Chow Yun-fat is an Asian actor from Hong Kong who became a household name after his appearance in the 1980 TV series The Bund on TVB. His collaboration with director John Woo for films like A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard-Boiled won him many awards. He belongs to a very simple family where he had to do odd jobs to support his family before becoming an actor. With his good looks and easy-going style, he became the heartthrob actor in non-demanding TV and film roles. Chow won the Golden Horse (Best Actor) Award in Taiwan and another “Best Actor” award in the Asian Pacific Film Festival for his performance in Hong Kong 1941 (1984) and caught the attention of director John Woo and later was cast in A Better Tomorrow. He was considered a boy next door and a dynamic actor with a very strong screen presence.
Chow returned to Hong Kong cinema in 2014 with the film From Vegas to Macau for which he lost 13 kgs in 10 months. He supported the civil rights movement for universal suffrage called the Umbrella Movement in 2014 that resulted in censorship by the Chinese government. Chow has won various awards and nominations after working in numerous films along with many TV series under his name and has also planned to donate 99% of his wealth to charity via setting up a foundation to help the needy people.
Sun Sign
Taurus
Residence
Hong Kong, China
Nationality
Manager
Chow is managed by Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Girlfriend / Spouse
Chow has dated –
- Candice Yu (1983) – Chow got married to actress Candice Yu in 1983 but their marriage lasted for only 9 months. They got divorced the same year.
- Jasmin Tan (1986-Present) – Chow then married a Singaporean girl named Jasmin in 1986. They gave birth to a stillborn daughter in 1991.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Charismatic and energetic
- Tall height
Brand Endorsements
In 2012, Chow was announced as the brand ambassador of Hugo Boss to promote their luxury menswear line.
He has also been a part of the TV commercials for brands like –
- Solvil et Titus (1992)
- SmarTone (1996)
- Lotte’s Milkis Drink
Best Known For
Appearing in films like A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled which are all action-heroic bloodshed films directed by John Woo
First Film
Chow Yun-fat made his feature film debut in Tou tai ren in 1976.
First TV Show
Chow made his TV show debut on Chinese Folklore: God of River Lok in 1974.
Personal Trainer
Chow likes to keep himself fit by getting involved in activities like hiking.
Chow Yun-fat Favorite Things
- Food – Hainanese Chicken Rice, Wonton Noodles at the roadside
Source – www.tnp.sg
Chow Yun-fat Facts
- His initial films were low budget and were a disaster at the box office.
- He left school at the age of 17 to support his family and started doing odd jobs.
- In most of his films with director John Woo, he has had a toothpick in his mouth.
- Chow carries twin guns in most of his movies.
- He was offered the role of Morpheus in The Matrix (1999) but he turned it down.
- He buys fresh fruits every morning before going for shooting.
- Chow sponsors a lot of charity events like National Wildlife.
- He can speak 3 languages – Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
- In 2018, Chow’s net worth was reported to be HKD$5.6 billion (US$714 million).
- He is known for living a very simple life and usually takes public transport for travel.
- Chow has used his Nokia flip phone for more than 17 years.
- He likes to shop at discounted stores.
- He prefers street food over restaurant food.
- In 2017, Chow also cleaned the roads after the city of Hong Kong was hit by typhoon Hato.
- He released his photo book on June 26, 2008.
- Chow has a goddaughter named Celine Ng, who is a child model.
- He was previously known as Donald Chow.
- He is not present on social media.
Featured Image by maya chow / / CC BY-2.0
Facts of Chow Yun-fat
- Gender Male
- full nameChow Yun-fat
- nicknamesFaat Tsai, Faat “Gor”
- birthplaceLamma Island, Hong Kong, China
- Date of Birth May 18, 1955
- Age 69 years 3 months
- Horoscope Taurus
- Lucky Number 7
- Lucky Stone Emerald
- Lucky Color Green
- Best Match for Marriage Virgo, Cancer, Capricorn
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundHakkha
- nationalityChinese
- net worth$120 million
- professionActor
- weight82 kg or 181 lbs
- height6 ft 1 in or 185.5 cm
- hair colorBlack
- eye colorDark Brown
- body type / buildAthletic
- motherChan Lai-fong
- fatherChow Yung-wan
- favorite foodHainanese Chicken Rice, Wonton Noodles at the roadside