Stephen Chow Biography & Filmography

English name:Stephen Chow Sing-Chi
Nickname:"Sing-Jai"or to show more respect,Sing-ie
Date of birth:June 22, 1962
Horoscope:Cancer
Domicile:Shanghai, China
Height,Weight:174cm (5ft 8-1/2in), 60kg (132 lbs)
Family:One older sister�@and two younger sisters. Currently lives with mother and sister's family.
Marital status:Single
Hobby: Billiards,driving,comics�iespecially,he like Japanese comics�j�Aswimming,skiing,collection items about Bruce Lee(Incidentally,He is the honory head. of " Bluce Lee Club Hong kong"
People he most admires:Bluce Lee, Chow Yun-Fat ,Alex Man Chi-Leung
People he appreciates:Danny Lee Sau-Yin,Alex Man Chi-Leung,TVB producers,etc...

Profile

Stephen Chow Sing-Chi was born in Hong Kong in June 1962. His childhood was comparatively gentle,and he was fascinated by BruceLee, much like other children his age. Stephen Chow was 9 years old in1971 when Bruce Lee's triumphant Hong Kong film, "The Big Boss"debuted. This was Bruce Lee's introduction to the movie-going public inHong Kong and it was huge hit. Many children in Asia and around the world looked up to Bruce Lee, and Stephen was no different. Because Stephen respected Bruce Lee, he began to study martial arts. And it issaid that Stephen's friends were sometimes made to call him "smalldragon."

In 1982, after graduating high school, Stephen and his friend Tony Leung Chui-Wai auditioned for TVB (a television station in HongKong) acting school, but Stephen didn't make the cut. However, he became a student of the night class by an acquaintance's introduction.Waise Lee Chi-Hung, of "A Better Tomorrow" fame, was a fellow classmate. The next year, Stephen was singled out to be the master ofceremonies of the children's program "430." Stephen was not fond ofchildren and this made it very difficult for him, but he took anunusual.attitude and faced a child in the program. His behavior becamepopular and he worked on this show for five years. He went on to variety programs and so on for several years after that, and gained more popularity and moved more to small parts from the "life trip" to the drama.

At this time, Stephen worked with Alex Man Chi-Leung and learned acting tips from Alex's advice. (Stephen played with Alex Man Chi-Leung in his movie debut, "He Who Chases After the Wind.") In 1988, Danny LeeSau-Yin (actor/director/producer whose most famous role is that of Chow Yun-Fat's cop pal in John Woo's "The Killer") cast Stephen for one of the leads in the movie "Final Justice." Stephen went on to win the Best Supporting Actor award of the Taiwan Academy Awards. It was his first film. His "Sit down, and drink tea, and eat even a manju" saying became popular.

Stephen appeared in both movies and TVB dramas for a while. His film parts increased gradually. At last , 1990's "All For The Winner" (a parody of Chow Yun-Fat's "God of Gamblers") was a huge hit. This film went on to break the Hong Kong box office record. After the runaway success of "All For The Winner," Stephen's films consistently ranked at the top of the box office. In fact, Stephen Chow is the number one top-grossing Hong Kong film actor of the 1990s. In comparison, by total box office, Jackie Chan takes 2nd place, but Stephen's films outgross Jackie's by as much as double. And Stephen made 29 films from 1990 to 1993.

Stephen's performance style at the time of "All for the Winner" was called "Mo-Lei-To," which translates as "Makes No Sense." This style established his popularity in the 90's as a comedy actor. His roles ranged from high school undercover detective in 1991's "Fight Back to School," period lawyer drama in 1993's "Justice, My Foot!" and period comedy in 1993's "Flirting Scholar." Stephen accomplished a great success at the box office, winning top spot for four consecutive years in Hong Kong . Of the above 3 films, only "All For the Winner" has been released in the theatres in Japan.

In interviews, Stephen has expressed interest in other aspects of the production of his films, taking on a role more than just as an actor. He challenged the first director of his James Bond spoof "From Beijing with Love" (1994). He became more concerned with the production side of moviemaking with the "Chinese Odyssey" films, his telling of the "Journey to the West" story. He co-wrote and co-directed two of his recent films, "Forbidden City Cop" (1996) and "God of Cookery" (1997).

However, it is a recent thing for his films to be introduced in Japan. Only 14 of his 47 films are available on video in Japan, and only half have been released in the theater here.

In 1997, he became a hot topic with the success of "God Of Cookery." His popularity is set to explode soon.

Stephen visited Japan three times formally in 1996, for the Yu-bari Fantastic Film Festival in February and the Tokyo International Film Festival in October.
and He came agin in March 2002 for prompotion of Shaolin Soccor.

Professional career

Chow learned to act at the Shaw Brothers' TVB acting school and co-hosted a popular Hong Kong children's program, 430 Shuttle, as a character named "Black and White Vampire", and though this was a stepping stone for his career, it limited it, offering no outstanding performances. At that time, Stephen Chow mainly played dramatic roles, but his performance in Jeff Lau's smash-hit All For The Winner (1990) launched him in his comedy film career, which is now his prime genre of acting.

His subsequent films were built on the success of All For The Winner, and he developed his distinct brand of humour known as mo lei tau (nonsense) which makes frequent use of euphemisms and double entendres in unoffensive Cantonese slang. He regularly demonstrates his talent for improvisation, suggesting gags to directors to enhance the script, allowing chances to make rewrites of the plot. By 1994, he was writing and directing some of his own films.

The films themselves often follow a similar template: Chow portrays an under-achiever who beats either the odds, or an arrogant overachiever, who is then humbled and receives a lesson at the hand of Chow. Fight Back to School (1991),From Beijing With Love (1994) and God of Cookery (1996) are notable examples of this style of work. Sometimes, his films would utilize a historic environment, but demonstrate the same use of comedy, as in the films Justice, My Foot (1992) andFlirting Scholar (1993).

Occasionally, however, Chow would break from his comedies. One of his more serious films is A Chinese Odyssey (1994), loosely based on the classic Chinese epic Journey to the West. Although essentially a comedy at heart, Chow was able to develop his character more seriously than ever before. It was a box-office smash in Hong Kong and even ignited a cult following in Mainland China.

Recent films by Chow have begun to focus on comedic action and special effects sequences rather than verbal humour to appeal to a wider international audience. The film which launched him to international fame was Shaolin Soccer (2001), which made heavy use of CGI and was directed by Chow himself. A later film, dubbed Kung Fu Hustle (2004), was also directed by Chow and in February 2005 went on to surpassShaolin Soccer as the highest grossing domestic movie in Hong Kong.

In July 2006, Chow started the filming of his latest feature, A Hope, in the eastern Chinese port of Ningbo. [1] It has been rumored to have the biggest budget ever for a Chinese film, costing over 100 million Chinese yuan (US$13 million; €10.2 million).

This latest film will introduce newcomer Zhang Yuyi as his romantic lead - continuing Chow's infamous tradition of introducing young female actresses who eventually go on to have successful film and music careers of their own. These "Chow's Cuties", including names as Gigi Leung, Karen Mok, Cecilia Cheung, Huang Shengyi, Cheung Man, Christy Chung and Michelle Reis, have received major career boosts from starring in Chow's blockbusters.

Trivia

When he was young, Chow learned Kung Fu by watching TV because his parents couldn't afford lessons. He still enjoys watching instructional Kung Fu videos to this day.

There is often a cameo by an ugly bearded nose-picking cross-dresser in his films, and the role is almost always portrayed by Kin-yan Lee, a personal friend. This character is almost always called 如花 (translated as "flower-like") in these films.

Chow is a big fan of Chinese Kung Fu legend Bruce Lee, and his films often contain references to him.

Chow, for a time, was the president of the Bruce Lee fan club in Hong Kong and had a statue of Lee built.

Chow learned Wing Chun, an offshoot of Shaolin Kung Fu, as a youth.

Chow often collaborated with Lee Lik-chee (李力持) and Vincent Kok (谷德昭), both actors and directors, in the early stage of his career.

Chow is mentioned in the Regurgitator song "My Ego".

Despite having a comic persona onscreen, in the public eye, Chow is known to be the opposite, often maintaining a serious demeanor.

Chow is also a big fan of the popular anime and manga series, Dragon Ball.

Stephen Chow tends to use a lot of underdog or rags-to-riches story to portray his character. This could probably be an self reference to his own career in the hierarchical Hong Kong entertainment industry when he started out as a low paid unknown actor.

His total net worth as of 2006 is over 100 million USD, he gains most of his wealth through real estate. He is good friends with Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau(劉鑾雄).

Chow was denied emigration to Canada twice because of supposed links to Triad gangs.

Filmography

Kung Fu Hustle 2 (2008) (in production) .... Sing

A Hope (2007) (completed)

Kung fu (2004) .... Sing
... aka Gong fu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Kung Fu Hustle (International: English title)

Siu lam juk kau (2001) .... Mighty Steel Leg Sing
... aka Shao lin zu qiu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Shaolin Soccer (International: English title)

Hei kek ji wong (1999) .... Wan Tin-sau
... aka The King of Comedy (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Xi ju zhi wang (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Bor lei jun (1999) .... H.K. Police Officer
... aka Gorgeous (International: English title) (UK)
... aka High Risk (Philippines: English title)

Chin wong ji wong 2000 (1999) .... Wong Si Fu
... aka Qian wang zhi wang 2000 (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka The Tricky Master (International: English title)

Hung wan yat tew loong (1998) .... Sui
... aka The Lucky Guy

Suen sei cho (1997) .... Chan Mon-Gut
... aka Lawyer Lawyer
... aka Suan si cao (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

97 ga yau hei si (1997) .... Lo Kung
... aka 97 jia you xi shi (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka All's Well, Ends Well 1997 (Hong Kong: English title)

Sik san (1996) .... Stephen Chow, The God of Cookery
... aka God of Cookery
... aka Shi shen (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Daai laap mat taam 008 (1996) .... Ling Ling Fat
... aka Da nei mi tan 008 (China: Mandarin title)
... aka Forbidden City Cop (USA)

Baak bin sing gwan (1995) .... Lee Chak-Sing
... aka Bai bian xing jun (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Sixty Million Dollar Man

Wui wan yeh (1995) .... Leon
... aka Hui hun ye (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Out of the Dark

Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat (1994) .... Ling Ling Chai
... aka From Beijing with Love
... aka From China with Love
... aka Guo chan Ling Ling Qi (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Poh waai ji wong (1994) .... Ho Kam-An
... aka King of Destruction
... aka Love on Delivery
... aka Po huai zhi wang (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Jiu pin zhi ma guan bai mian bao qing tian (1994) .... Pao Lung-Sing
... aka Hail the Judge

Sai yau gei: Daai git guk ji - Sin leui kei yun (1994) .... Joker/Monkey King
... aka A Chinese Odyssey Part Two - Cinderella (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Xi you ji da jie ju zhi xian lu qi yuan (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Sai yau gei: Dai yat baak ling yat wui ji - Yut gwong bou haap (1994) .... Joker/Monkey King
... aka A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title)
... aka A Chinese Odyssey
... aka Daiwah saiyau
... aka Xi you ji di yi bai ling yi hui zhi yue guang bao he (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Chai gong (1993) .... Dragon Fighter Lo Han
... aka Ji Gong
... aka Mad Monk

Tang Bohu dian Qiuxiang (1993) .... Tong Pak Foo
... aka Flirting Scholar
... aka Tong bat fu kau chau heung

Tao xue wei long zhi long guo ji nian (1993) .... Star Chow, Million Wong
... aka Fight Back to School III

Yi ben man hua chuang tian ya II miao xiang tian kai (1993) .... Cameo appearance
... aka My Hero 2

Miu chong yuen so hat ngai (1992) .... So Chan/So Hat Yi
... aka King of Beggars
... aka Wu zhuang yuan: Su qi er (China: Mandarin title)

Tao xue wei long 2 (1992) .... Chow Sing Sing
... aka Fight Back to School II

Jia you xi shi (1992) .... Shang Foon
... aka All's Well, Ends Well (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Family Happiness
... aka Ga yau hei si (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Jing jyu tai (1992) (TV) .... Dyun Siu Fei
... aka The Thief of Time (International: English title)

Lu ding ji (1992) .... Wei Siu Bo
... aka Luk ding gei (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
... aka Royal Tramp

Lu ding ji II zhi shen long jiao (1992) .... Wei Siu Bo
... aka Royal Tramp II

Man hua wei long (1992) .... Lau Chin
... aka Fist of Fury 1991 II

Sam sei goon (1992) .... Sung Shih-Chieh
... aka Interrogate to Death (Hong Kong: English title: literal title)
... aka Justice, My Foot
... aka Shen si guan (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Du xia II zhi Shang Hai tan du sheng (1991) .... Chow Sing Cho/'The Saint of Gamblers'
... aka Back to Shanghai
... aka God of Gamblers III
... aka God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai
... aka God of Gamblers Part III: Back to Shanghai (Hong Kong: English title)

Xin jing wu men 1991 (1991) .... Lau Ching/Chow Sing Cho, 'The Saint of Gamblers'
... aka Fist of Fury 1991

Dou hap (1991) .... Chow Sing Cho/'The Saint of Gamblers'
... aka Du xia (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka God of Gamblers II

Du ba (1991) .... Shing
... aka Top Bet

Fei zhou he shang (1991) .... Narrator (Cantonese version)
... aka Crazy Safari (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Fei jau woh seung (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
... aka The Gods Must Be Crazy III
... aka Vampires Must Be Crazy

Jing gu jyun ga (1991) .... Jing Koo
... aka The Ultimate Trickster
... aka Tricky Brains
... aka Zheng gu zhuan jia (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Qing sheng (1991) .... Valentino/'Jackie'
... aka Magnificent Scoundrels

Tao xue wei long (1991) .... Star Chow/Chow Sing Sing
... aka Fight Back to School

Du sheng (1990) .... Chow Sing Cho/'The Saint of Gamblers'
... aka All for the Winner (International: English title)
... aka Do sing (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Xiao tou a xing (1990) .... Sing
... aka Sleazy Dizzy

Ga li la jiao (1990) .... Pepper/Officer Shao Wen
... aka Curry and Pepper (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Ga lei laak jiu (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Jiang hu zui hou yi ge da lao (1990) (as Sing Chi Chow) .... Sin
... aka Triad Story

Long de chuan ren (1990) .... Chow Siu-Lung
... aka Legend of Dragon
... aka Legend of the Dragon

Long Feng cha lou (1990) .... Rubbish Pool
... aka Lung Fung Restaurant
... aka Lung Fung Tea House

Shi xiong zhuang gui (1990) .... Hsing
... aka Look Out, Officer!

Wang fu cheng long (1990)
... aka Love Is Love

Wu di xing yun xing (1990) .... Vincent Han
... aka When Fortune Smiles

Yi ben man hua zou tian ya (1990) .... Sing
... aka My Hero
... aka Yak boon maan wa jau tin ai (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Yi dan qun ying (1989) .... Jacky
... aka Just Heroes (UK: video title)
... aka Tragic Heroes

"Koi saai ho haap" (1989) TV Series .... Dun Fei
... aka Final Combat (Hong Kong: English title: video title)
... aka Gai shi hao xia (China: Mandarin title: video title)

Feng yu tong lu (1989) .... Cheung Lon/Cockroach
... aka The Unmatchable Match

Liu mang chai po (1989) .... Sui Yien
... aka Thunder Cops II

Long zai tian ya (1989) (as Sing-Chi Chow) .... Andy Yau
... aka Dragon Fight
... aka Dragon Kickboxer
... aka Lung joi tin aai (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Zui jia nu xu (1988) .... Puddin Lai
... aka Faithfully Yours

Bo fung hon ji (1988)
... aka Bu feng han zi (China: Mandarin title)
... aka Catch Wind Man (literal English title)
... aka He Who Chases After the Wind

"Mo min kap sin fung" (1988) TV Series

Pik lik sin fung (1988) (as Stephen Chiau) .... Ah Wai
... aka Final Justice
... aka Pi li xian feng (China: Mandarin title)
... aka Thunderbolt Vanguard (literal English title)

Ying ging boon sik (1988)

"Sung meng chi loi" (1987) TV Series

"But dou san hung" (1983) TV Series
... aka Angels and Devils (Hong Kong: English title)

"Joi geen sup gao sui" (1983) TV Series

"Ta loi ji kong wu" (1983) TV Series .... Ho Kam-shui
... aka The Justice of Life (Hong Kong: English title: literal title)

"Heung sing long ji" (1982) (mini) TV Series
... aka Soldier of Fortune (Hong Kong: English title)

"Wut lik sap jat" (1982) TV Series

"She diao ying xiong zhuan" (1982) TV Series
... aka Sia tiauw enghiong (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka The Legend of the Condor Heroes

"Sou hat yi" (1982) TV Series

Director:

Kung Fu Hustle 2 (2008) (in production)

A Hope (2007) (completed)

Kung fu (2004)
... aka Gong fu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Kung Fu Hustle (International: English title)

Siu lam juk kau (2001)
... aka Shao lin zu qiu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Shaolin Soccer (International: English title)

Hei kek ji wong (1999)
... aka The King of Comedy (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Xi ju zhi wang (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Sik san (1996) (as Stephen Chiau)
... aka God of Cookery
... aka Shi shen (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Daai laap mat taam 008 (1996)
... aka Da nei mi tan 008 (China: Mandarin title)
... aka Forbidden City Cop (USA)

Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat (1994)
... aka From Beijing with Love
... aka From China with Love
... aka Guo chan Ling Ling Qi (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Poh waai ji wong (1994)
... aka King of Destruction
... aka Love on Delivery
... aka Po huai zhi wang (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Sai yau gei: Daai git guk ji - Sin leui kei yun (1994)
... aka A Chinese Odyssey Part Two - Cinderella (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Xi you ji da jie ju zhi xian lu qi yuan (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Writer:

In Production

2000s

1990s

Kung Fu Hustle 2 (2008) (in production)

A Hope (2007) (completed)

Kung fu (2004)
... aka Gong fu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Kung Fu Hustle (International: English title)

Siu lam juk kau (2001)
... aka Shao lin zu qiu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Shaolin Soccer (International: English title)

Hei kek ji wong (1999)
... aka The King of Comedy (Hong Kong: English title)
... aka Xi ju zhi wang (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Sik san (1996)
... aka God of Cookery
... aka Shi shen (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Daai laap mat taam 008 (1996)
... aka Da nei mi tan 008 (China: Mandarin title)
... aka Forbidden City Cop (USA)

Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat (1994)
... aka From Beijing with Love
... aka From China with Love
... aka Guo chan Ling Ling Qi (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Producer:

In Production

2000s

1990s

A Hope (2007) (completed) (producer)

Kung fu (2004) (producer)
... aka Gong fu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Kung Fu Hustle (International: English title)

Sik san (1996) (producer)
... aka God of Cookery
... aka Shi shen (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Miscellaneous Crew:

2000s

1990s

Siu lam juk kau (2001) (additional action director) (uncredited)
... aka Shao lin zu qiu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Shaolin Soccer (International: English title)

Man hua wei long (1992) (choreographer)
... aka Fist of Fury 1991 II

Composer:

Kung fu (2004)
... aka Gong fu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
... aka Kung Fu Hustle (International: English title)

Self:

2000s

1990s

2006 Asian Excellence Awards (2006) (TV) .... Nominee

"Comme au cinéma" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
... aka Comme au cinéma: l'émission (France: long new title)
... aka Comme au cinéma: le magazine (France: long new title)
    - Episode dated 17 May 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself

"Godnatt, Sverige" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
    - Episode dated 10 May 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself

"TV total" .... Himself (1 episode, 2005)
    - Episode dated 3 May 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Himself

Haomen yeyan (1991) .... Himself
... aka Ho moon ye yin (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
... aka Party of a Wealthy Family (USA)
... aka The Banquet (Hong Kong: English title)