filming Shanghai 13 in Taiwan, Lau was introduced to actress Yu Ke-Hsin. The two began a relationship that lasted for three years. Following the example of Jackie Chan and Joan Lin, they signed a symbolic "marriage certificate" that held no legal validity in Taiwan. Their relationship ended when Carol Chu appeared, and eight years after their breakup, Lau started dating Chu.[41][42] In 2005, Yu published a memoir in which she detailed her romance with Lau. She revealed that they had agreed to meet again ten years after their breakup and Lau honored the pact by visiting her home in Los Angeles, ringing the doorbell, and claiming that media reports about his relationship with Chu were untrue. This led to a brief rekindling of their relationship.[43][44][45] Yu's mother later alleged that all 5,000 copies of the memoir sold in Hong Kong were purchased in bulk to prevent them from reaching store shelves. The books were subsequently returned in full, causing a financial loss of HKD 500,000.[46]

In 2008, Lau secretly married Carol Chu in Las Vegas and acknowledged his marriage the following year, ending decades of speculation over their relationship. Both Lau and Chu are vegetarians and Buddhists.[47] On 9 May 2012, Chu gave birth to their daughter Hanna.[48]

In January 2017, Lau sustained a serious pelvic injury after being thrown off and stomped on by a horse during a commercial shoot in Thailand.[49][50] He made a full recovery by the end of the year.[51][52]

Awards and nominations

File:Avenue of the Stars 星光大道 (5284210776).jpg
Lau's hand print and autograph at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1983 Hong Kong Film Awards Best New Performer Boat People Nominated
1989 Best Actor As Tears Go By Nominated
1990 Golden Horse Film Festival Best Supporting Actor Kawashima Yoshiko Nominated
1992 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor Lee Rock Nominated
Best Original Film Song (Singer) Casino Raiders II Nominated
1995 Tian Di Nominated
1996 Best Actor Full Throttle Nominated
Best Original Film Song (Singer/Lyricist) Nominated
1998 Best Film (Producer) Made in Hong Kong Won
Best Original Film Song (Singer) Island of Greed Nominated
1999 The Longest Summer Nominated
A True Mob Story Nominated
Best Film (Producer) The Longest Summer Nominated
2000 Best Actor Running Out of Time Won
Golden Bauhinia Awards Nominated
2001 Hong Kong Film Awards A Fighter's Blues Nominated
Golden Bauhinia Awards A Fighter's Blues Won
Golden Horse Film Festival Love on a Diet Nominated
2002 Hong Kong Film Awards Nominated
Best Original Film Song (Singer/Lyricist) Shaolin Soccer Nominated
2003 Best Actor Infernal Affairs Nominated
Best Original Film Song (Singer with Tony Leung) Won
Golden Horse Film Festival Best Actor Nominated
Golden Bauhinia Awards Nominated
2004 Hong Kong Film Awards Running on Karma Won
Golden Horse Film Festival Infernal Affairs III Won
Golden Bauhinia Awards Nominated
Running on Karma Nominated
2005 A World Without Thieves Nominated
2006 Hong Kong Film Awards Wait 'Til You're Older Nominated
Best Original Film Song (Singer/Lyricist) Nominated
Golden Bauhinia Awards Best Actor Nominated
2007 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Asian Film (Producer) Crazy Stone Nominated
Golden Bauhinia Awards Best Actor Battle of Wits Nominated
2007 Asian Film Awards Battle of Wits Nominated
2008 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Protégé Won
Best Actor The Warlords Nominated
Best Original Film Song (Singer with Eason Chan/Lyricist) Brothers Nominated
2011 Best Film (Producer) Gallants Won
Golden Horse Film Festival Best Actor A Simple Life Won
2012 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Film (Producer) Won
Best Actor Won
Best Original Film Song (Singer/Lyricist) Shaolin Nominated
Asian Film Awards Best Actor A Simple Life Nominated
2014 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song (Singer with Sammi Cheng) Blind Detective Nominated
2015 Golden Rooster Awards Best Actor Lost and Love Nominated
2016 Hong Kong Film Awards Nominated
Huabiao Awards Won
2018 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Film (Producer) Chasing the Dragon Nominated
Shock Wave Nominated
Best Actor Nominated
2021 Huading Awards Shock Wave 2 Won

Honors

Lau was noted for his highly positive energy, his hard work and active involvement in charity works throughout his 30 years in showbiz and honoured as a "Justice of Peace" by the Hong Kong SAR government in 2008.[53] In May 2010, he received the "World Outstanding Chinese" award and an "honorary doctorate" from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.[54] On 14 December 2017, Lau was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree from the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, with the citation highlighting his popularity among locals which stated: "His low-key, modest, friendly and approachable personality has endeared him to millions of fans and ordinary folks alike, who also consider him to be a 'heartthrob' and the 'unofficial Chief Executive of Hong KongTemplate:Single+double.[55]

In 2018, asteroid 55381 Lautakwah, discovered by Bill Yeung at the Desert Eagle Observatory in 2001, was named for Lau. The asteroid measures approximately Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter and is located in the outermost region of the asteroid belt, just inside the Hecuba gap. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 11 July 2018.[56]

In 2023, Lau was presented with a Special Tribute award at 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[57]

Discography

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Filmography

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Concert tours

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  • Andy Lau First Tour (1991)
  • Love's Space Tour (1992)
  • Satchi Tour (1993)
  • True Forever Tour (1995)
  • Reverse the Earth Tour (1996)
  • Love You For Ten Thousand Years Tour (1999)
  • Andy Lau 2000 Tour (2000)
  • Summer Fiesta Tour (2001)
  • Proud of You Tour (2002)
  • Vision Tour (2004–2005)
  • Wonderful World Tour (2007–2009)
  • Unforgettable Tour (2010–2011)
  • Always World Tour (2013)
  • My Love World Tour (2018–2020)
  • Today... is the Day Tour (2024–2025)

See also

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Awards and achievements

Awards and achievements
Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Most Popular Male Artist
1990–1992
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Asia Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Male Artist
1993
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Most Popular Male Artist
1994
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Asia Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Male Artist
1995–1996
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Most Popular Male Artist
1999
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Asia Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Male Artist
2000–2006
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Most Popular Male Artist
2004
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Hong Kong Film Awards
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Best Actor
2000
Andy Lau
for Running Out of Time Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Best Actor
2004
Andy Lau
for Running on Karma Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Best Supporting Actor
2008
Andy Lau
for Protégé Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Ming Pao Power Academy Awards
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Honorary Award
2000
Andy Lau
& Leslie Cheung Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Outstanding Actor in Film
2000
Andy Lau
for Needing You... Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Outstanding Actor in Film
2001
Andy Lau
for Love on a Diet Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Performance Power Award
2001
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Outstanding Actor in Film
2003
Andy Lau
for Running on Karma Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Performance Power Award
2005
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Honorary Award
2006
Andy Lau Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by

References

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  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".." 第二章 影視新星 無線電視臺的五虎將. Korea referred as Goryeo (Script error: No such module "Lang".). Retrieved on 31 January 2010.
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Dianying.com. "Dianying.com Template:Webarchive." 第 6 屆金紫荊獎頒獎. Retrieved on 31 January 2010.
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Variety. 2021-02-19
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".Template:Cbignore
  54. ↑ "Ta Kung PaoScript error: No such module "Unsubst".." Retrieved on 6 May 2010.
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  56. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  57. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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Template:Andy Lau Script error: No such module "navboxes". Template:Asian Filmmaker of the Year Template:Chinese Film Media Awards Best Actor Template:GoldenHorseAwardBestActor Template:Best Actor HKFA Template:Best Supporting Actor HKFA Template:Best Actor HKFCSA Template:Huabiao Award Outstanding ActorScript error: No such module "navboxes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Template:Authority control

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