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Leslie CheungHong Kong film actor and musician
Date of Birth: 12.09.1956
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Leslie Cheung
Leslie Cheung was a Hong Kong actor and musician who is considered one of the founding fathers of the Cantopop music genre. He had a successful career in both film and the music industry. In 2000, Cheung was named the "greatest Asian superstar" by China Central Television, and in 2005, he was named the "Most Beloved Actor" as part of the "100 Years of Chinese Cinema" project.
Early Life and Education
Leslie Cheung, originally known as Cheng Fat-Chung, was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong. He was the youngest of ten children, and his father, Cheng Wut Hoi, was a well-known tailor who even had famous American actors such as William Holden and Cary Grant as his clients. Cheung's parents divorced when he was very young.
At the age of thirteen, Cheung went to study in England at a boarding school. His time there was difficult as he faced racism due to his race. To support himself, Cheung worked as a bartender in a local restaurant and also tried singing on weekends. It was during this time that he adopted the name "Leslie," inspired by Leslie Howard from his favorite movie "Gone with the Wind," which he found appealing due to its unisex nature.
Cheung attended the University of Leeds, where he studied textile management. However, he left the university at the end of his first year when his father fell ill. After his father recovered, Cheung decided not to return to England and continue his education.
Career
In 1977, Cheung won the second prize at the "American Pie" Asian music competition, which led to a contract with RTV studio. His early career was challenging, and he even faced booing during one of his performances. His first film, "The Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber," was released in 1987. Cheung later discovered that he had unknowingly signed on for a soft-porn movie, but this did not stop him from pursuing his career.
The mid-1980s and early 1990s were considered the golden era of Hong Kong cinema, and it was during this time that Cheung's career flourished. In 1990, he starred in Wong Kar-wai's film "Days of Being Wild," which earned him the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor and a nomination in the same category at the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival. Cheung went on to appear in two more films by Wong Kar-wai.
For a while, Cheung primarily played soft and romantic roles, but towards the end of the 1990s, he decided to switch to more serious projects. He portrayed a poor single father who adopted an abandoned child in Jacob Cheung's film "The Kid" in 1999, followed by the action thriller "Double Tap" by Lo Chi Leung. In 2002, Leung invited Cheung to star in his psychological thriller "Inner Senses," where he portrayed a psychologist struggling with his inner demons. This role earned Cheung another nomination for the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor and two nominations for Best Actor at the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival.
In 2000, Cheung directed his first film, a 40-minute movie called "From Ashes to Ashes." However, on April 1, 2003, Cheung tragically took his own life by jumping from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. His suicide was attributed to his battle with depression.
