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 | 上海灘 | 许文强 | 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 | Cold War II | Oswald S.C. Kan | 2016-07-08 |
Movie | The Moment: Fifty Years of Golden Horse | Himself (archive footage) | 2016-03-04 |
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 | 2015-02-19 |
Movie | The Monkey King | Jade Emperor | 2014-01-09 |
Movie | From Vegas to Macau | Ken | 2014-01-30 |
Movie | The Assassins | Chancellor Cao Cao | 2012-09-26 |
Movie | The Last Tycoon | Cheng Daqi | 2012-12-22 |
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 | The Postmodern Life of My Aunt | Zhichang Pan / 潘知常 | 2007-08-03 |
Movie | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Sao Feng | 2007-05-19 |
Movie | Curse of the Golden Flower | Emperor Ping | 2006-12-14 |
Movie | Waiting Alone | Fa Ge (cameo) | 2005-09-08 |
Movie | Golden Chicken 2 | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2003-12-24 |
Movie | Bulletproof Monk | The Nameless Monk | 2003-03-28 |
Movie | Golden Chicken | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2002-12-26 |
Movie | Ultimate Fights from the Movies | archive footage | 2002-04-16 |
Movie | An Autumn Diary | An Autumn's Tale footage | 2001-06-11 |
Movie | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Li Mu Bai | 2000-07-06 |
Movie | The Corruptor | Lieutenant Nick Chen | 1999-03-12 |
Movie | Anna and the King | King Mongkut | 1999-12-16 |
Movie | The Replacement Killers | John Lee | 1998-02-06 |
Movie | Eastern Heroes: The Video Magazine - Volume 2 | Himself | 1996-07-22 |
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 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 | God of Gamblers' Return | Ko Chun / 'The God of Gamblers' | 1994-12-24 |
Movie | Treasure Hunt | Jeffrey Chang Ching | 1994-01-29 |
Movie | Film ohne Fesseln - Das neue Hongkong Kino | Himself | 1993-01-01 |
Movie | Now You See Love... Now You Don't | Ng San Shui | 1992-02-01 |
Movie | Full Contact | Jeff / Gou Fei | 1992-07-23 |
Movie | Hard Boiled | Insp. 'Tequila' Yuen | 1992-04-16 |
Movie | Prison on Fire II | Chung Tin Ching | 1991-06-22 |
Movie | Once a Thief | Red Bean Puddin / Joe | 1991-02-02 |
Movie | The Fun, the Luck & the Tycoon | Lam Bo Sun / Mr. Stink | 1990-01-18 |
Movie | God of Gamblers II | Ko Chun / 'The God of Gamblers' | 1990-12-13 |
Movie | The Killer | Ah Jong | 1989-03-24 |
Movie | All About Ah-Long | Ah Long | 1989-03-16 |
Movie | Wild Search | Sgt. Lau Chun-Pong | 1989-06-03 |
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 Gor | 1989-10-20 |
Movie | The Eighth Happiness | Fang Chien Lang / Fong Kim Long | 1988-02-11 |
Movie | The Romancing Star II | Big Mouth Fat [cameo] | 1988-01-21 |
Movie | Fractured Follies | Joe Leung | 1988-07-06 |
Movie | Tiger on the Beat | Sgt. Francis Li | 1988-03-19 |
Movie | City War | Dick Lee | 1988-12-21 |
Movie | The Diary of a Big Man | Chow Ting Fat | 1988-07-21 |
Movie | Goodbye My Friend | Hung | 1988-10-05 |
Movie | The Greatest Lover | Qian Jin / Nelson Chow | 1988-07-30 |
Movie | When Tat Fu Was Young | 1988-09-23 | |
Movie | Code of Honor | Fai | 1987-03-26 |
Movie | Scared Stiff | Inspector Chow | 1987-03-06 |
Movie | Rich and Famous | Lee Ah Chai | 1987-05-27 |
Movie | Tragic Hero | Lee Ah Chai | 1987-02-20 |
Movie | City on Fire | Ko Chow | 1987-02-13 |
Movie | The Romancing Star | Wong Yat Fat | 1987-06-25 |
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 | An Autumn's Tale | Samuel Pang | 1987-07-16 |
Movie | Flaming Brothers | Tin | 1987-07-30 |
Movie | Dream Lovers | Song Yu | 1986-04-25 |
Movie | Story of Rose | Charles / Ga Ming | 1986-02-21 |
Movie | The Missed Date | Peter | 1986-05-24 |
Movie | Witch from Nepal | Joe | 1986-02-27 |
Movie | A Better Tomorrow | Mark Gor / Mark Lee | 1986-08-02 |
Movie | A Hearty Response | Ho Ting-Bon | 1986-10-30 |
Movie | My Will, I Will | Detective | 1986-11-20 |
Movie | The Seventh Curse | Wesley | 1986-10-17 |
Movie | Love Unto Wastes | Detective Lan | 1986-08-30 |
Movie | The Lunatics | Chung | 1986-06-05 |
Movie | 100 Ways to Murder Your Wife | Fa | 1986-06-05 |
Movie | Women | Derek Sun | 1985-06-12 |
Movie | Why Me? | Mr Chow | 1985-10-29 |
Series | The Yang's Saga | Lui Dong-bun | 1985-09-23 |
Series | The Battle Among the Clans | 1985-07-18 | |
Series | The Smiling Proud Wanderer | 1984-04-02 | |
Movie | Love in a Fallen City | Fan Liu-Yuan | 1984-08-02 |
Movie | Hong Kong 1941 | Yip Kim-Fay | 1984-11-02 |
Series | Police Cadet | Cheung Ging Sing | 1984-10-29 |
Movie | The Occupant | Insp Valentino Chow | 1984-09-30 |
Series | The Radio Tycoon | 1983-01-03 | |
Movie | The Bund | Hui Man Keung | 1983-01-20 |
Movie | The Bund Part II | 许文强 | 1983-01-25 |
Series | The Super Power | 1983-08-01 | |
Movie | Last Affair | Kwong Ping | 1983-12-09 |
Movie | Bloody Money | Bullet (as Chow Yun-Fat) | 1983-03-22 |
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 | |
Series | The Shell Game (II) | 阿龙 | 1981-04-13 |
Movie | The Executor | Ng Tao | 1981-03-04 |
Series | Hero's Blood Road | 1981-10-05 | |
Series | Good Old Times | 1981-12-14 | |
Movie | The Story of Woo Viet | Woo Viet | 1981-04-23 |
Series | The Fate | 1981-06-29 | |
Movie | God Father | Git | 1980-01-23 |
Series | The Bund | Hui Man-keung | 1980-03-10 |
Movie | Joy to the World | Yam Chung-Lung | 1980-06-07 |
Movie | Modern Heroes | Sgt Chu Hwa Tai | 1980-09-18 |
Series | The Shell Game | 1980-09-15 | |
Movie | Pursuit | Killer | 1980-06-26 |
Series | Cheap Detective | 1979-02-12 | |
Series | I Am Woman | 1979-03-05 | |
Series | Man From Hong Kong | Ben | 1979-04-30 |
Series | The Good The Bad The Ugly | 1979-10-01 | |
Series | Vanity Fair | 1978-01-02 | |
Movie | Their Private Lives | Ko Ming Chung | 1978-01-12 |
Movie | Miss "O" | Koon | 1978-04-28 |
Series | Disco Fever | 1978-08-07 | |
Series | Conflict | 1978-10-02 | |
Series | The Giants | 1978-05-01 | |
Series | Hong Kong Story II | 主持 | 1978-08-07 |
Movie | Bed for Day, Bed for Night | 1977-03-31 | |
Movie | Hot Blood | Ah Cheng | 1977-09-23 |
Series | 13 | 1977-05-23 | |
Series | A House Is Not a Home | 何严明 | 1977-08-01 |
Series | Hero | 1977-08-08 | |
Series | This Generation | 1976-04-26 | |
Series | The Killer | 1976-03-29 | |
Series | Mystery Beyond | 1976-07-15 | |
Movie | The Reincarnation | 1976-03-31 | |
Movie | Learned Bride Thrice Fools the Bridegroom | 1976-04-29 | |
Series | The First Love | 1976-08-09 | |
Series | C.I.D.(Series 2) | 1976-12-28 | |
Series | Hotel | 1976-10-04 | |
Movie | Massage Girls | Ah Gin | 1976-09-23 |
Series | Teenager | 1976-09-06 | |
Movie | The Hunter, the Butterfly and the Crocodile | 1976-11-25 | |
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 |