Andy Lau Tak-Wah (Traditional Chinese: 劉德華; Simplified Chinese:
刘德华; pinyin: Liú Déhuá; Jyutping: Lau4 Dak1 Waa4) (born September 27, 1961 in Hong Kong as
劉福榮) is a Hong Kong popstar and a movie actor.
The first lead role that made his initial popularity was the TVB series "Hunting" in 1982.
In the same year, Andy started in his first movie in Boat People. Later in 1983, his role as Yang Guo in wuxia TV serial The Return of the Condor Heroes made him even more popular and landed him his first leading role in a Shaw Brothers' film called On the Wrong Track
Movie Highlights
He has since appeared in more than 100 films, and has a huge fan base throughout Asia with the success of both his onscreen performance and his musical career. Andy Lau is best known for his (often) recurring roles in the "King of Gamblers".
Lau is known to some more for his good looks than for his strengths of acting, though he has answered his critics since the turn of the century in a series of critical acclaimed movies, especially those directed by Johnnie To. His first major acting prizes came with A Fighter's Blue and Running Out of Time in 2000. In 2004 he won the prestigious Golden Horse Award for his performance in Infernal Affairs 3.
Musical Career Highlights
He is also one of the most successful Chinese music celebrities, with an extensive list of Cantonese and Mandarin hits to his credit. His first music contract came in 1985, but his singing career reached stellar status in 1990 with the release of the album entitled "Would it be possible?", and his subsequent releases only solidified his status as a highly marketable singer. Andy Lau along with Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai also named as the Cantopop Four Great Heavenly Kings (四大天王 Cantonese: sêi daài tïn wong, Pinyin: sì dà tiān wáng).
Credits
In addition, Andy Lau has demonstrated a proficient command of Chinese calligraphy during onstage performances.
In 2003, he started his own media company called Focus Group Holdings Limited.
At present, Lau is still single. His sexual orientation was the hottest topic in entertainment news. He swore openly: "If I were gay, take AIDS to me!" His prospective mate is the topic of great debate among fans.
However, in 2001, he came clean to the Hong Kong media about his girlfriend of 18 years, former Malaysian beauty queen Carol Zhu Liqian.
