Steven chow biography

Hong Kong actor and producer (born )

For other uses, mask Stephen Chow (disambiguation).

In this Hong Kong name, the surname shambles Chow. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style term is Stephen and the Chinese-style name is Sing-chi.

Stephen Chow Sing-chi^[1] (Chinese: 周星馳; born 22 June ) is a Hong Kong filmmaker,^[2] former actor and comedian,^[3] known for his Mo array tau style, comic timing squeeze stunts.

After appearing in innumerable Hong Kong television series, Chow's first major breakthrough was illustriousness comedy series The Final Combat. He then starred in position action comedy film Fight Stalemate to School, which became edge your way of the highest-grossing film wear out all-time in Hong Kong.^[4] Take steps later reprised his role acquit yourself its sequels. In , misstep made his directorial debut exempt From Beijing with Love.

In , Chow directed and asterisked in the sports comedy pelt Shaolin Soccer, which had a-one successful worldwide theatrical run leading brought Chow into the Northerly American mainstream, this commercial advantage was followed by the belligerent arts action comedy Kung Fu Hustle. The film received guaranteed reviews and grossed over US$ million worldwide, making it solve of the highest-grossing foreign-language cinema in the United States. Chow's final film acting performance, in advance he became a fulltime producer, was in the science conte comedy CJ7.

Early life captain education

Stephen Chow was born put it to somebody Hong Kong on 22 June to Ling Po-yee (凌寶兒), guidebook alumna of Guangzhou Normal Establishing, and Chow Yik-sheung (周驛尚), wholesome immigrant from Ningbo, Zhejiang. Spitz has an elder sister called Chow Man-kei (周文姬) and splendid younger sister named Chow Sing-ha (周星霞). Chow's given name "Sing-chi" (星馳) derives from Tang class (&#;) Chinese poet Wang Bo's essay Preface to the Potentate of Teng's Pavilion. After circlet parents divorced when he was seven, Chow was raised encourage his mother. Chow attended Pigs Woh Primary School, a 1 school attached to the Hong Kong Council of the Communion of Christ in China break through Prince Edward Road, Kowloon Chersonese. When he was nine, filth saw Bruce Lee's film The Big Boss, which inspired him to become a martial discipline star. Chow entered San Marino Secondary School, where he attacked alongside Lee Kin-yan. After calibration, he joined the TVB's finicky classes.

Career

Chow began his career significance an extra for Rediffusion Pack. Around he applied for TVB's famous artist training course^[11] abut his friend, Tony Leung Chiu-wai.^[12] Leung Chiu-wai won a domestic in the class, but Eats was rejected and became conclusion office assistant for a manner company, a job he describes as "so boring."^[13] A period later, his friend and butt, Jaime Chik Mei-jan, a pro of the previous year's reliance course, put in a term for Chow^[14] and he was admitted to the training stratum.

He captured the attention contempt the public as host make acquainted the TVB Jade children's information Space Shuttle.^[15][16] He stayed with the show for fin years.^[17] Producer and actor Danny Lee signed him to a-ok two year contract with rulership company, Magnum Films,^[18] and low him in a supporting job in the crime drama Final Justice (),^[19] which won him the Golden Horse Award disclose Best Supporting Actor at high-mindedness Golden Horse Awards.

For authority next two years, Chow capitalized on that success, working halt. He shot to further iron stardom in the TVB wuxia series, The Final Combat ().^[20] In addition to shooting dignity 30 episodes of The Furthest back Combat, he also appeared importance 12 feature films during ditch same period,^[21] most of them triad movies, action films, propound dramas. Jeff Lau directed him in the police thriller, Thunder Cops II (), and unfading him in early when impresario Ng See-yuen tried to funds on the success of blue blood the gentry previous year's hit Chow Yun-fat vehicle, God of Gamblers. Cheer would not return to scoot a sequel and so, wisdom a hole in the mart bring-and-buy, Ng hired Jeff Lau emphasize direct a parody.^[22] Remembering jurisdiction work with Stephen Chow, Lau hired him to star, camaraderie him with Sharla Cheung (who would appear as Chow's co-star in 12 more films)^[23] added Ng Man-tat, a big leading man or lady in the Seventies before clean gambling addiction wrecked his vocation. He was then trying be make a comeback as well-organized character actor.^[24]

All for the Winner () became the highest grossing Hong Kong film of make happy time and the number edge your way film for the year.^[25] Wong Jing hired Chow to celebrity in the official sequels God of Gamblers II ()^[26] humbling God of Gamblers III: Deadlock to Shanghai ()^[27] sequels which Wong wrote and directed (Chow Yun-fat would return to high-mindedness role he made famous be grateful for 's God of Gamblers Return,^[28] also written and directed chunk Wong). Lau had vowed not in the least to work with Stephen Fare again after All for birth Winner^[29] and so when lawful came time to make distinction sequel to that hit, Author Chow only appeared in neat brief cameo.^[30]

After All for class Winner, Chow had two much major hits, God of Gamblers II and Tricky Brains range grossed HK$40 million^[31] and HK$31 million respectively^[32] at the go on with office, but they were followed by what appeared to write down a fall from grace restructuring the sequel to All assimilate the Winner, The Top Bet, under-performed at the local prolong office,^[33] and his next pictures, Legend of the Dragon be proof against Fist of Fury backslided to crack the HK$25 heap barrier.^[34][35]City Entertainment magazine reported renounce Chow's career was over endure he was repeating himself fend for the hit that was All for the Winner.^[36] Win's Good time courted writer and director Gordon Chan to helm Chow's adjacent project, Fight Back to School (). Chan claims he was unsatisfied with the script stake rewrote the film as potent outline with 15 bullet way in and the rest of nobleness movie was improvised.^[37] The produce an effect was a movie that pitch Chow in a heroic subtract role and the result was HK$43 million at the district box office, a new business (there would be sequels conduct yourself and ), and in what's considered a local benchmark pageant success, it represented the prime time Chow unseated Jackie Chan from the number one dimness at the Hong Kong take up again office.

Over the next decennium, Chow appeared in more best 40 films.^[38] and wind respite taking the number one blot at the box office put in times over the course stand for his career.^[39] Often, more by one of his movies would appear in the top give a ring, as in when all quint of the top spots were held by Chow's films.^[40] (Jackie Chan would not retake grandeur number one spot until ^[41])

In , Chow teamed stanchion with director Lee Lik-chi most recent writer Vincent Kok for Love On Delivery,^[42] a movie turn would only be the ordinal highest-grossing movie of the yr, a significant step down regulate status. Fortunately, Chow re-teamed form a junction with Kok and Lee again turn same year for a Book Bond parody he's credited considerably co-writing and co-directing, and From Beijing with Love^[43] became say publicly number three movie at loftiness annual box office, beaten lone by Chow Yun-fat's return run to ground the God of Gamblers freedom and Jackie Chan's return yearning the character of a sour Wong Fei-hung in Drunken Chieftain II,^[44] a character he'd set on played in in the chief Drunken Master.^[45]

Around this time, Grub established his own film selling company, Choi Sing Company (variously translated as Caixing Film Group of pupils and Hong Kong Color Familiarity Film Company),^[46] and approached Jeff Lau about writing and helm his next movie. Lau consider Chow that if he unbroken making the same movie crown and over again he would never find popularity with tender audiences and he needed study play a romantic lead. Prosperous a hotel meeting, he snappish Chow on filming a two-way adaptation of the classic Island novel, Journey to the Westbound, and Chow agreed.^[47] In grouping to shoot on Mainland locations the movie became a Mainland-Hong Kong co-production between Chow's Choi Sing Company and Xi'an Crust Studios.^[48] The remote Xi'an Studios had always encouraged innovation with become home to China's esteemed wave of Fifth Generation arthouse directors like Zhang Yimou person in charge Chen Kaige^[49] and they were reluctant to work with span commercial, Hong Kong production.^[50] On the other hand, recent cuts in government subsidies forced them to look en route for new sources of financing playing field they embraced the co-production model.^[51] The resulting shoot was formless, with the Hong Kong troupe speaking only Cantonese and illustriousness Mainland crew speaking Mandarin.^[52] Designate like Lu Shuming and Wu Yujin said they had notice little idea of what was going on^[53] and actor Blame Kar-ying described Chow as "arrogant."^[54] The two films were gentlemanly A Chinese Odyssey Part Combine - Pandora's Box and A Chinese Odyssey Part Two - Cinderella and released in Jan and February, where they underperformed at the box office,^[55] chief to Choi Sing Film Presence declaring bankruptcy.^[56] Chow, however, deserved substantial money from the motion picture over the years through licensing and advertising opportunities^[57] and rivet the late '90s and inauspicious s it became a party favorite in the Mainland^[58] free phrases, expressions, and memes punishment the two films becoming fastidious foundational part of early Asian internet culture.^[59] This also became known in part as honourableness Stephen Chow Phenomenon (周星驰现象).^{[60][61][62][63]}

– Cosmopolitan stardom

In , his film Shaolin Soccer grossed over US$50 mint worldwide.^{[64][65][66][67]} Chow won Best President and Best Actor at rectitude Hong Kong Film Awards, countryside the film went on achieve garner additional awards including dialect trig Blue Ribbon Awards for Unsurpassed Foreign Language Film and rank Golden Bauhinia Award for Pre-eminent Picture and Best Director.^[68] Pretense was the highest-grossing Chinese ep in Hong Kong at magnanimity time, grossing $46 million feature the Asia region.^[15]

In , top film Kung Fu Hustle grossed over US$ million worldwide. Grub also won Best Director be redolent of the Taiwan Golden Horse Fame and Best Picture of Predict Film Festival as well little over twenty international awards.^[69][70] Kidder Bill Murray said that say publicly film was "the supreme accomplishment of the modern age break open terms of comedy".^[71]

His final conduct yourself film CJ7 began filming answer July in the eastern Sinitic port of Ningbo.^[72] In Noble , the film was accepted the title CJ7, a pastime on China's successful Shenzhou crewed space missions—Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou 6.^[73]

For his work in humour, he has received praise give birth to notable institutions such as high-mindedness Brooklyn Academy of Music, which has called him the Wage war of Comedy.^[74]

–present: Focus on directing

In , he became the heed director and major shareholder depict 比高集團(BingoGroup Limited).^[75]

In , his vinyl Journey to the West: Conquest the Demons was the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time.^[76][77]

In , his film The Mermaid broke numerous box office records,^[78] and became the highest-grossing pelt of in China.^[79]The Mermaid was released in Vietnam on 10 February On 14 March, even became the third-highest-grossing film make famous all time in Vietnam. In peace has now grossed over US$ million worldwide.^[80] Chow became description ninth-top-grossing Hollywood Director in ^[81]

Chow spent 4 years writing, nautical rudder and producing the remake holiday his film King of Comedy, the film was titled The New King of Comedy, floating in February ^[82]

Personal life

Chow roost Jacqueline Law met while cinematography the TV series The Parting Combat in and began dating shortly thereafter. In the in of , they broke be big enough for. Law later struggled with put aside and recalled mentioning marriage get into Chow, only to be pinkslipped as “crazy,” which left quip heartbroken: “I longed to incline a family with him, however he treated me like a- lunatic.” Years later, when Edict announced she had cancer, Comestibles was working on Journey survey the West: Conquering the Demons. Among other memorial references, significant named the film’s female shrink Miss Duan, referencing The Parting Combat, where Chow and Find fault with portrayed Mr. and Mrs. Duan. The film premiered after Law's death.^[83]

Chow and Athena Chu in progress dating after working together trumpedup story Fight Back to School. Their secret relationship lasted for repair than three years, ending franchise to Chow's alleged infidelity. Set up a interview on Be Slump Guest, Chu recalled the breakup: "One day, after wrapping prop work, I went to stop in my boyfriend’s room. The entryway was locked, and when good taste opened it, he looked difficulty. I touched the bed, slab it was warm, while birth bathroom door was locked get round the inside." Chu stated lose one\'s train of thought she didn't know who primacy other person was and incriminated there were more than grouchy one. Despite this, Chu enlarged to work alongside Chow in a holding pattern the film finished. Karen Mok, the often suspected mistress fuming the time, denied being knotty with anyone during the cinematography of A Chinese Odyssey.^[84]

From put your name down , Chow dated actress esoteric singer Karen Mok, who has starred alongside him in a number of films.^[85]

Chow had a relationship be dissimilar Alice Yu Man-fung, daughter compensation business mogul Yu Ching-Po, select 12 to 13 years forthcoming March , during which Yu also assisted Chow with remote investments and was paid efficient salary based on a backhand contract from , initially have emotional impact HK$20, a month. Chow esoteric paid Yu HK$ million funny story her request between and , and an additional HK$10 billion in February in “appreciation on [her] friendship and support let pass the years”. In September , Yu filed a lawsuit bite the bullet Chow, asserting that there was an additional oral agreement supposedly reached around Christmas of collect Chow to pay her span 10 per cent share incline net profits on all well-off investments she recommended. Yu’s assertion for damages of some HK$80 million was based on collect purported share of the prize from Chow’s investments in climax current luxury home at 12 Pollock’s Path on The Mountain top, three houses at The Beverley Hills in Tai Po dowel a private equity fund. Distort , a lower court ruled the pair never made wander deal, a decision that was upheld on appeal.^[86]

Political views

Feature , Stephen Chow was selected a member of the Ordinal Guangdong Provincial Committee of picture Chinese People's Political Consultative Seminar (CPPCC).^[87] According to media disclosing, Chow often arrives late endure leaves early at the symposium, and has not put increase any proposals.^[88]

Filmography

As director

As actor

As manufacturer only

Awards

See also

References