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"My laptop was completely ruined when my office flooded. Even the hard disk was wrecked; but I didn't lose a single document."
 | Chow yun-fat News - 3-March-2000 |  |
A Free Man In Hong Kong - the other side of Chow Y
Chow Yun-Fat was born in 1955 on Lamma Island, which is part of Hong Kong. His parents were hardworking but poor, and CYF grew up in the midst of poverty. Even so, he has credited his parents with giving him a happy childhood. Though his father, an oil rig worker for Shell, was often away from home he was a great influence and CYF has named his father as the most important person in his life. Unfortunately, when CYF was 10 years old his father was taken ill and died.
CYF's mother moved her family to Hong Kong and this is where CYF first discovered films. He has cited both American and Chinese films as influential in his life, as well as those of the French New Wave and classic Japanese cinema.
Working at a variety of odd jobs, from camera shop clerk to postman, CYF entered the Television Broadcast (TVB) Actors' School and signed on with the broadcast giant as an actor. Quickly gaining popularity, he went on to star in such global classic television shows as "Shanghai Beach" (also known as "The Bund") and "Hotel". His good looks and romantic appeal made him a favorite all over Asia.
CYF's initial attempts to break into feature films were not successful; he made a number of low-budget and low-prestige films for the now-defunct Goldig Films H.K. studio. It was not until he was cast in director Ann Hui's "The Story of Woo Viet" that he was taken seriously as an actor.
Despite the critical and commercial success of "The Story of Woo Viet", CYF found it difficult to forge a career on the big screen. He has recalled that he appeared in over 1,000 episodes of television comedies and dramas, and that people who were used to seeing him on televison every night did not not want to pay to see him in films. This was one of the reasons he bore the nickname "box office poison".
It was not until his breakthrough film, John Woo's 1986 classic "A Better Tomorrow" that CYF achieved the world-wide cult status he retains to this day. 1986 was an important year for CYF; he starred in ten films, married Jasmine Tan Hui Lian, and began a meteoric rise in the estimation of not only film critics but general audiences.
CYF remained in Hong Kong working for the Golden Princess studio, until 1995. By the time he decided to embark upon a career in American films, he had made over 70 Chinese-language movies in a wide span of genres including comedy, romance, tragedy, action dramas and thrillers.
Taking a crash course in English, CYF broke into American films as the star of 1997's "The Replacement Killers". Though the film received lukewarm critical mention, CYF was always mentioned as being an incredible presence. His next English-language film, "The Corruptor", was along the same lines and did not capture the praise of the critics, but Chow Yun-Fat did. Almost every review of "The Corruptor" could be summarized as "the movie isn't very good, but Chow is great".
All of that changed with 1999's epic romance "Anna and The King". More comfortable with a new language and with a more seasoned director and co-star, Chow Yun-Fat's performance as King Mongkut of Siam was almost universally praised in the highest regard. For the first time in the modern era a Chinese actor was being given serious attention critically and by general audiences alike. Millions of new fans, particularly women, discovered the magic and beauty of Chow Yun-Fat's talents in his role as the King.
Chow Yun-Fat's latest film is "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for the renowned director Ang Lee. Again redefining what "Chow Yun-Fat" means, CYF stars in a fantasy action epic set in ancient China along with Michelle Yeoh. It is set to open in Summer, 2000 in China and Autumn, 2000 in the United States.
CYF is currently resting in Hong Kong after the strenuous filming of "Anna and The King" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". He cites his favorite activities as eating, sleeping and working around the house. Rumor has it that he is currently considering two scripts for his next English-language film.
For discussion of Chow Yun-Fat and his career, please visit the Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.chow-yun-fat
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