Mr Roy Chiao

1927-1999

Actor

Born in Shanghai, actor Roy Chiao was nicknamed “the Lion of the Cinema” for his physique. The well-built and versatile Chiao was proficient in horseback riding and diving. He was also a pilot and served as an interpreter for the US army during the Korean War. He was fluent in English, Japanese, Korean and multiple Chinese dialects. In 1955, Chiao met actress Bai Guang in Japan and she invited him to come to Hong Kong to star in Fresh Peony (1956), a film for which she was both the director and an actress. Bai retired a year later but she referred Chiao to MP & GI, which cast him in a plethora of films including Air Hostess (1959), Escort Over Tiger Hill (1969), The Arch (1970), A Touch of Zen (1971), The Valiant Ones (1975), The Age of Miracles (1996) and All’s Well, Ends Well ‘97 (1997). Chiao also appeared in Western films such as Ferry to Hong Kong (1959) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Chiao moved into television in the 1980s, playing parts in dramas such as Guardian Angel (1978) and Blowing in the Wind (1980). He was named Best Actor by the Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in Summer Snow (1995). A devout Christian, Chiao founded Artists’ Home with a view to creating solidarity and spreading the Christian faith in showbusiness. His last film was the evangelistic work Sometimes, Miracles Do Happen (1999).