Mr Tony Leung Ka Fai

1958-

Actor

Born in Hong Kong, actor Tony Leung Ka Fai studied graphic design at Hong Kong Polytechnic. His showbiz career began when he enrolled in TVB’s acting course. In 1983, director Li Han Hsiang cast him as “Emperor Xianfeng” in the epic films The Burning of Imperial Palace (1983) and Reign Behind a Curtain (1983). The latter won him Best Actor at the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards. He landed another Best Actor at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards for Farewell China (1990). Leung went on to play the male protagonist in the French film The Lover in 1992. That same year, 92 Legendary La Rose Noire (1992) saw Leung scoop his second Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor honour. Other prominent titles he made include Prison on Fire (1987), He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Father (1993), Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone (2000), Eye in the Sky (2007) and Cold War (2012). In 1999, the independent work Love Will Tear Us Apart (1999), produced by and starring Leung, was featured in competition at Cannes Film Festival. Leung’s intense and powerful acting has continued to win awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Man Suddenly in Black (2003) in 2004, and Best Actor for both Election (2005) and Cold War (2012), all at the Hong Kong Film Awards.