Over the years, Andy Lau Tak-Wah (b. Sept. 27, 1961; Hong Kong) has solidified his position as not only a superstar and Heavenly Sky King, but also as the hardest working entertainer in Hong Kong. In little more than twenty years time, Lau has made over one hundred films and has maintained a successful singing career, to boot.
Lau joined TVB’s Artist Training Program in 1981. He was a fairly popular TV star until contract disputes led to him to be put in the “freezer” (they barred him from working). This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed him to focus on developing his film career. Working extensively with populist director Wong Jing, he soon became a bankable star. He also appeared as gangster Wah-Dee in A Moment of Romance (1990), a role which has come to be regarded as Lau's most career-defining.
However, for many years the one thing Lau really wanted was to be taken seriously as an actor. He was previously nominated for various awards for his roles in As Tears Go By (198
and Full Throttle (1995), but it wasnÂ’t until 1999 that Lau finally got the recognition he so craved. He was awarded with a Best Actor Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Johnnie To's Running Out of Time.
In recent years, Lau has also tried his hand at business, and started his own production company named Teamwork. Among the company's films have been the critically-acclaimed features Made in Hong Kong (1997) and The Longest Summer (199
, both directed by Fruit Chan. More recently, Lau has continued to demonstrate his ability as a box-office guarantee, headlining the Media Asia productions Infernal Affairs (2002) and Cat and Mouse (2003). (Yinique 2003)
selected filmography
(actor unless otherwise noted)
Boat People (1982)
Home at Hong Kong (1983)
On the Wrong Track (1983)
Everlasting Love (1984)
Shanghai 13 (1985)
The Unwritten Law (1985)
Magic Crystal (1986)
Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1986)
Lucky Stars Go Places (1986)
Rich and Famous (1987)
Sworn Brothers (1987)
Tragic Hero (1987)
As Tears Go By (198
Crazy Companies (198
Crazy Companies 2 (198
The Dragon Family (198
In the Blood (198
Last Eunuch in China (198
The Romancing Star 2 (198
Three Against the World (198
The Truth (198
Walk On Fire (198
Bloody Brotherhood (1989)
Casino Raiders (1989)
China White (1989)
City Kids 1989 (1989)
Crocodile Hunter (1989)
The First Time is the Last Time (1989)
God of Gamblers (1989)
Little Cop (1989)
Long Arm of the Law III (1989)
News Attack (1989)
Perfect Match (1989)
Proud and Confident (1989)
The Romancing Star 3 (1989)
Runaway Blues (1989)
Stars and Roses (1989)
The Truth-Final Episode (1989)
Days of Being Wild (1990)
Dragon in Jail (1990)
The Fortune Code (1990)
Gangland Odyssey (1990)
God of Gamblers 2 (1990)
A Home Too Far (1990)
Island Of Fire (1990)
Kawashima Yoshiko (1990)
Kung Fu vs. Acrobatic (1990)
A Moment of Romance (1990)
No Risk, No Gain (1990)
Return Engagement (1990)
The Banquet (1991)[cameo]
Casino Raiders 2 (1991)
Dances with the Dragon (1991)
Don't Fool Me (1991)
Hong Kong Godfather (1991)
The Last Blood (1991)
Lee Rock (1991)
Lee Rock 2 (1991)
Saviour of the Soul (1991)
The Tigers (1991)
Tricky Brains (1991)
Zodiac Killers (1991)
Casino Tycoon (1992)
Casino Tycoon 2 (1992)
Come Fly The Dragon (1992)
Gameboy Kids (1992)
Gun n' Rose (1992)
Handsome Siblings (1992)
The Moon Warriors (1992)
The Prince Of Temple Street (1992)
Saviour of the Soul 2 (1992)
The Sting (1992)
What A Hero! (1992)
Days of Tomorrow (1993)
Future Cops (1993)
Perfect Exchange (1993)
Drunken Master II (1994)[cameo]
Drunken Master III (1994)
A Taste of Killing and Romance (1994)
The Three Swordsmen (1994)
Tian Di (1994)[also producer]
The Adventurers (1995)
Full Throttle (1995)
What a Wonderful World (1996)
A Moment of Romance 3 (1996)
Shanghai Grand (1996)
Thanks for Your Love (1996)
Armageddon (1997)
Cause We Are So Young (1997)[cameo]
Made in Hong Kong (1997)[producer only]
Island of Greed (1997)
A True Mob Story (199
The Conman (199
The Longest Summer (199
[producer only]
Fascination Amour (1999)
Prince Charming (1999)
The Conmen in Vegas (1999)
Century of the Dragon (1999)
Running Out of Time (1999)
The Duel (2000)
Needing You... (2000)
A Fighter's Blues (2000)[also producer]
Love On a Diet (2001)
Fulltime Killer (2001)[also producer]
Dance of a Dream (2001)[also producer]
Fat Choi Spirit (2002)
The Wesley's Mysterious File (2002)
Infernal Affairs (2002)
Golden Chicken (2002)[cameo]
Cat and Mouse (2003)
Give Them a Chance (2003)[cameo]
Running on Karma (2003)
Infernal Affairs 3 (2003)
Golden Chicken 2 (2003)
Magic Kitchen (2004)
Jiang Hu (2004)
House of Flying Daggers (2004)