Roy Chiao
Hong Kong actor (1927–1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hong Kong actor (1927–1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roy Chiao Hung (Chinese: 喬宏; 16 March 1927 – 15 April 1999) was a Hong Kong actor. Nicknamed "the Lion of Cinema"[1] for his athletic physical stature and powerful screen presence, he was a popular leading man throughout the 1950s and '60s, and continued his acting career well into the 1990s. He was an early star of wuxia films associated with the Hong Kong New Wave, thanks to his roles in A Touch of Zen (1971) and The Fate of Lee Khan (1973), both directed by King Hu.
Roy Chiao | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiao in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). | |||||||||||
| Born | 16 March 1927 Shanghai, China | ||||||||||
| Died | 15 April 1999 (aged 72) Seattle, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Nationality | Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Actor | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1950–1999 | ||||||||||
| Awards | Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Actor 1996 Summer Snow Golden Bauhinia Awards – Best Actor 1996 Summer Snow | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 喬宏 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 乔宏 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
His deep voice and fluency in multiple languages, including English, also made him a popular actor for Western filmmakers working in Hong Kong. He notably played supporting roles in Ferry to Hong Kong (1959), Enter the Dragon (1973), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Protector (1985) and Bloodsport (1988). He won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 1996 Ann Hui film Summer Snow.
Chiao was born in Shanghai in 1927. His father, Qiao Yisheng, was a supporter of Sun Yat-sen and was part of the Chinese Revolution. Chiao attended an American missionary school as a child, where he became fluent in English. He moved to Chongqing during the Second Sino-Japanese War, but moved back after the end of World War II to complete his secondary education.
During the Korean War, Chiao went to Taiwan, and subsequently enlisted in the United States Army. A polyglot fluent in several languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, English and Japanese among them), Chiao served as a battlefield interpreter. After the war, he was a part of the United States' negotiation delegation. He was discharged in 1954, as a Captain.
In 1955, he went to Japan and there he met actress Bai Guang who cast him in the 1956 film Xian mu dan.
The English speaking film appearances that Chiao appeared in included roles in the 1984 Harrison Ford film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport, the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon and the 1978 version of Lee's Game of Death. He performed in many Hong Kong films with a career total of 90 films.
Chiao's screen debut was in the 1956 film Xian mu dan which came about as a result of his meeting actress Bai Guang. She had cast him in the film. On her recommendation he went to MP&GI in 1957 and that year he was signed to them.[2]
Recognized as a handsome leading man, in the 1959 film, Ferry to Hong Kong, Chiao played the part of the Americanized Johnny Sing-Up, a black leather jacket, blue jean wearing Elvis styled gangster from America.[3] Sing-Up was the partner of a pirate called Yen (played by Milton Reid) who board a ferry that has been battered in a storm and drifting near the China Coast.[citation needed]
In a type of send-up of his award-winning role in Summer Snow, Chiao played the part of the Alzheimer disease stricken grandfather of Tung Tzun in the 1996 film Blind Romance.[4][5] He had suffered from three heart attacks and died of heart disease.
Chiao married Liu Yen-Ping when he was in his twenties. She was a disc-jockey. Both he and his wife were Christians. Chiao had been a devout Christian since his early twenties. In 1964 he and his wife immigrated to Seattle. In his later years he became involved in missionary work.[6]
He was the founder of "Artists' Home," a Christian Fellowship for actors in Hong Kong. Singer-songwriter Zac Kao is one of the people who have been positively affected by Chiao.[7][8]
Chiao suffered three heart attacks before his heart disease-related death in 1999.
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