Mr Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing

1956-2003

Actor & Singer

Born Cheung Fat Chung, singer and superstar Leslie Cheung was educated in England and returned to Hong Kong during his university studies when his father fell ill. He won second place in RTV’s Asian Amateur Singing Contest in 1977 with his rendition of “American Pie”. The following years saw him acting and singing on television. In the 1980s, he portrayed a free-spirited young rebel in films such as Encore (1980), Job Hunter (1981), Teenage Dreamers (1982) and Nomad (1982). In 1983, a number of his songs topped the charts, earning him recognition as one of Hong Kong’s top singers. From here, he became a superstar. Films like Behind the Yellow Line (1984), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), Rouge (1988), Farewell My Concubine (1993), He’s a Woman, She’s a Man (1994) and Happy Together (1997) allowed Cheung’s talent to shine. He was awarded Best Actor for Days of Being Wild (1990) and Ashes of Time (1994), respectively, at the Hong Kong Film Awards and by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. He made a total of 56 films, the last being Inner Senses (2002). A short film commissioned by RTHK, From Ashes to Ashes (2001), was his only directorial work. In 2004, Cheung was honoured with the Timeless Artistic Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.