Damian Lau Chung-yan (born 14 October 1949) is a Hong Kong film and television actor, executive producer and film director. Lau has starred in many television drama series of various genres, produced by Hong Kong's TVB and ATV.
Damian Lau | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Damian in 2015. | |||||||||||
| Born | 14 October 1949 Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Actor, executive producer, Film director | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1971 – present | ||||||||||
| Awards | TVB Anniversary Awards – All-Time Most Memorable Male Leading Roles 1999 Luk Siu Fung | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 劉松仁 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘松仁 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Musical career | |||||||||||
| Also known as | Chung-tsai (松仔) | ||||||||||
| Website | lauchungyan | ||||||||||
Biography
editEarly career
editLau enrolled into the actors' training class of RTV (now ATV) in 1971, where he started his early acting career. In 1976, he joined TVB on a contract and began to gain recognition for acting in television drama series produced by the TV station. In 1976, Lau rose to fame for his portrayal of the titular character in Luk Siu-fung, an adaptation of Wuxia writer Gu Long's novel series of the same title. His performance in Yesterday's Glitter also made him famous.
Partnership with Michelle Yim
editLau returned to ATV in 1980. He worked with Michelle Yim, as the male and female leading actor/actress respectively, in a number of TV series in the 1980s, including Fatherland, Chronicles of the Shadow Swordsman and Rise of the Great Wall.
Film career
editFollowing the rise in popularity of Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s and 1990s, Lau also started working on films in addition to television series. He was often cast as a typical silent, handsome, heroic swordsman in many Wuxia films of the 1980s and 1990s.[1] One of his first major roles was in John Woo's Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979), in which he played an assassin. In Duel to the Death, Lau's character faced Norman Chui‘s character in a final duel, said to be one of the best sword duels ever in Wuxia film history.
In 2006, Lau starred in The Tokyo Trial, a highly controversial film that was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival and won the 2007 Golden Rooster Awards for Best Screenplay. In the film, Lau played the historic judge Mei Ju-ao, who was able to convince ten other national judges to prosecute Japanese war criminals for their crimes against peace and humanity. The film also saw Lau delivering most of his lines in English for the first time in his acting career.
When interviewed about his role as Mei Ju-ao, Lau said,
"Mei Ju-ao is a person with a strong sense of ethics and national pride. He represented his country at a significant international affair. He had to shoulder great responsibility as well as a lot of pressure. If he did not harbor strong emotions and a patriotic heart within his bosom, he could hardly successfully overcome the many difficulties before him and fulfill the mission given by the country. He was cool-headed and witty throughout the trial. I tried to master his inner world through these aspects. I really respect him."[2]
Return to TVB
editLau returned to TVB in 1992 and achieved success for his performance in The Greed of Man, in which he played an honest and cultured leader of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, who was later murdered by his childhood friend, Ting Hai (played by Adam Cheng), over a love rivalry.
In 2003, Lau starred as Chow Ming-hin in the family drama Point of No Return.[3] The following year, Lau worked on Hard Fate, a controversial TV series that received many complaints from viewers for its suicide scenes. In the series, Lau played Leung Pak-yin, an originally morally upright and ambitious company boss who became a desperate, deranged and almost insane man after experiencing many fateful incidents.[4] In 2007, Lau played a family patriarch in The Drive of Life, a 60 episodes grand production by TVB and mainland China's CCTV.
Personal life
editIn the 1990s, Lau married a flight attendant from Cathay Pacific, whom he met earlier on a flight to Canada. Lau is also a devout Catholic.
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Last Hurrah for Chivalry | Tsing Yi / Greeno | |
| 1980 | The Enigmatic Case | Lo Tin-kwan | |
| Beidou Xing | director and actor | ||
| 1983 | Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain | Abbot Hsiao-yu | |
| Duel to the Death | Ching-wan | ||
| 1984 | Profile in Anger | Wong Kin-hang | |
| 1986 | The Brave and the Coward | director | |
| 1988 | School on Fire | Wan | |
| 1990 | The Story of My Son | Li Tzu-liang | |
| 1991 | Inspector Pink Dragon | Teng Kuo-chiao | |
| 1992 | The Thief of Time | ||
| Shanghai Heroic Story | Ngai Ting-yim | ||
| She Starts the Fire | cameo | ||
| Royal Tramp | Chan Kan-nam | ||
| Royal Tramp 2 | Chan Kan-nam | ||
| 1993 | Murder | Yau Lung | |
| Holy Weapon | Mo Kake "Heaven's Sword" | ||
| The Magic Crane | Yat Yeung-tze | ||
| Executioners | Inspector Lau | ||
| The Heroic Trio | Inspector Lau | ||
| 1994 | Tian Di | Tai Chai-man | |
| What Price Survival / One Armed Swordsman | Wu An-kuo | ||
| The New Legend of Shaolin | Chan Kan-nam | ||
| Urban Cop | executive producer | ||
| 1995 | My Father Is a Hero | Yat-wah's boss | |
| Sea Eagles | Liu Qingzong | ||
| 1996 | Best of the Best | Calvin Chan Lik-yeung | |
| First Option | Senior Superintendent Lau | ||
| Ah Kam | Lawyer | ||
| 1997 | Lifeline | Cheng Fu-shing | |
| Till Death Do Us Part | |||
| 2005 | New Born Living Strong | Professor Vincent Yu | |
| 2006 | The Tokyo Trial | Mei Ju-ao | [5]
Nominated – Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actor |
| 2008 | Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon | Cao Cao | cameo |
| 2010 | 14 Blades | Zhao Shenyan | guest star |
Television series
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Luk Siu-fung I: Mystery of the Golden Bird | Luk Siu-fung | |
| Luk Siu-fung II: Before and After the Duel | Luk Siu-fung | ||
| Luk Siu-fung III: The Battle of Wudang | Luk Siu-fung | ||
| Bansheng Yuan | Cheung Yue-kan | ||
| 1977 | The Butterfly Lovers | Leung San-bak | |
| 1978 | Da Heng | Chu Lok-man | |
| Vanity Fair | |||
| 1979 | Princess Cheung Ping | Chow Sai-hin | |
| God of Sabre | Ding Pang | ||
| 1980 | This Land is Mine | ||
| Yesterday's Glitter | Kam Jan-sai | ||
| 1983 | Swordsman Li Bai | Li Bai | |
| 1984 | Dadi Enqing Zhi Gudu Jinglei | Chow Kai-wah | |
| 1985 | Chronicles of the Shadow Swordsman | Zhang Dan-fung | |
| 1986 | Hero of the Time | Yuen Tsang-lok | |
| Rise of the Great Wall | King Or | ||
| Condor in September | Yip Hoi | ||
| 1987 | Return the Pearl to Thee | Chun Tin-bo | |
| 1988 | August Scent | Wu Suet-yim | |
| Lay and Order | Ai Bok-man | ||
| 1989 | Spring Comes and Goes | Cheung Loi-fuk | |
| 安乐茶饭 Anle Tea | |||
| 1990 | Lovers at the End of an Era | Tung Sing-fan | |
| 1991 | Bihai Qingtian | Tin Yang | |
| Jianghu Zaijian | Chow Sing-lung | ||
| 1992 | The Thief of Time | ||
| The Greed of Man | Fong Chun-sun | ||
| 1994 | The Great General | Dik Ching | |
| ICAC Investigators 1994 | Lee Tin | ||
| The Chevaliers | Zhan Zhao | ||
| 1995 | The Unexpected | Cheung Wai-chung | |
| 1996 | Women's Story | Kwan King-sang | |
| The Swordsman | Yin Buk-fei / Yin Ku-hung | ||
| King of Gamblers | Li Yik | ||
| 1997 | Interpol | Wong Ho-sui | |
| 1998 | Wen Yi Duo | Wen Yiduo | |
| 1999 | Silver Rat | ||
| Bond of Friendship | Zhuang Xueren | ||
| 2000 | ICAC Investigators 2000 | Lee Tin | |
| Monk at Thirty | Lin Chong | ||
| The Immortal Fugitive | Rong Renjie | ||
| The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber | Cheung Tsui-san | ||
| Ups and Downs | Hong Dalong | ||
| 2001 | The Awakening Story | Suen Hok-kei | |
| Dare to Strike | Li Dechao | MediaCorp, Singapore | |
| To Where He Belongs | Ko Hou-wan | ||
| 2003 | Scent of Love | Jin Zhizhong | |
| Point of No Return | Chow Ming-hin | Won – Astro Award for My Favourite On-screen Father Nominated – Astro Award for Best Actor (Top 10) Nominated – Astro Award for My Favourite Character (Top 20) | |
| Find the Light | Chan Do-yeung | ||
| True Love | Fok Wai-pong | ||
| 2004 | Only You | Wang Haoran | |
| Hard Fate | Leung Pak-yin | ||
| 2005 | The Royal Swordsmen | Tiedan Shenhou | |
| 2006 | The Conquest | King Goujian of Yue | Ming Pao Magazine Best Actor award for TV series (2007) |
| Men in Pain | Hong Tin-yam | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor Nominated – TVB Award for My Favourite Male Character Nominated – Astro Award for My Favourite On-screen Look (Top 5) | |
| Eight Heroes | Guan Yulou | ||
| 2007 | The Drive of Life | Wah Man-hon | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor Nominated – TVB Award for My Favourite Male Character Nominated – Astro Award for Best Actor (Top 5) Nominated – Astro Award for My Favourite Character (Top 20) |
| 2008 | Catch Me Now | Ko Chit, Jack | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor |
| Rose Martial World | Jun Wuji | ||
| 2009 | In the Chamber of Bliss | Choi Ock | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor |
| 2010 | Growing Through Life | Hai Liang | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor |
| A Weaver on the Horizon | Feng Jiujin | ||
| 2011 | The Rippling Blossom | Moyung Ching | |
| Lives of Omission | Kung Ka-pui | Nominated – My AOD Favourite Award for Best Supporting Actor (Top 5) Nominated - TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Scarlet Heart | Kangxi Emperor | ||
| 2012 | Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles | Arthur Chung Cheuk-man | Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor (Top 5) Nominated – My AOD Favourite Award for Best Actor (Top 12) Nominated – My AOD Favourite Award for Top 15 Character |
| 2015 | Limelight Years | Ben Law | |
| 2017 | WuXin: The Monster Killer Season 2 | Mr Su - Su Tao's father | Guest Star |
| 2018 | Infernal Affairs | Hu Guan You | Guest Star |
MediaCorp TV Channel 8 series
edit| Year | Drama | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Dream Makers II | Zheng Shouyi |
|
Major Achievements
edit| Year | Achievement | Representative work | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | All-Time Most Memorable Male Leading Roles, 1999 TVB Anniversary Awards | Luk Siu-fung | |
| 2007 | Best Actor, Ming Pao Magazine | The Conquest | |
| Best Actor nomination, 2007 Golden Rooster Awards | The Tokyo Trial | ||
| Best Actor nomination, 29th Hundred Flowers Award | Tokyo Trial |
References
edit- ^ Brian. "Actor Index". www.brns.com.
- ^ ""Tokyo Trial"-A Movie No Chinese Should Miss". english.cri.cn. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007.
- ^ "Point of No Return (2003) Review by sehseh - TVB Series - spcnet.tv". www.spcnet.tv.
- ^ "Hard Fate (2004) Review by Bridget - TVB Series - spcnet.tv". www.spcnet.tv.
- ^ "The Tokyo Trial". hkmdb.com. 1 February 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
External links
edit