Chow Yun-fat is a charismatic, athletically built and energetic Asian-born film star who first came to the attention of western audiences via his roles in the high-octane/blazing guns action films of maverick HK director John Woo. Born in 1955 on the quiet island of Lamma, part of the then British colony of Hong Kong near its famous Victoria Harbour, Chow's family moved to urban Hong Kong in 1965 and in early 1973, Chow attended a casting call for TVB, a division of Shaw Bros. productions. With his good looks and easy-going style, Chow was originally a heartthrob actor in non-demanding TV and film roles. However, his popularity increased with his appearance as white-suited crime boss Hui Man-Keung in the highly popular HK film Shang Hai tan xu ji (1983). In 1985, Chow started receiving acclaim for his work and scored the Golden Horse (Best Actor) Award in Taiwan and another Best Actor Award from the Asian Pacific Film Festival for his performance in Dang doi lai ming (1984). With these accolades, Chow came to the attention of Woo, who cast Chow in the fast-paced gangster film Ying hung boon sik (1986) (aka "A Better Tomorrow"). The rest, as they say, is history. The film was an enormous commercial success, and Chow's influence on young Asian males was not dissimilar to the adulation given to previous Asian film sensations such as Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. Nearly every young guy in Hong Kong ran out and bought himself a "Mark Coat," as they became known--a long, heavy woolen coat worn by Chow in the movie (although it is is actually very unsuited to Hong Kong's hot and humid climate). Further hard-edged roles in more John Woo crime films escalated Chow's popularity even higher, and fans all over the world flocked to see Ying hung boon sik II (1987) (aka "A Better Tomorrow 2"), Dip huet seung hung (1989) (aka "The Killer"), and Lat sau san taam (1992) (aka "Hard Boiled"). With the phenomenal global interest in the HK action genre, Chow was enticed to the United States and appeared in The Replacement Killers (1998) with Mira Sorvino, The Corruptor (1999) with Mark Wahlberg, and, for a change of pace, in the often-filmed romantic tale of Anna and the King (1999). Chow then returned to the Asian cinema circuit and starred in the critically lauded kung fu epic Wo hu cang long (2000) (aka "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). His wide appeal can be seen in his "boy next door" type of personality and his ability to play such a broad spectrum of roles from a comedic buffoon to a lovestruck Romeo to a trigger-happy professional killer. A highly entertaining and gifted actor with dynamic on-screen presence, Chow continues to remain in strong demand in many film markets.
Movie | Detective Chinatown 1900 | 2025 | |
Movie | 上海灘 | 許文強 | 2025 |
Movie | Cold War III | Oswald Kan | 2025 |
Movie | One More Chance | Water Ng | 2023-06-21 |
Movie | The Monkey King: The Legend Begins | Jade Emperor | 2022-11-02 |
Movie | Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks | Himself (archive footage) | 2019-08-14 |
Movie | Project Gutenberg | Painter | 2018-09-30 |
Movie | Duckweed | Self (archive footage) | 2017-01-28 |
Movie | The Moment: Fifty Years of Golden Horse | Himself (archive footage) | 2016-03-04 |
Movie | Cold War II | Oswald S.C. Kan | 2016-07-08 |
Movie | From Vegas to Macau III | Ken Shek / Ko Chun | 2016-02-06 |
Movie | Office | Ho Chung Ping | 2015-09-24 |
Movie | From Vegas to Macau II | Ken / Ko Chun | 2015-02-19 |
Movie | The Monkey King | Jade Emperor | 2014-01-09 |
Movie | From Vegas to Macau | 石一堅/高進 | 2014-01-30 |
Movie | The Last Tycoon | Cheng Daqi | 2012-12-22 |
Movie | The Assassins | Chancellor Cao Cao | 2012-09-26 |
Movie | Beginning of the Great Revival | Yuan Shikai | 2011-06-23 |
Movie | Confucius | Confucius | 2010-02-11 |
Movie | Let the Bullets Fly | Huang Silang | 2010-12-20 |
Movie | Shanghai | Anthony Lan-Ting | 2010-06-10 |
Movie | Dragonball Evolution | Master Roshi | 2009-03-12 |
Movie | The Children of Huang Shi | Chen Hansheng | 2008-04-03 |
Movie | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Sao Feng | 2007-05-19 |
Movie | The Postmodern Life of My Aunt | Zhichang Pan / 潘知常 | 2007-08-03 |
Movie | Curse of the Golden Flower | Emperor Ping | 2006-12-14 |
Movie | Waiting Alone | Fa Ge (cameo) | 2005-09-08 |
Movie | Bulletproof Monk | The Nameless Monk | 2003-03-28 |
Movie | Golden Chicken 2 | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2003-12-24 |
Movie | Ultimate Fights from the Movies | (archive footage) | 2002-04-16 |
Movie | Golden Chicken | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2002-12-26 |
Movie | An Autumn Diary | An Autumn's Tale footage | 2001-06-11 |
Movie | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Li Mu Bai | 2000-07-06 |
Movie | Anna and the King | King Mongkut | 1999-12-16 |
Movie | The Corruptor | Nick Chen | 1999-03-12 |
Movie | The Replacement Killers | John Lee | 1998-02-06 |
Movie | God of Gamblers 3: The Early Stage | Ko Chun / 'The God of Gamblers' (archive footage) | 1996-12-13 |
Movie | Eastern Heroes: The Video Magazine - Volume 2 | Himself | 1996-07-22 |
Movie | Eastern Heroes: The Video Magazine - Volume 1 | Himself | 1995-07-22 |
Movie | Peace Hotel | Wong A Ping / Killer | 1995-04-12 |
Movie | Cinema of Vengeance | Himself (uncredited) | 1994-01-01 |
Movie | Treasure Hunt | Jeffrey Chang Ching | 1994-01-29 |
Movie | God of Gamblers' Return | Ko Chun / 'The God of Gamblers' | 1994-12-24 |
Movie | Film ohne Fesseln - Das neue Hongkong Kino | Himself | 1993-01-01 |
Movie | Hard Boiled | Insp. 'Tequila' Yuen | 1992-04-16 |
Movie | Full Contact | Jeff / Gou Fei | 1992-07-23 |
Movie | Now You See Love... Now You Don't | Ng San Shui | 1992-02-01 |
Movie | Prison on Fire II | Chung Tin Ching | 1991-06-22 |
Movie | Once a Thief | Red Bean Puddin / Joe | 1991-02-02 |
Movie | God of Gamblers II | Ko Chun / 'The God of Gamblers' | 1990-12-13 |
Movie | The Fun, the Luck & the Tycoon | Lam Bo Sun / Mr. Stink | 1990-01-18 |
Movie | All About Ah-Long | Ah Long | 1989-03-16 |
Movie | The Killer | Ah Jong | 1989-03-24 |
Movie | Triads: The Inside Story | Lee Man-Ho | 1989-08-03 |
Movie | The Romancing Star III | Mechanic in flashback (uncredited) | 1989-12-21 |
Movie | God of Gamblers | Ko Chun / 'The God of Gamblers' | 1989-12-14 |
Movie | A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon | Mark | 1989-10-20 |
Movie | Wild Search | Sgt. Lau Chun-Pong | 1989-06-03 |
Movie | Tiger on the Beat | Sergeant Francis Li | 1988-03-19 |
Movie | The Romancing Star II | Big Mouth Fat [cameo] | 1988-01-21 |
Movie | The Eighth Happiness | Fang Chien Lang / Fong Kim Long | 1988-02-11 |
Movie | Fractured Follies | Joe Leung | 1988-07-06 |
Movie | When Tat Fu Was Young | 1988-09-23 | |
Movie | City War | Dick Lee | 1988-12-21 |
Movie | Goodbye My Friend | Hung | 1988-10-05 |
Movie | The Greatest Lover | Qian Jin / Nelson Chow | 1988-07-30 |
Movie | The Diary of a Big Man | Chow Ting Fat | 1988-07-21 |
Movie | Scared Stiff | Inspector Chow | 1987-03-06 |
Movie | City on Fire | Ko Chow | 1987-02-13 |
Movie | Tragic Hero | Lee Ah Chai | 1987-02-20 |
Movie | Code of Honor | Fai | 1987-03-26 |
Movie | Rich and Famous | Lee Ah Chai | 1987-05-27 |
Movie | A Better Tomorrow II | Ken Gor / Ken Lee | 1987-12-17 |
Movie | Spiritual Love | Pu Yung Tsai | 1987-10-15 |
Movie | Prison on Fire | Chung Tin Ching | 1987-11-13 |
Movie | Flaming Brothers | Tin | 1987-07-30 |
Movie | The Romancing Star | Wong Yat Fat | 1987-06-25 |
Movie | An Autumn's Tale | Samuel Pang | 1987-07-16 |
Movie | Dream Lovers | Song Yu | 1986-04-25 |
Movie | Witch from Nepal | Joe | 1986-02-27 |
Movie | The Missed Date | Peter | 1986-05-24 |
Movie | Story of Rose | Charles / Ga Ming | 1986-02-21 |
Movie | A Hearty Response | Ho Ting-Bon | 1986-10-30 |
Movie | Love Unto Wastes | Detective Lan | 1986-08-30 |
Movie | My Will, I Will | Detective | 1986-11-20 |
Movie | The Seventh Curse | Wesley | 1986-10-17 |
Movie | A Better Tomorrow | Mark 'Gor' Lee | 1986-08-02 |
Movie | 100 Ways to Murder Your Wife | Fat | 1986-06-05 |
Movie | The Lunatics | Chung | 1986-06-05 |
Series | The Yang's Saga | Lui Dong-bun | 1985-09-23 |
Movie | Why Me? | Mr Chow | 1985-10-29 |
Series | The Battle Among the Clans | 1985-07-18 | |
Movie | Women | Derek Sun | 1985-06-12 |
Movie | Hong Kong 1941 | Yip Kim-Fay | 1984-11-02 |
Series | The Smiling Proud Wanderer | 1984-04-02 | |
Movie | The Occupant | Insp Valentino Chow | 1984-09-30 |
Movie | Love in a Fallen City | Fan Liu-Yuan | 1984-08-02 |
Movie | The Bund | Hui Man Keung | 1983-01-20 |
Series | The Radio Tycoon | 1983-01-03 | |
Movie | The Bund Part II | 许文强 | 1983-01-25 |
Series | Angels And Devils | 1983-08-08 | |
Movie | KATANYU PRAKASIT | 1983-02-12 | |
Series | The Super Power | 1983-08-01 | |
Movie | Bloody Money | Bullet | 1983-03-22 |
Movie | Last Affair | Kwong Ping | 1983-12-09 |
Series | The Maverick | 1982-01-04 | |
Series | The Legend of Master So | 苏灿 | 1982-09-27 |
Movie | The Postman Strikes Back | Fu Jun | 1982-06-04 |
Movie | The Head Hunter | Yuen Lik / Nguen Dich | 1982-03-25 |
Movie | Soul Ash | 1981-01-12 | |
Movie | The Executor | Ng Tao | 1981-03-04 |
Series | The Fate | 1981-06-29 | |
Series | Good Old Times | 1981-12-14 | |
Series | The Shell Game (II) | 阿龙 | 1981-04-13 |
Series | Hero's Blood Road | 1981-10-05 | |
Movie | The Story of Woo Viet | Woo Viet | 1981-04-23 |
Movie | God Father | Git | 1980-01-23 |
Series | The Bund | Hui Man-keung | 1980-03-10 |
Series | The Shell Game | 1980-09-15 | |
Movie | Modern Heroes | Sgt Chu Hwa Tai | 1980-09-18 |
Movie | Joy to the World | Yam Chung-Lung | 1980-06-07 |
Movie | Pursuit | Killer | 1980-06-26 |
Series | The Cheap Detective | 1979-02-12 | |
Series | The Good The Bad The Ugly | 1979-10-01 | |
Series | Man From Hong Kong | Ben | 1979-04-30 |
Series | I Am Woman | 1979-03-05 | |
Movie | Their Private Lives | Ko Ming Chung | 1978-01-12 |
Series | Vanity Fair | 1978-01-02 | |
Series | The Giants | 1978-05-01 | |
Series | Disco Fever | 1978-08-07 | |
Series | Hong Kong Story II | 主持 | 1978-08-07 |
Series | Conflict | 1978-10-02 | |
Movie | Miss "O" | Koon | 1978-04-28 |
Movie | Bed for Day, Bed for Night | 1977-03-31 | |
Series | 13 | 1977-05-23 | |
Series | Hero | 1977-08-08 | |
Movie | Hot Blood | Ah Cheng | 1977-09-23 |
Series | A House Is Not a Home | 何严明 | 1977-08-01 |
Series | This Generation | 1976-04-26 | |
Movie | The Reincarnation | 1976-03-31 | |
Series | The Killer | 1976-03-29 | |
Movie | Learned Bride Thrice Fools the Bridegroom | 1976-04-29 | |
Series | C.I.D.(Series 2) | 1976-12-28 | |
Series | Mystery Beyond | 1976-07-15 | |
Movie | The Hunter, the Butterfly and the Crocodile | 1976-11-25 | |
Movie | Massage Girls | Ah Gin | 1976-09-23 |
Series | Teenager | 1976-09-06 | |
Series | The First Love | 1976-08-09 | |
Series | Hotel | 1976-10-04 | |
Series | Dream Of The Red Chamber | 蒋玉涵 | 1975-07-14 |
Series | The God of Aqua | 1974-12-30 | |
Series | Murder of Passion | 1974-12-30 | |
Series | Chinese Folklore | 1974-11-04 |