Profile of Leslie Cheung on Famous Like Me

Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing 張國榮
in Cannes Film Festival, 1993.
Born	September 12, 1956 Kowloon, Hong Kong
Died	April 1, 2003 Kowloon, Hong Kong

Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (Traditional Chinese: 張國榮; Simplified Chinese: 张国荣; Cantonese IPA: /tsÅ“Å‹₅₅ kwÉ”k₃₃ wɪŋ₁₁/, Jyutping: zoeng1 kwok3 wing4; Mandarin Pinyin: Zhāng Guóróng, Wades-Giles: Chang Kuo-jung)

Nick name "Gor-gor" (哥哥, "Older Brother" in Cantonese).

(September 12, 1956 - April 1, 2003).

A single and actor, Cheung was among one of the few artists who achieved great successes in both music and film.

Childhood and Beginning of Career

Leslie Cheung was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Cheung was the youngest of 10 children of a middle class family. His father was a fairly well-known tailor, whose customers included American actors, William Holden and Cary Grant. His parents divorced when he was quite young. At the age of 13, he was sent to England as a boarder at Norwich School. He began working as a bartender and then singing at the restaurant at weekends. He was later admitted to Leeds University in northern England, where he majored in Textile Design. He dropped out of Leeds University at the end of his first school year and returned to Hong Kong due to a family mishap. In a radio interview in 1985, Cheung admitted that he had a fairly tough childhood.

In 1976, Cheung won the second prize at Asian Music Contest held by Rediffusion Television Co. (RTV). He signed a contract with the Rediffusion Television Co.(RTV), the foundation of Asian Television Co. (ATV) and started his career in entertainment industry. He also signed a contract with Polydor Records for music and released Day Dreaming (1977) and Lover's Arrow (1979). The early days of his career was not easy. He was once booed off the stage during a public performance. The first two albums were not welcome by the market and he had to left Polydor Records upon the end of his contract. His first ever film, The Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓春上春) of 1978, was a low-point of his career: although he acted as a leading role and did not need to be naked, the film itself was full of low level sex jokes and included explicit sex scenes, which he did not know when he signed the contract. In a conservative Chinese society as that of Hong Kong, such an appearance would made him hard to be acclaimed later as a successful actor.

Cheung endured these early dents and other hardships in the career with hard work and charisma. During the time, he appeared in a number of short dramas and RTV serials, such as The Young Concubine (我家的女人), Agency 24 (甜甜廿四味), Pairing (對對糊), and The Spirit Of The Sword (浣花洗劍錄), which made his name well known in south east Asia.

Ascension to Fame

In 1982, Cheung joined Capital Artists upon the end of his contract with RTV, where he met Florence Chan, who was his music agent in most of his life since then. He also met Anita Mui, another Cantopop idol, and built up their long lasting friendship. In 1983, Cheung released his first hit song, The Wind Blows On. In 1984, he released his first top ten hit song Monica, which became the first so-called "fast" song that won RTHK 7th edition Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award. Monica led the new trend of Hong Kong in the mid 1980s demanded fast and energetic Cantopop songs that would be suitable for both dancing and listening. Blending some of original Cantopops, as well as Japanese hits of the day, Cheung started creating an embodiment of his own personal style. Other top ten hit songs released by Cheung in Capital Artist include Wild Wind 《不羈的風》 (in album For Your Love Only, 1985) ,Who Can Be With Me《有誰共鳴》(in album Leslie Cheung: Allure Me, 1986) and Mode of Those Years《當年情》(also theme song of A Better Tomorrow, in album Leslie Cheung: Allure Me, 1986). Mode of Those Years《當年情》was also the Gold of the Gold Songs of the year (Hong Kong's No.1 hit song).

Due to the low-starting point of his first film, Cheung had to act as the supporting roles in his second and third movies (Encore (1980), On Trial (1981)). However, his talent on acting was acclaimed soon with the nomination of Best Supporting Actor for his role in On Trial (Hong Kong Film Festival). He started acting as a leading role again in the movie of Teenage Dreamers (1982) and almost all his other movies since then. Until 1986, most of the movies he involved are teenage movies. Among them, Nomad(1982, directed by Patrick Tam Kar-ming) is distinguished as the landmark of Hong Kong "New Wave" movie. Cheung's role of Louis, the epitome of teenage angst, in Nomad won him his first nomination of Best Actor in Hong Kong Film Festival. Later, Cheung considered Nomad as his very first "real" movie.

During the time, Cheung continued to act in a number of (TVB) TV serials, such as Once Upon an Ordinary Girl (儂本多情) and The Fallen Family (武林世家).

In 1986, he joined Cinepoly Records Hong Kong and later published the album Summer Romance in 1987, which won the Best Selling CD of the year and IFPI Best Selling Album(Hong Kong). The success of Summer Romance made him one of the two top Cantopop idols in Hong Kong (the other one was Alan Tam). In 1988, he composed one of his most popular songs Silence is Golden* (沉默是金) (Cantonese lyric by Samuel Hui). Other popular albums published by Cheung during the period include Hot Summer (1988) Virgin Snow (1988) Leslie '89 (1989) Final Encounter (1989), and Salute(1990).

From 1986 to 1989, Cheung acted in several classic Hong Kong movies. In 1986, Cheung acted as the role Kit, a righteous and idealistic young cop in milestone movie A Better Tomorrow (John Woo),which led the trend of gang movie. Cheung's performance was widely considered the mark of him as a serious actor. He cooperated with Chow Yun-Fat and John woo at the first time in this movie. Later, they also cooperated in movies A Better Tomorrow II(1987) and Once a Thief(1991). In 1987, Cheung acted in two other important movies in Hong Kong movie history. In Stanley Kwan's Rouge, he acted Chen-Pang Chan, an infatuated, opium-smoking playboy, and the doomed lover of a beautiful prostitude, Fleur (Anita Mui). In A Chinese Ghost Story (Ching Siu-Tung), which set the new trend of ghost movie of a hybrid of martial arts and high-tech, Cheung acted Ling Choi Sin, a nice but cowardly debt collector falling love with the beautiful ghost (Joey Wong). These performances solidifed his appeal, making him the one of the best candidates of leading actor in the romance role. In the 1991 Hong Kong Film Awards, he won a Best Actor Award for his performance as Yuddy in the Wong Kar-wai-directed Days of Being Wild (1990).

(*)Silence is Golden was first performed as a duet by Cheung and Hui. It also has a Madrin and Taiwanese version and performed by many other singers.

Retirement and Come-back

With the popularity of Cheung and Tam, the fans of each other started a long-standing conflict. In 1990, Cheung left the music business in 1990 and immigrated to British Columbia, Canada at the peak of his career after he had finally reached superstar status in Hong Kong. He was the first person ever in Cantopop history to have a retirement concert series, which ran for 33 consecutive nights (as he was 33 at the time) at Hong Kong Coliseum.

In 1992, he gained Canadian citizenship and soon returned to Hong Kong and his film career after the long hiatus. After much deliberation, in 1995 he finally recorded his first post-"retirement" album, " Beloved", which was released by Rock Records, signalling a tenative return to the music industry (as it only had songs from movie soundtracks). A number of Cantopop celebrities were against his return and many fans overseas felt betrayed that he had reneged on his retirement vow: they had wholeheartedly spent a great deal of money to witness his farewell concert back in 1989. His 1997 album "Red", however, was the true "point of no return", after which he released a few more successful albums and held two more series of concerts.

Some of his later films didn't appeal to the general Chinese entertainment world as they are unconventional, as well as uncharacteristically daring, in terms of flamboyance. Films like Temptress Moon are also severely criticised by film enthusiasts and it was even disapproved of at the Cannes Film Festival, despite his powerful performance.

Sexual orientation

Cheung was bisexual, but despite numerous tabloid rumours he denied everything at the first half of his career. After his immigration to Canada, however, his stance relaxed considerably. He began to accept gay roles and was one of the few Hong Kong actors who were willing to do so as early as the 1990s.

Cheung's first gay role was Cheng Diyi in Farewell, My Concubine (1993) (the film shared the Palme d'Or in 1993 in the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film). The character Cheng Diyi was a Dan (one who plays female roles) Beijing opera singer who falls in love with his male singing partner. In Wong Kar-wai's Happy Together (1997), Cheung played another gay role, Ho Po-wing, this time including graphic sex scenes, which got him nominations for the Best Actor Award in both the Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards.

The tabloids renewed their fervor in reporting rumours about him, however, after one of the tabloids caught a snapshot in 1995 of his holding hands with another man, Daffy Tong Hok-Tak (唐鶴德), who was later revealed to be Cheung's partner since the 1980s. In a 1997 concert, Cheung decided to brave the rumours and said that Tong was his "most beloved" after his mother. In a 2001 interview with TIME magazine's Asia edition, he came out as bisexual. The Hong Kong media eventually accepted the two men's relationship and gave Tong the nickname "Tong Tong" (in the style of "Gor Gor"). After Cheung's death, Tong took a page out in the Hong Kong newspapers for obituaries, in which he was listed as a surviving spouse (未亡人), and was named the executor of Cheung's estate.

Death

Cheung committed suicide on April 1, 2003. He had leaped from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, located at the Central district of Hong Kong Island. He left a suicide note* saying he had been suffering from depression. He was 46 years old.

As one of the most popular performers in Asia, Cheung's death shocked the Asian entertainment industry and Chinese community. Rumors about his death spread so fast that his family urged tabloids to let Cheung rest in peace, and to not sensationalize about his sexual orientation and reasons for his suicide. The day after Leslie's death, his long time partner, Tong, confirmed that Cheung suffered from (clinical) depression and had been seeing psychiatrists for treatment for almost a year. He also revealed that Cheung had attempted suicide in 2002. Later at his funeral, Cheung's niece disclosed that Cheung was in severe illness and suffered much over the past year (2003).

Despite the threat of infection from SARS and WHO's warning on travels to Hong Kong; tens of thousands, including celebrities and his fans, many from other parts of the world such as mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South East Asia, United States, Canada, etc. attended Cheung's memorial service, which was held for the public, on April 5, 2003. Cheung's funeral was on April 7, 2003. For almost one month, Cheung's death dominated newspaper headlines in Hong Kong and his songs were constantly on the air.

Cheung's last album 'Everything Follows the Wind' (一切隨風) was released about a month after his death. Most of the songs in the album were composed by him prior to his death.

(*)Cheung's suicide note (translation): "Depression! Many thanks to all the friends. Many thanks to Professor Felice Lieh Mak (Cheung's last psychiatrist). This year had been so tough. I can't stand it anymore. Many thanks to Mr. Tong. Many thanks to my family. Many thanks to Fat Sister (Lydia Shum Din-ha). I have not done one single piece of bad thing in the whole life, Why does it have to be like this?"

Selected Awards

• RTV Asian Song Contest Runners-up with the song "American Pie" 1977
• RTHK 7th edition Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with the song Monica 1984
• TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner with song Monica 1984
• Commercial Radio 5th Chinese Pop Songs Award winner 1984
• RTHK 8th edition Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with song 不羈的風 1985
• TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner with song 不羈的風 1985
• Commercial Radio 6th Chinese Pop Songs Award winner 1985
• RTHK 9th edition Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with song 當年情 1986
• TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner with songs 有誰共鳴 and 當年情 1986
• Commercial Radio 7th Chinese Pop Songs Award winner 1986
• RTHK 10th ed. Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award 無心睡眠 ，Summer Romance is also the Best Selling CD of the year and IFPI Best Selling Album in 1987
• TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner 無心睡眠 and Summer Romance CD
• RTHK 11th ed. Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with songs 沉默是金 and 無需要太多 1988
• TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner and Most Popular Male Singer 1988
• Commercial Radio Ultimate Song Chart Male Gold Award winner 1988
• TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner with 由零開始，and also winner of theMost Popular Male Singer 1988 1989
• Commercial Radio Ultimate Song Chart Male Gold Award 1989 winner LESLIE 側面 album is also theIFPI Best Album of the Year 1989
• RTHK Millennium Gold Song Award for MONICA 1999
• RTHK 23rd edition Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with song 左右手 2000
• Commercial Radio Ultimate Song Chart Gold Song of the Year winner with song 左右手 2000
• Metro Radio Song Chart of the Year and Gold Song of the Year winner with 左右手 2000
• Mingpao Weekly Outstanding Male Singer Award winner 2000
• Joint Award by RTHK, CR, TVB & Metro Radio for the Best Album of the Year winner with album Untitled 2001
• China's Original Music Award 發燒 winner 2001
• HK Film Awards winner Best Actor for Days of Being Wild 1991
• Taiwan Golden Horse Film Awards winner Best Movie Music for the Theme Song of the Bride of White Hair (紅顏白髮) 1993
• Japanese Critic Society Best Actor Award (Foreign Movie) for Farewell to My Concubine 1994
• Winner of HK Film Critic Society Best Actor Award for Ashes of Time 1994

Discography

• I Like Dreamin' (白版碟) 1977
• Day Dreamin' 1977
• 情人箭 ('Lover's Arrow') 1979
• 風繼續吹 ('The Wind Blows On') 1983
• 一片痴 ('Craziness') 1983
• 張國榮 Leslie (Monica) 1984
• 夏日精選 - 全賴有你 (Summer Best Collection - All Because of You) 1985
• 為你鍾情 ('For Your Love Only') 1985
• 張國榮(迷惑我) Leslie Cheung (Allure me) 1986
• Stand Up 1986
• 張國榮 (當年情) ('The Past Love') 1986
• 愛慕 (國語) ('Admire') 1987
• Summer Romance 1987
• Hot Summer 1988
• Virgin Snow 1988
• Leslie '89 張國榮 (側面) ('Side Face') 1989
• Salute 1989
• Final Encounter 1989
• Dreaming 1990
• 寵愛 (Beloved) 1995
• ç´… ('Red') 1996
• FROM NOW ON (single) 1996
• Printemps 1998
• 這些年來 (EP) ('All These Years') 1998
• 陪你倒數 (Count Down With You) 1999
• 大熱 ('Big Heat') 2000
• Leslie Untitled (EP) 2000
• Leslie Forever 2001
• Crossover 2002
• 一切隨風 ('Everything Follows the Wind') 2003

Filmography

• Inner Senses (異度空間 2002)
• From Ashes to Ashes (煙飛煙滅 2000)
• Okinawa Rendez-vous (戀戰沖繩 2000)
• Double Tap (槍王 2000)
• The Kid (流星語 1999)
• Moonlight Express (星月童話 1999)
• Anna Magdalena (安娜瑪德蓮娜 1998)
• A Time to Remember (紅色戀人 1998)
• Ninth Happiness (九星報喜 1998)
• Happy Together (春光乍泄 1997)
• All's Well, Ends Well (97家有喜事 1997)
• Tristar (大三元 1996)
• Who's the Man, Who's the Woman (金枝玉葉 II 1996)
• Shanghai Grand (新上海灘 1996)
• Viva Erotica (色情男女 1996)
• Yang Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema (1996)
• Temptress Moon (風月 1996)
• The Chinese Feast (金玉滿堂 also known as: 滿漢全席 1995)
• The Phantom Lover (夜半歌聲 1995)
• It's a Wonderful Life (大富之家 1994)
• He's a Woman, She's a Man (金枝玉葉 1994)
• Over the Rainbow Under the Skirt (記得……香蕉成熟時 II：初戀情人 1994)
• Long and Winding Road (錦繡前程 1994)
• Ashes of Time (東邪西毒 1994)
• The Bride with White Hair (白髮魔女傳 1993)
• The Bride with White Hair 2 (白髮魔女傳 II 1993)
• All's Well, Ends Well Too (花田喜事 1993)
• The Eagle Shooting Heroes: Dong Cheng Xi Jiu (射雕英雄傳之東成西就 1993)
• Farewell My Concubine (霸王別姬 1993)
• All's Well, Ends Well (家有喜事 1992)
• Nam Kong Legend: Anti-Punk Squad (藍江傳之反飛組風云 1992)
• Party of a Wealthy Family (豪門夜宴 1991)
• Days of Being Wild (阿飛正傳 1991)
• Once a Thief (縱橫四海 1991)
• A Chinese Ghost Story Part II (倩女幽魂 II：人間道 1990)
• Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit (新最佳拍檔 1989)
• Fatal love (殺之戀 1988)
• A Chinese Ghost Story (倩女幽魂 1987)
• A Better Tomorrow II (英雄本色 II 1987)
• Rouge (胭脂扣 1987)
• A Better Tomorrow (英雄本色 1986)
• Last Song in Paris (偶然 1986, 1982?)
• For Your Heart Only (為你鐘情 1985)
• Intellectual Trio (龍鳳智多星 1984)
• Behind the Yellow Line (緣份 1984)
• Double Decker (三文治 1984)
• Merry Christmas (聖誕快樂 1984)
• First time (第一次 1983)
• Little Dragon maid (楊過與小龍女 1983)
• Drummer, the (鼓手 1983)
• Nomad (烈火青春 1982)
• Teenage Dreamers (檸檬可樂 1982)
• Crazy Romance (求愛反斗星 1982)
• Energetic 21 (沖激２１ 1982)
• On Trial (失業生 1981)
• Encore (喝采 1980)
• Dog eats Dog (狗咬狗骨1978)
• Erotic Dreams of the Red Chamber (紅樓春上春 1978)

See also: Cinema of Hong Kong

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