Historical Figures Codexery

Chow Yun-fat

The coolest actor in the world, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Chow Yun-fat (also known as Donald Chow) was born on 18 May 1955 and has worked as a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker for more than forty-five years.[1] The actor has received three Best Actor awards from the Hong Kong Film Awards and two Best Actor awards from the Golden Horse Awards.[1][2] In 1995, the Los Angeles Times called Chow Yun-fat "the coolest actor in the world."[2]

Quick Facts

Born
18 May 1955
Birthplace
Lamma Island, British Hong Kong
Other names
Donald Chow
Occupation
Actor, singer
Years active
1973–present

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He grew up in a house with no electricity and helped his mother sell herbal jelly and tea-pudding.[3] After appearing in the 1980 TV series The Bund, he became a star throughout Asia.[2] His first acclaimed film role was in The Story of Woo Viet (1981).[4] Success came with John Woo's A Better Tomorrow (1986), which won Chow his first Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards and was the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong at the time.[5]

He accepted the role of Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which became a winner at the international box office and the Oscars.[6][2] When Chow was ten years old, his family relocated to Kowloon; at age 17 he quit school and took jobs as a bellboy, postman, camera salesman, and taxi driver to help support his family.[7] Chow's first film appearance came in 1976 after he signed an exclusive contract with Goldig Films.[8] For his performance in the 1987 crime thriller City on Fire, Chow earned his second Best Actor award; that film's plot heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.[5][9]

Chow's first Hollywood film was The Replacement Killers, released in 1998.[10] At the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 2023, Chow was honored as Asian Filmmaker of the Year.[11][12]

What the cited sources add

The same source states that his combination of tough demeanor and youthful appearance earned him the nickname "Babyface Killer."[2][13] The South China Morning Post reported in 2023 that the Busan festival organizer praised Chow for his instrumental role in elevating Hong Kong gangster films to international prominence.[14] The festival organizer also said Chow led the golden era of Hong Kong cinema and established himself as the most sought-after actor in Asia.[14] The People's World article adds that Chow identified with the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong.[2]

According to a 2015 article in People's World, Chow has acted in more than 121 films and 24 television series.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Yang, "Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema", Atria Books, 2003, p. 275; "Chow Yun-fat to win Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan International Film Festival"; "Honorary Doctor of Letters Mr CHOW Yun-fat", City University of Hong Kong; "Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan film festival", South China Morning Post, 2023-09-06 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Today in Asian-American history: Actor Chow Yun-fat turns 60", People's World, May 18, 2015. facts only, no text reused. peoplesworld.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chow Yun-Fat", Biography.com; "Chow Yun-Fat", britannica.com, 2016-04-22; "A man of melodrama: Action films made Chow Slightly-Fat famous, but 'The Corruptor' star says he's an actor", The Kansas City Star, 1999-03-15, p. D4; "Honorary Doctor of Letters – Mr CHOW Yun-fat"; Slotek, "Martial parts", canoe.com; "Film chat: Chow Yun-Fat – Chowing the Fat; How Eastern Hero Chow Not-Fat came to hold the West hostage. By Anna Day. (Features) Article from The Mirror (London, England)", 2003-04-18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chow Yun-Fat", britannica.com, 2016-04-22; "Chow Yun-Fat Biography, Movies, & Facts Britannica", www.britannica.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rose, Steve, "City on Fire review – Tarantino-inspiring Hong Kong thriller burns with grit and moral tension", The Guardian, November 13, 2025 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rojas, "The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinemas", OUP USA, 2013-04-25, p. 184 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Boland, "Hong Kong feels like a movie set because it is", The Boston Globe, 2007-07-15 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hong Kong film archive"; "Goldig Films ----- History", goldigfilms.com.hk (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Rose, Steve, "City on Fire review – Tarantino-inspiring Hong Kong thriller burns with grit and moral tension", The Guardian, November 13, 2025. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  10. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chow Yun-Fat Biography, Movies, & Facts Britannica", www.britannica.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chow Yun-fat to win Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan International Film Festival" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  12. "Chow Yun-fat to win Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan International Film Festival". facts only, no text reused. timeout.com
  13. Wikipedia, "Chow Yun-fat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Today in Asian-American history: Actor Chow Yun-fat turns 60", People's World, May 18, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  14. "Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan film festival", South China Morning Post, 2023-09-06. facts only, no text reused. scmp.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Chow Yun-fat (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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