Stephen Chow:

Stephen Chow (born June 22, 1962) is a highly popular Hong Kong actor and director, whose expertise in the comedic field has led him to be dubbed the king of comedy by the Hong Kong entertainment media.

Chow learned his trade 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". His early film career offered no outstanding performances, and most of the time spent was as a temporary actor only. Stephen Chow was then largely centered on dramatic roles in film industry, but his performance in Jeff Lau's smash-hit All For The Winner (1990) launched him almost exclusively into comedy films.

His subsequent films were built on this success, and he developed his distinct brand of humour known as mo lei tau (loosely translated as nonsense) which makes frequent use of euphemisms and double entendres in Cantonese slang. He regularly demonstrated his talent for improvisation, suggesting gags to directors to enhance the comedy, which would often lead to rewrites of the script. By 1994 he was writing and directing some of his own films.

The films themselves often followed a similar template: portraying an underachiever who beats the odds or an arrogant overachiever who is humbled and learns a lesson. Fight Back to School (1991), From Beijing With Love (1994) and God of Cookery (1996) are notable examples. Sometimes his films would have a period setting, but still exhibit the same style of contemporary humour, for instance in Justice, My Foot (1992) and Flirting Scholar (1993).

Occasionally Chow would break from this mould: one of his more serious films is A Chinese Odyssey (1994), loosely based on the classic Chinese story Journey to the West. Although still essentially a comedy, Chow himself was able to develop his character more seriously than usual. It was a box-office smash in Hong Kong and developed a cult following in Mainland China.

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

In June 2006, it was reported that Chow will be starting filming of his latest film in July 2006 in the eastern Chinese port of Ningbo. Rumoured to have the biggest budget ever for a Chinese film of 100 million Chinese yuan (US$13 million; euro10.2 million), the plot supposedly revolves around Chow playing an astronaut who accidentally lands on a foreign planet and befriends a group of young aliens. Variety Magazine reported in August 2006 that the film is titled Yangtze River 7. Variety Magazine

This latest film will introduce unknown newcomer Zhang Yuyi as his romantic lead - continuing Chow's successful tradition of introducing young female artists who frequently go on to have successful film and music careers. These "Chow's Cuties" who have received major career boosts from starring in Chow's blockbusters include current mainstays such as Gigi Leung, Karen Mok, Cecilia Cheung, Eva Huang Shengyi, Cheung Man, Christy Chung and Michelle Reis.

Trivia

- Every movie that Stephen Chow produced and stars in has his character named Sing in it. Sing is a part of his real Chinese name and means star. Sometimes one of his characters has Chow Sing in it.
- Chow learned Kung Fu by watching TV when he was young because his parents couldn't afford lessons. He enjoys watching instructional Kung Fu videos to this day.
- Chow is a big fan of Bruce Lee, and his films often contain references to the late actor.
- 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 as a youth, an offshoot of Shaolin Kung Fu.
- Chow often collaborated with Lee Lik-chee and Vincent Kok, 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, maintaining a serious manner.

Selective Filmography:

Kung Fu Hustle 2 (2006) (announced)
Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Shaolin Soccer (2001)
The Tricky Master (1999)
King of Comedy (1999)
God of Cookery (1996)
Forbidden City Cop (1996)
A Chinese Odyssey Part Two - Cinderella (1995)
A Chinese Odyssey Part One - Pandora's Box (1995)
From Beijing with Love (1994)
Love on Delivery (1994)
The Mad Monk (1993)
Flirting Scholar (1993)
Fight Back to School III (1993)
King of Beggars (1992)
Royal Tramp II (1992)
Royal Tramp (1992)
Fight Back to School II (1992)
Fist of Fury 1991 II (1992)
Magnificent Scoundrels (1991)
God of Gamblers Part III Back to Shanghai (1991)
Fight Back to School (1991)
Fist of Fury 1991 (1991)
Legend of the Dragon (1991)
Tricky Brains (1991)
God of Gamblers II (1990)
All for the Winner (1990)


(Source : wikipedia)

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