From Cyclo to In the Mood for Love, five of the best Tony Leung films as he celebrates his 57th birthday
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai is a prolific and much loved Hong Kong actor with more than 80 films under his belt
- We look back over his best work, including the sexually explicit Lust, Caution and his role as a deaf/mute photographer in A City of Sadness
Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who celebrated his 57th birthday on June 27, is one of Hong Kong’s most respected actors, even though he has never starred in a Hollywood production. He has appeared in almost 80 films since his debut, Mad, Mad 83, in 1983.
Leung is currently promoting upcoming crime thriller Where the Wind Blows, in which he plays a corrupt Hong Kong police officer during the 1960s.
He heads the cast of another anti-corruption drama, Fox Hunt, which began shooting at the end of May. It is his fifth collaboration with a mainland Chinese director and, backed by China’s Ministry of Public Security, the story is inspired by a real-life cross-border crime.
The screen legend has collaborated with leading Asian film directors including Wong Kar-wai, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Zhang Yimou and Ang Lee.
For his performance in Wong’s In the Mood for Love, Leung scooped the best actor award at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival. He also gave masterly performances in three films that won the Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion – A City of Sadness, Cyclo, and Lust, Caution.
Leung has the distinction of having won more Hong Kong Film Awards (seven) and Golden Horse Film Awards (three) than any other Hong Kong actor.
