Brief Overview: Chow Yun Fat marked his spot as one of the best actors in Hong Kong and with his most well known features (The Killer/Hard Boiled) has captured audiences all over. Chow's persona of an Armani wearing, tooth pick in the mouth with double glock guns is not only of his limit, but also shows that he can put up a good acting performance when it comes to drama!

Chow Yun Fat was born in Lama Island in 1955. He left the island at 16 for the Kowloon Peninsula, where he drifted from from job to job - bell boy, waiter and many others before landing work as an extra at Hong Kong? largest TV company, TVB. Then he enrolled in the actor? training programme, which was to lead him to appear in over 300 hours of television. The most successful of these shows was a series called Shanghai Town which was to make him a household name throughout South East Asia.

In 1977 and 1978 Chow starred in two unexceptional "gigolo style" movies for Golddig Films whilst remaining a major TV star. After churning out endless hours of comedy, drama and swordplay appearances for television, Chow was approached by critically acclaimed director Ann Hui to star in The story of Wu-Viet. It was not only a great critical success but also remains one of Chow? own favourite pictures.

Despite featuring roles in numerous movies which followed, the mass acclaim which he had gained from his television appear- ances continued to elude him in the cinema until 1986, when Tsui Hark and emerging director John Woo enlisted Chow for "A Better Tomorrow". It was intended to relaunch the career of Chow brother? veteran actor Ti Lung as well as to introduce pop idol Leslie Cheung to Hong Kong? cinema audiences.

Although not Chow Yun Fat was not the first choice to play the role of Mark Gor in "A Better Tomorrow", Tsui and Woo still stuck with their choice, thus leading to what was to become one of the biggest box office hit in Hong Kong film history. His future, as well as that of John Woo, was established. The image that Chow projected - long black coat, Ray Bans, matchstick caught in a selfdeprecating killer? grin - was cool, charismatic and captured the audience? imagination. This was also the birth of the classic Chow two-gun-toting outlaw stance. Despite very healthy box office receipts, the sequel did not please John Woo, and the subsequent Prequel was directed by Tsui Hark. Chow had, by this time, been exploiting his gangster persona for other directors. He received Taiwan? Golden Horse Award for best actor in Ringo Lam? seminal "City On Fire" that starred with "Danny Lee" (1987) and "Full Contact" (1992) which he starred with "Simon Yam".

He became one of the East's hardest working actors, starring in many excellent films including "Hong Kong 1941" (1987), "Love Unto Waster" for director Standley Kwan, "Triads: the Inside Story" for Taylor Wong (1988) and "Autumn Tale" for Cheung Wun Ting. In 1989, reunited with John Woo, Chow? international reputation was finally secured with "The Killer" (1989), an astonishing parable of violence, betrayal, vengeance and redemption. The following movie, Chow took the role of suave gambler turned idiot savant (chocolate!) in Wong Jing? "God of Gamblers" (1989) with "Andy Lau". The success of God of Gamblers spawned a host of imitations in this genre. Chow and Woo got together again to film "Once A Thief" (1991), and the explosive cop and undercover versus triads movie "Hard Boiled" (1992), which took 2 years to make.

Chow then brought his acting talents to the U.S. debuting in his first feature film "The Replacement Killers" portraying a hired professional killer with a soft heart starring with actress Mina Sorvino. Chow then changed roles in his second feature in "The Corruptor" as Nick Chen, a cop in New Yorks Chinatown precinct starring along with Mark Walberg.

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