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The
intense and versatile Francis Ng Chun-Yu was born (as
Ng Chi-Keung) on December 21, 1961. He is regarded as
one of the best actors working in HK today and, along
with Anthony Wong and Lau Ching-Wan, was named one of
the “Three Great Characters” at the 25th HK International
Film Festival. In addition, the extreme aspects of his
persona—ranging from quiet and serious to quirky
or maniacal—both on and offscreen have earned him
the nickname of “mental”. Given his accomplishments, it
may be surprising for some to learn that Ng was once camera-shy
and failed TVB’s Artist Training program not once, not
twice, but a total of three times!
Ng eventually graduated
in 1985, but it would be over a decade before his potential
as an actor was realized and his talent appreciated. During
that time Ng worked his way up from being “Imperial Guard
#2” to getting pivotal roles in many popular TV serials.
However, his unconventional looks meant that he did not
fit the traditional leading man mold. As was the case
for many talented actors, the small world of television
could not hold a fish that was growing as large and discontent
as Ng. He had dabbled with movies early on in his career,
and was nominated for a HK Film Best Supporting Actor
Award for Handsome Siblings (1992), but Ng’s banning
from the station due to his open criticisms of them is
likely the key factor that pushed him completely to the
world of film.
The turning point in his
career came with the villainous role of Ugly Kwan in Young
and Dangerous (1996), in which Ng stole the show by
simultaneously chewing and spitting out scenery. The character
was so popular that it spawned an unofficial spin-off,
Once Upon a Time in a Triad Society (1996), and
Ng has reprised the role in official Y&D spin-offs
and even completely unrelated films, like Twinkle Twinkle
Lucky Stars (1996). In addition to gaining the appreciation
of movie audiences, Ng began to be recognized critically
as well, especially by the HK Film Critics Society, who
have awarded him Best Actor three times, for Once Upon
a Time in a Triad Society (1996), Bullets Over
Summer (1999) and 2000 A.D. (2000). Ng’s small
but impressive role in 2000 A.D., as a character
many years older than himself, also won him the HK Film
Best Supporting Actor Award. Pegged as the “dark horse”
prior to awards night, his status as a first rate actor
was solidified when he garnered the prestigious Golden
Horse Best Actor Award for his work in The Mission
(1999). His powerfully understated performance in Infernal Affairs II (2003) is expected to bring him further
nominations and accolades.
Ng has also ventured into
the arenas of theatre and directing, with varying results.
He has directed two films to date, What is a Good Teacher
(2000) and 9413 (1998). The latter received some
good reviews but both were box office flops. Despite this,
Ng’s passion for directing is still burning hot and he
recently accepted an offer to direct a commercial. Ng
has had much more success with his stage work. In 1994-95
he starred in the play “Naughty Couple” with his ex-girlfriend
Anita Lee. It ran for 70 shows, breaking records for number
of shows and admissions, and was even adapted into a movie
of the same name. Ng struck gold when he teamed up with
colleagues and pals Dayo Wong and Cheung Tat-Ming to star
in the wildly popular stand-up comedy and satirical production,
“Free Man Show” (1998), and its follow up “Free Man Show
2” (2000). Ng recently returned to his roots (proving
that nobody can stay enemies with TVB forever) to play
an airline pilot in the well-received TVB series, “Triumph
in the Skies”. (Yinique 2004) |
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