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Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發, Pinyin: Zhou Rùnfā) (born May 18, 1955 on Lamma Island, Hong Kong) is among a handful of internationally recognized screen actors that Hong Kong has ever produced, along with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.Raised on the tiny offshore island of Lamma, Chow spent his childhood in poverty. His life started to change as his application was accepted as an actor-trainee by the local television station, TVB. It didn't take long for Chow to become a household name in Hong Kong following his role in the hit series The Bund (上海灘) in 1980.
Although Chow continued his TV success, his ultimate goal was to become a big screen actor. However, his occasional ventures onto the big screens with low-budget movies were disastrous. Success finally came when he teamed up with an then-relatively-unknown director John Woo in the 19861986 is a common year starting on Wednesday. Events January January 1 Spain and Portugal enter the European Community January 1 Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands and is separated from the Netherlands Antilles. January 9 After losing a pa low-budget action movie A Better TomorrowA Better Tomorrow (; pinyin: ying xiong ben se; Penkyamp: Ying-huang boon-sik; literally The Essence of a Hero is a 1986 Hong Kong action movie which had a profound influence on the movie-making industry on an international scale. Directed by John Woo , i, which swept the box offices throughout AsiaThe continent of Asia is defined by subtracting Europe and Africa from the great land mass of Africa-Eurasia. The boundaries are vague, especially between Asia and Europe: Asia and Africa meet somewhere near the Suez Canal. The boundary between Asia and E and established both Chow and Woo as mega stars. Taking the opportunity, Chow quit TV entirely and dedicated himself to making more ' gun fuGun fu is a martial art that primarily exists in Hong Kong cinema and in Western movies influenced by it. It consists of a mixture of hand-to-hand and firearms manoeuvres performed at close quarters. A classic Gun fu move consists of reloading two pistols' movies. His later films include The KillerThe Killer (; pinyin: Die xue shuang xiong) is a Hong Kong thriller released in 1989 and directed by John Woo. It is considered to be one of the mainstays of the Asian " heroic bloodshed" genre of action cinema. The Killer is a very popular and well regar ( 19891989 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 7 Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins January 8 the Kegworth Air Disaster A British Midland Boeing 737 cra), An Autumn's Tale (秋天的童話, 19881988 is a leap year starting on Friday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 2 Georgia celebrates its bicentennial statehood. January 9 Connecticut celebrates its bicentennial statehood. January 26 Australia celebrates its bicentennial day.) and Hard Boiled ( 1992). He is best known for playing honorable tough guys, whether cops or criminals.
Being the hottest screen commodity in Asia, Chow was called upon by Hollywood in an attempt to duplicate his success on an international scale. His first two films Replacement Killers ( 1998) and The Corruptor ( 1999) were box-office sleepers. His next film Anna and the King ( 1999) did better, but the success was mostly credited to actress Jodie Foster. Ironically, he receded to a supporting role in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ( 2000), and it became a winner at both the box office and the Oscars.
Chow is still waiting for the type of success he once enjoyed in Asia. He once admitted to a Hong Kong reporter that his ultimate goal is to win an Oscar as an actor. When asked what if it never comes true, he replied "I would just have to laugh about it..."
