Sino Celeb is a monthly feature where we introduce a Chinese celebrity to our readers.
Born in Hong Kong in 1962, Stephen Chow is one of China’s most notable and versatile film directors and actors. He is especially known for inserting himself into the lead role in his films. While Western audiences may be more familiar with Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Jet Li, Stephen Chow’s star eclipses them all in Hong Kong and many Asian countries.
Chow was raised by his grandparents in a government-sponsored housing project, but by the time the 90s rolled around, he had secured a string of television roles and was set to act in a series of films that would anoint him as a bankable star on the mainland. Comedies including the parodies All for Winner and From Beijing With Love coupled with the crime film Final Justice made him a runaway success in Asia.
It was not until 2001’s Shaolin Soccer, directed by and starring Chow himself, that he became known to Western audiences. 2004’s Kung Fu Hustle, where Chow again pulled double duties acting and directing, was also a crossover hit and solidified Chow’s status in the pantheon of Chinese male stars.
Kung Fu Hustle is still the 11th-highest-grossing foreign film of all time at the Hollywood box office. Not content to rest on his laurels, Chow directed and produced the 2016 blockbuster film, The Mermaid, which became the highest-grossing film of all time in China.
Kind of like: Martin Scorsese if he wrote himself into all his scripts
Famous for: being the Charlie Chaplin of Asia
See him next in: the upcoming sequel to The Mermaid
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[Image via Cinema Online]
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