Mr Leonard Ho Kwong Cheong
何冠昌先生
1925-1998
電影企業家
何冠昌在上海聖約翰大學新聞系畢業。1958年，何冠昌在鄒文懷引薦下加入邵氏兄弟（香港）有限公司，初任宣傳部主任，後任製片主任。1970年何冠昌與鄒文懷另組嘉禾電影（香港）有限公司及擔任副主席，掌管製片部，其重點栽培的多位明星、導演，後來都在國際影壇佔一席位，當中包括李小龍、許氏兄弟、洪金寶、成龍、吳宇森、張曼玉、梅艷芳等。由他出品、監製、策劃的電影逾百部，名作有《龍爭虎鬥》（1973）、《摩登保鑣》（1981）、《龍的心》（1985）、《殭屍先生》（1985）、《胭脂扣》（1988）、《阮玲玉》（1992）、《我是誰》（1998）等。他逝世後，於1999年獲香港電影金像獎追頒終身成就獎。
Mr Leonard Ho Kwong Cheong
1925-1998
Film Entrepreneur
Film entrepreneur Leonard Ho was a graduate of the Journalism Department at Shanghai’s St John’s University. In 1958, upon Raymond Chow’s recommendation, he joined Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong, where he served as a publicity officer and later as a production officer. In 1970, Ho co-founded Golden Harvest, acting as its vice-chairman and person-in-charge of the production department. A first-rate producer, Ho groomed many talents for stardom – names like Bruce Lee, the Hui Brothers, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, John Woo, Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui. He produced more than 100 films, including Enter the Dragon (1973) starring Bruce Lee, Security Unlimited (1981) featuring the Hui Brothers, Heart of Dragon (1985) starring Sammo Hung, as well as Mr Vampire (1985), Rouge (1988), Centre Stage (1992) and Who Am I? (1998). Ho was posthumously honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1999.
Mr Raymond Chow
鄒文懷先生
1927-2018
電影企業家
鄒文懷原名鄒定鑫，生於香港。在上海聖約翰大學修讀新聞系，1948年在上海《申報》當實習記者。1949年畢業後返港，任職《英文虎報》記者。1957年，鄒文懷任邵氏兄弟（香港）有限公司的宣傳經理，1964年擢升為製作部經理和行政總裁。1970年鄒文懷離開邵氏，與何冠昌和梁風創辦嘉禾電影（香港）有限公司，冀改變當時香港影壇大片廠的制度。除在香港建立戲院和院線，他又鼓勵多位導演和演員成立衛星公司，以分紅制度的方式支持各適其適的獨立製作，包括李小龍成立的協和電影公司、許冠文的許氏影業有限公司等。李小龍的加盟對嘉禾是一個突破性的發展，加上後來的成龍、洪金寶及許冠文等，成功將香港動作電影及喜劇打進歐美及日本市場，擴大了香港電影的發行網。鄒文懷在開拓香港電影海外市場取得莫大成就。1980年，鄒文懷獲美國電影院業主協會推許他為最傑出國際影人。2008年，鄒文懷獲頒香港電影金像獎終身成就獎。
Mr Raymond Chow
1927-2018
Film Entrepreneur
Born Chow Ting Hsing, film entrepreneur Raymond Chow was a graduate of the Journalism Department at Shanghai’s St John’s University. In 1948, he worked as a trainee journalist at Shun Pao Daily. A year later, he relocated to Hong Kong and landed a job as a reporter for The Hong Kong Standard. He joined Shaw Brothers in 1957 as a public relations manager, and was later promoted to vice general manager and manager of productions in 1964. In 1970, Chow struck out on his own and founded Golden Harvest, bringing with him Leonard Ho and Leung Fung. Besides founding his own cinemas and circuit in Hong Kong, he encouraged directors and actors to set up satellite companies and adopt a bonus system to promote independent productions. Bruce Lee’s Concord Production and Michael Hui’s Hui’s Film Production were such companies. The signing of Lee was a breakthrough for Golden Harvest. This, together with the recruitment of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Michael Hui enabled Hong Kong action movies and comedies to break into markets in the US, Europe and Japan. Chow made an immense contribution towards expanding the overseas distribution of Hong Kong films. He was named International Showman of the Year by the American National Association of Theatre Owners in 1980. In 2008, he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Mr Bruce Lee
李小龍先生
1940-1973
演員
李小龍原名李振藩，生於三藩市，粵劇名丑李海泉之子，出生3個月已於電影《金門女》（1941）出鏡，8歲參加粵語片的演出，10歲主演《細路祥》（1950），由《細路祥》的原作者袁步雲替龍年出生的他改藝名李小龍。其後他在20多部電影中擔任童角，包括《苦海明燈》（1953）、《危樓春曉》（1953）等多齣中聯電影企業有限公司出產的作品。1959年，李小龍主演《人海孤鴻》（1960）後，前往美國主修戲劇，副修哲學，又開設武館，創立截拳道及演出電視劇集。1971年，李氏應嘉禾電影（香港）有限公司之邀回港，主演《唐山大兄》（1971）、《精武門》（1972），並自編、自導、自演《猛龍過江》（1972），以及嘉禾與美國華納兄弟公司合作的《龍爭虎鬥》（1973）。李小龍獨特的形像及靈活敏捷的身手，奠定了他國際巨星的地位，也成為不少華人的偶像。惜於1973年7月20日李小龍猝死，留下未完成的遺作《死亡遊戲》（1978）。2005年，李小龍獲香港電影金像獎頒贈「世紀之星」大獎。
Mr Bruce Lee
1940-1973
Actor
The legendary Bruce Lee, birth name Lee Jun Fan, was the son of Cantonese opera actor Lee Hoi Chuen. His first screen appearance can be traced to his infancy when he made a brief appearance in Golden Gate Girl (1941). He enjoyed early fame playing the titular role in The Kid (1950) aged eight. This was followed by 20-odd movies, including A Son Is Born (1953) and In the Face of Demolition (1953). In 1959, Lee landed the leading role in The Orphan (1960). After making this film, he went to the US to study drama and philosophy. During this time he also taught martial arts, created the Jeet Kune Do system of combat and tried his hand at TV drama. Lee returned to Hong Kong at the invitation of Golden Harvest to star in The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972). He also wrote, directed and acted in The Way of the Dragon (1972), and played the leading role in the Golden Harvest-Warner Brothers co-production Enter the Dragon (1973). Lee’s distinctive image and agile kung fu moves in these iconic works shot him to international superstardom. On July 20th 1973, Lee was found dead at home, leaving his last film, The Game of Death (1978), unfinished. He was posthumously named as the recipient of the Star of the Century Award at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards in celebration of 100 years of Chinese cinema.
Mr Ng See Yuen
吳思遠先生
1944-
導演、監製
吳思遠生於上海，幼年隨家人移居香港。1966年，吳思遠考入邵氏的南國實驗劇團編導科，後在邵氏當場記。1971年吳氏開始執導《瘋狂殺手》（1971）、《蕩寇灘》（1972）等片。1973年，他創辦思遠影業公司，執導《廉政風暴》（1975）和《法外情》（1985）等，並監製《醉拳》（1978）、《蛇形刁手》（1978）、《蝶變》（1979）、《退休探長》（1983）、《黃飛鴻之二男兒當自強》（1992）、《宋家皇朝》（1997）、《一代宗師》（2013）等，還有創下港片賣座紀錄的《賭聖》（1990），是香港最具實力與眼光的獨立製片家之一。吳思遠曾提拔過不少幕前幕後的電影人，如成龍、袁和平、劉德華、徐克、周星馳等，他同時積極為香港電影界出力。1990年，他籌組香港電影導演會，並出任首兩屆會長，現為永遠榮譽會長。2002年，香港電影業界10個專業屬會組成香港電影工作者總會，他亦擔任會長至今。他曾是香港電影金像獎主席和促成電影業成為CEPA項目的關鍵人物。1998年，吳思遠獲香港特別行政區政府頒發銅紫荊星章。2013年，吳思遠獲香港電影金像獎頒發終身成就獎。近年吳思遠於內地營辦戲院。
Mr Ng See Yuen
1944-
Director & Producer
Born in Shanghai, director and producer Ng See Yuen moved to Hong Kong at a young age. He enrolled in the Southern Drama School run by Shaw Brothers in 1966 and worked as a continuity man at the studio. The first films he directed were Mad Killer (1971) and The Bloody Fists (1972). Ng founded Seasonal Film Corporation in 1973 and directed films such as the trendsetting Anti-Corruption (1975) and The Unwritten Law (1985). A skilled producer, he spearheaded titles including Drunken Master (1978), Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978), The Butterfly Murders (1979), Gun Is Law (1983), Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), The Soong Sisters (1997) and The Grandmaster (2013). Another of his films, All for the Winner (1990), topped Hong Kong’s box office chart in 1990. Ng is widely recognised as one of Hong Kong’s most influential and visionary independent filmmakers. He is credited with spotting and grooming on-screen and behind-the-scenes talent, including Jackie Chan, Yuen Woo Ping, Andy Lau, Tsui Hark and Stephen Chow. He founded the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild in 1990, served as its president for the first two terms and is the Guild’s permanent honorary president. In 2002, he was instrumental in establishing the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, an umbrella organisation of 10 professional film associations, and he has been its chairman ever since. He was also the former chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards. Importantly, Ng was a crucial figure in pushing for the film sector to come under the CEPA (Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) trade agreement. In 1998, he was conferred with the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Government; in 2013, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Ng has been operating commercial theatres in Mainland China in recent years.
Mr Michael Hui
許冠文先生
1942-
演員、導演
許冠文有「冷面笑匠」之稱。他生於廣州，1950年隨父母來港，香港中文大學社會學系畢業。讀大學期間許冠文加盟電視廣播有限公司，擔任台前幕後多項職務，1971年與弟弟許冠傑主持綜合節目《雙星報喜》，大受歡迎。1972年起，他主演李翰祥導演4齣風月片，包括《大軍閥》（1972）、《一樂也》（1973）等，從旁學習李翰祥的編導和剪接技巧。1974年，許冠文創立許氏影業有限公司，成為嘉禾公司其中一間衛星公司，攝製多部以諷刺光怪陸離社會為題材的都市喜劇，戲中孤寒刻薄的老闆或上司形象，經常出現在他導演的作品內。《鬼馬雙星》（1974）、《天才與白痴》（1975）、《半斤八両》（1976）與《賣身契》（1978）等作品均成為年度香港票房冠軍，多次創下票房紀錄。1982年，他以《摩登保鑣》（1981）榮獲首屆香港電影金像獎最佳男主角獎。1993年，許冠文出任香港演藝人協會的創會會長，現為永遠名譽會長。近年在《鬼馬狂想曲》（2004）、《懸紅》（2012）、《Delete愛人》（2014）等電影客串之餘，亦到世界各地舉辦棟篤笑表演，繼續發揮其喜劇才華。2016年，許冠文憑台灣電影《一路順風》入圍金馬獎最佳男主角。
Mr Michael Hui
1942-
Actor & Director
Director, screenwriter and actor Michael Hui is fondly known as “the Deadpan Comedian” in Hong Kong. Born in Guangzhou, he came to Hong Kong with his family in 1950, growing up in the city and studying sociology at the Chinese University. Hui began working at a television station while still at university, assuming various duties on-screen and behind the scenes. He became a successful TV host with his brother Sam in The Hui Brothers’ Show in 1971. In 1972, director Li Han Hsiang offered him the leading role in The Warlord (1972), The Happiest Moment (1973) and other titles, which paved the way to phenomenal success. In 1974, he founded Hui’s Film Production, a satellite company of Golden Harvest, with which the studio collaborated on a number of satirical comedies that turned out to be mega-hits. They include Games Gamblers Play (1974), The Last Message (1975), The Private Eyes (1976) and The Contract (1978). In 1982, Hui won Best Actor at the 1st Hong Kong Film Awards for his outstanding performance in Security Unlimited (1981). In 1993, he was appointed chairman of the newly founded Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild, and he is now its permanent honorary president. More recently, Hui appeared in movies including Fantasia (2004), The Bounty (2012) and Delete My Love (2014), and tours the world as a stand-up comedian. In 2016, he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards for his role in the Taiwanese production Godspeed.
Mr Sam Hui
許冠傑先生
1948-
演員、歌星
許冠傑是香港大學心理學系畢業生，因創作和主唱的歌曲內容反映社會現實，通俗易懂，極受歡迎，開創粵語流行曲潮流，後被冠以「歌神」之名。1967年，許冠傑組織蓮花樂隊，同年加入電視廣播有限公司主持音樂節目。1971年和兄長許冠文主持《雙星報喜》，大受歡迎。1972年簽約嘉禾成基本演員，演出電影《馬路小英雄》（1973）展開其電影事業。1974年，參與許氏影業有限公司創業作《鬼馬雙星》創下當年香港最高賣座紀錄。其後出品了《半斤八両》（1976）、《摩登保鑣》（1981）等賣座片，戲片中經常演被其兄許冠文剝削的年輕人，最終卻因禍得福。他俊朗的外型和獨特的歌聲更是賣座的保證，令他成為1980年成立的新藝城影業有限公司羅致的對象，以高價邀請他主演「最佳拍檔」系列。其後他又參與了《衛斯理傳奇》（1987）、《笑傲江湖》（1990）等電影。拍罷賀歲片《花田囍事》（1993）後退休。多年來，創作出無數膾炙人口的電影主題曲，包括〈半斤八両〉、〈最佳拍檔〉、〈最緊要好玩〉等。
Mr Sam Hui
1948-
Actor & Singer
“The God of Cantopop”, Sam Hui is an actor, singer and composer whose wildly popular songs in witty, colloquial Cantonese depict the life of the common folk in Hong Kong. A psychology graduate of the University of Hong Kong, he formed a band called The Lotus in 1967, and a few years later co-hosted the popular The Hui Brothers’ Show on TV with elder brother Michael Hui. Hui’s big screen career kicked off in 1972 when he signed to Golden Harvest as an actor and was cast in Back Alley Princess (1973). In 1974, he took part in Hui’s Film Company’s founding film Games Gamblers Play (1974), which topped Hong Kong’s box office charts that year. The studio went on to produce The Private Eyes (1976), Security Unlimited (1981) and other blockbusters. Many of the titles depict how young people exploited by his brother Michael’s characters manage to turn the tables. Hui’s good looks and raspy voice proved to be a winning formula. Cinema City, established in 1980, sought him out and invited him with generous remuneration to star in the “Aces Go Places” series. Subsequently he also took part in The Legend of Wisely (1987) and Tsui Hark’s Swordsman (1990). Hui retired after finishing All’s Well, Ends Well Too (1993).
Ms Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia
林青霞女士
1954-
演員
林青霞生於台灣嘉義，17歲高中畢業後被星探發掘，成為電影《窗外》（1973）的女主角，開展了她的演藝事業。她在70、80年代拍了50多部愛情文藝片，其中12部改編自瓊瑤的小說，是港、台兩地最受觀眾喜愛的女明星之一。及後她來港拍攝《愛殺》（1981）、《新蜀山劍俠》（1983）與《我愛夜來香》（1983）後，留港發展，拍攝了《警察故事》（1985）、《夢中人》（1986）、《刀馬旦》（1986）、《今夜星光燦爛》（1988）等片，1990年憑《滾滾紅塵》獲頒第二十七屆台灣金馬獎最佳女主角獎。1992年在《笑傲江湖II東方不敗》中反串飾演東方不敗，深入民心。1994年，林青霞拍畢《重慶森林》、《東邪西毒》（1994）等影片後息影嫁作人婦。近年林氏投入文字創作，出版作品《窗裏窗外》（2011）和《雲去雲來》（2014）。
Ms Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia
1954-
Actress
Born in Taiwan, actress Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia was discovered by a talent scout at age 17 when she was barely out of high school. Her long and illustrious career began when she played the leading character in Outside the Window (1973). From the 1970s to the early 1980s, Lin made more than 50 movies, mainly of the romance genre, 12 of which were adapted from popular novels by Chiung Yao. Known as “the Eternal Beauty of Chinese Cinema”, she is one of the best loved actresses in Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 1982, Lin came to Hong Kong to make Love Massacre (1981), Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) and All the Wrong Spies (1983), and has stayed in the city ever since. Among a plethora of titles, she starred in Police Story (1985), Dream Lovers (1986), Peking Opera Blues (1986) and Starry is the Night (1988). Her performance in Red Dust (1990) won her Best Actress at the 27th Golden Horse Awards. The 1992 production Swordsman II saw Lin masquerading as a male villain called “Asia the Invincible”. The film started a craze for the period action genre. Lin got married and retired in 1994 after completing The Bride with White Hair (1993), Chungking Express (1994) and Ashes of Time (1994), among other films. Lin spends her time writing and has authored two books, Inside and Outside the Window (2011) and Cloud Goes, Cloud Comes (2014).
Mr Sammo Hung Kam Po
洪金寶先生
1952-
演員、導演
洪金寶是動作指導，生於電影世家，祖父洪仲豪是導演和製片家，祖母錢似鶯是中國第一代武俠片女星。洪金寶7歲進入于占元開辦的香港-中國戲劇學院學藝，是七小福的大師兄。12歲時他以藝名朱元龍參演電影《愛的教育》（1961）、《猴子兵華山救駕》（1963）等電影，18歲當龍虎武師；1975年開始以藝名洪金寶當武術指導和演員。《三德和尚與舂米六》（1977）是他執導和主演的首作。1983年，他憑《提防小手》（1982）獲第二屆香港電影金像獎最佳男主角獎，之後以《七小福》（1988）榮獲第三十三屆亞太影展最佳男主角獎和第八屆香港電影金像獎最佳男主角獎。1985年，他在自導自演的《龍的心》（1985）飾演智力有問題的金寶，一改其動作演員的形象。1998年，洪氏前往美國演出電視劇《過江龍》。洪金寶領導的洪家班人才濟濟，培育了不少人才，對香港電影貢獻良多，多次在香港電影金像獎和台灣金馬獎獲得最佳動作設計獎。進入21世紀，洪金寶在《殺破狼》（2005）、《葉問2》（2010）中，仍有精彩悅目的動作演出。
Mr Sammo Hung Kam Po
1952-
Actor & Director
Director, actor and action choreographer Sammo Hung was born into a family of filmmakers. His grandparents were director and producer Hung Chung Ho and China’s first-generation martial arts actress Ching Chi Ang. At age seven, Hung was sent to the Hong Kong-China Opera Institute, where he was the eldest of what came to be known as the “Seven Little Fortunes”. At 12, he began acting in films such as Education of Love (1961) and The Grateful Monkey (1963) using the stage name Chu Yuen Lung. At 18, he became a stuntman. In 1975, then an action choreographer and actor. He made his directorial debut with The Iron-Fisted Monk in 1977. Thus began a successful career that saw him directing and starring in some of Hong Kong’s highest-grossing action comedies. In 1983, Hung won Best Actor at the 2nd Hong Kong Film Awards for playing the leading role in Carry On Pickpocket (1982). Painted Faces (1988) landed him Best Actor at the 33rd Asia-Pacific Film Festival and the 8th Hong Kong Film Awards. In 1985, he directed and played a mentally disabled man in Heart of Dragon (1985), marking a breakthrough in his on-screen persona. In 1998, Hung took his career to the United States where he appeared in the TV series Martial Law (1998-2000). Hefty but agile, Hung is an award-winning action choreographer who works closely with a group of film professionals and martial arts experts collectively known as Hung’s Stunt Team. Team members past and present have made significant contributions to the local film industry. Hung’s recent works include SPL (2005) and Ip Man 2 (2010).
Mr Jackie Chan
成龍先生
1954-
演員、導演
成龍原名陳港生，又名房仕龍。演員、導演。成龍7歲進入于占元辦的香港-中國戲劇學院習藝。少年時，成龍以藝名元樓或陳元樓任演員和龍虎武師；1976年，乘李小龍熱潮，以藝名成龍演出《新精武門》（1976）等影片。1978年，成龍主演袁和平導演的功夫稽趣喜劇《蛇形刁手》（1978）與《醉拳》（1978），憑功夫小子的角色嶄露頭角，其後加入嘉禾公司開始兼任導演，以幹探的形象，將雜耍式動作融入現代故事中，成為動作巨星，主演及導演《警察故事》（1985）、《龍兄虎弟》（1987）、《重案組》（1993）等，並以難度高的驚險動作聞名，得到各地影迷的擁戴。1998年成龍全力往荷里活發展，主演《火拼時速》（1998）、《贖金之王》（2000）等英語片，晉身國際巨星行列。1992和1993年成龍先後憑《警察故事III超級警察》及《重案組》連續兩年獲頒金馬獎最佳男主角。2010年，成龍獲亞太影展頒發傑出成就獎。他的近作包括《十二生肖》（2012）、《天將雄師》（2015）、《功夫瑜伽》（2017）、《英倫對決》（2017）等。
Mr Jackie Chan
1954-
Actor & Director
Also known by his birth name, Chan Kong Sang, and as Fong Si Lung, actor and director Jackie Chan was trained in Peking opera and martial arts from age seven at the Hong Kong-China Opera Institute. He started out working as an extra and stuntman under the name of Yuen Lau or Chan Yuen Lau. He was first billed as Jackie Chan in 1976 in films including New Fist of Fury (1976). Chan’s persona as an agile kung fu kid caught widespread attention after the success of Yuen Woo Ping-directed action comedies Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978) and Drunken Master (1978). In the 1980s, he joined Golden Harvest and began directing films that merged acrobatic moves with a modern storyline. Chan plays a detective-hero in such titles as Police Story (1985), Armour of God (1987) and Crime Story (1993). From 1998, he took his career to Hollywood where he produced a number of English-language blockbusters such as Rush Hour (1998), Who Am I? (1998) and Shanghai Noon (2000). The daredevil stunts in these films brought him global stardom and icon status in the action and martial arts genres. In 1992 and 1993, Chan won Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Police Story 3: Super Cop and Crime Story, respectively. In 2010, he received the Outstanding Film Achievement Award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. His recent works include CZ12 (2012), Dragon Blade (2015), Kung Fu Yoga (2017) and The Foreigner (2017).
Mr John Woo Yu Sum
吳宇森先生
1946-
導演
吳宇森生於廣州，長於香港，自小熱愛電影，曾撰寫影評、拍攝實驗電影、當場記及副導。1971至1972年吳宇森擔任張徹的副導演，首部執導作品是《鐵漢柔情》（1975）。1975年吳氏加盟成為嘉禾公司的基本導演，拍攝了《帝女花》（1976）、《發錢寒》（1977）、《豪俠》（1979）、《八彩林亞珍》（1982）等影片。1980年，他為新藝城影業有限公司執導創業作《滑稽時代》（1980）。他導演生涯的轉捩點為《英雄本色》（1986），電影叫好叫座，獲頒台灣金馬獎最佳導演獎，並掀起英雄片熱潮，續拍《喋血雙雄》（1989）、《喋血街頭》（1990）、《縱橫四海》（1991）、《辣手神探》（1992）等片。1993年吳宇森進軍荷里活，拍攝《終極標靶》（1993）、《斷箭行動》（1996）、《奪面雙雄》（1997）、《職業特工隊2》（2000）、《烈血追風》（2002）和《致命報酬》（2003）等英語影片。近年，吳宇森重返華語影壇，拍攝了史詩式鉅製《赤壁》（2008）、《太平輪》（2014）及警匪動作片《追捕》（2017）。2010年及2017年，吳宇森分別獲意大利威尼斯影展及韓國釜山電影節頒發終身成就獎。2004年，他獲香港特別行政區政府頒發銅紫荊星章。
Mr John Woo Yu Sum
1946-
Director
Born in Guangzhou and raised in Hong Kong, director and screenwriter John Woo fell in love with film at a young age. Before sitting in the director’s chair, he had written movie reviews, shot experimental films and worked as a continuity man and assistant director. From 1971 to 1972, he was assistant to director Chang Cheh at Shaw Brothers. In 1975, he directed his first film, The Young Dragons (1975). Shortly afterwards, he joined Golden Harvest as a contract director and went on to make Cantonese opera film Princess Chang Ping (1976), comedy The Pilferers’ Progress (1977), as well as Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979) and Plain Jane to the Rescue (1982). Woo had dabbled in various genres before making the pivotal A Better Tomorrow in 1986, which won Best Director at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards. The film’s tremendous success triggered a spate of action hero movies, spurring Woo to shoot The Killer (1989), Bullet in the Head (1990), Once a Thief (1991) and Hard Boiled (1992). Woo’s unique style, especially his distinctive gunfire scenes, brought him global fame. In 1993, he ventured to Hollywood where he made Hard Target (1993), Broken Arrow (1996), Face/Off (1997), Mission Impossible II (2000), Windtalkers (2002) and Paycheck (2003). More recently, Woo has returned to the Chinese-language film circle to helm prominent projects including the epic Red Cliff (2008), The Crossing (2014) and Manhunt (2017). He was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at both the Venice Film Festival in 2010 and the Pusan Film Festival in 2017. He was also honoured with a Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Government in 2004.
