Leslie Cheung

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Leslie Cheung

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Biography

Heartthrob, pop star, and celebrated Hong Kong actor, Leslie Cheung was one of Asia's most popular performers and intriguing personalities. Bearing an odd sensuality that both fueled the films he stared in (particularly Rouge, Viva Erotica, Days of Being Wild, and Happy Together) and the Hong Kong tabloids, Cheung was well-known for both the breadth of his work and his offscreen life. Although featured to great effect in several of John Woo's butch action outings, Cheung was notable for being one of the few Asian stars to play openly gay characters, a choice that gained particular resonance when he came out after playing one of his most famous gay roles in Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together.

Born in Hong Kong on September 12, 1956, Cheung was the youngest of ten children. Influenced early on by both the film world, as his father was actor William Holden's tailor, and his parents' divorce, Cheung went on to study at England's Leeds University. After returning to Hong Kong, he jump-started his career by winning second prize in the 1976 ATV Asian Music Contest. His status as a pop singer led the way to work on television, film, and the stage. In 1981, Cheung became a bona fide star with the success of his album The Wind Blows On, which established him as Asia's most popular singer.

It was not until 1986 that Cheung's film career really gained momentum, thanks to his casting as a rookie cop opposite Chow Yun-Fat in John Woo's popular gangster film A Better Tomorrow. The film's success enabled Cheung to branch out in his film work, and, in 1988, the same year he starred in the sequel to A Better Tomorrow, he played the opium-smoking playboy lead in Stanley Kwan's Rouge, a romantic ghost story that oscillates between the Hong Kong of the 1930s and that of 1987. Rouge was one of the most widely acclaimed films to come out of Hong Kong during the 1980s and helped to establish Cheung as a romantic leading man as well as an action star.

The actor continued to work in a variety of films with some of the industry's most respected directors throughout the 1990s. In 1990, he starred in Woo's action film Once a Thief, again alongside fellow action star Chow Yun-Fat. Later, he got the chance to expand his acting palette in Wong Kar-Wai's Days of Being Wild (1991) by playing Yuddy, a thoroughly despicable heel who uses and abuses most of the women in his life. In 1993, Cheung starred in another action spectacular as Zhuo Yi-Hang, the sensitive swordsman and star-crossed romantic lead in The Bride With White Hair. That same year, he earned international acclaim and recognition for his performance as an opera star specializing in female roles in Chen Kaige's landmark historical drama Farewell, My Concubine. Cheung lent his character's complicated gender identity an unusual pathos and sensitivity, making the development of his on-stage love to off-stage longing all the more affecting. Three years later, he again worked with Chen, as a dissolute opium addict in Temptress Moon.

In 1994, he paired up with Wong Kar-Wai again as the ambivalent swordslinger hired to kill and protect the same person in the existential action epic Ashes of Time. In 1997, again with Wong, Cheung starred in perhaps the most daring role of his career as the bitchy Ho Po-wing, one of a pair of gay Chinese lovers stranded in Buenos Aires in Happy Together. The film's explicit sex scenes made Happy Together one of the most controversial movies of the year and one of the most acclaimed. Cheung subsequently starred as a sleazy softcore film producer in Viva Erotica.

Continuing to appear in numerous films through the millennial crossover, Cheung continued to gain accolades for his diverse and affecting roles. From his touching performance as a stockbroker who finds new meaning in life upon adopting a young orphan in The Kid (1999), to a haunting and eerily prophetic final role in the thriller Inner Senses (2002), his unique persona continued to earn the respect of longtime fans and reach out to those still unfamilar with Cheung's remarkable charm and captivating screen presence.

When Cheung's death from an apparent suicide was announced in April 1, 2003, the international film community suffered a devastating blow and legions of fans had a difficult time grasping how an actor of such talent could end his life with one fateful leap while still in the prime of his career. Following the news of Cheung's untimely death, fans began mourning the loss of the cinematic icon while simultaniously taking note of the tragic irony of his own fate in parallel to that of his troubled character in Inner Senses. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
  • Genres: Rock

Biography

Returning to music after a five-year, self-imposed hiatus, Leslie Cheung recaptured his status as one of Hong Kong's greatest artists. Recordings, since his return in 1995, include the chart-topping comeback album Love Leslie, and his first all-Mandarin album, Printemps ("Spring"). Phenomenally successful as an actor, Cheung appeared in such films as Shanghai Grand, Tri-Star, Who's The Woman, Who's The Man, Farewell My Concubine, Nomad, A Better Tomorrow, I & II, Chinese Ghost Story, I & II, Rouge, Days Of Being Wild, and Viva Erotica. He had a major role in Temptress Moon, which Time Magazine included in a list of the best films of 1996, but his portrayal of a Chinese communist in the 1998 movie A Time to Remember led to much controversy. Increasingly making his presence felt as a director, Cheung received a "best director" award at the Cannes Film Festival as co-director of Happy Together in 1997. He directed his first film, The Kid, in 1999.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Cheung attended high school in England. Although he studied textile management at Leeds University for a year, he left school to pursue a career as a singer. The first runner-up in an Asian song contest with an interpretation of Don McLean's "American Pie," he released his debut album, The Wind Blows On, in 1981. Signing on as an actor for Rediffusion TV (now Asia Television), he successfully balanced his two careers until announcing "retirement" in the early '90s. Moving to Canada, he maintained a low profile for the next five years. Cheung made the most of his rare appearances during this long break. Persuaded to appear in the film Farewell My Concubine, he was named "most popular Hong Kong star" at the Tokyo Film Awards. He also appeared in a martial arts film, Ashes of Time. In 2001, Cheung received a Golden Needle award at the RTHK Music Awards, Hong Kong's equivalent of the Grammys.

Sadly, in April 2003, Cheung committed suicide. He was 46. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi
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Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing

Cheung performing at a Concert
Chinese name 張國榮 (Traditional)
Chinese name 张国荣 (Simplified)
Pinyin Zhāng Guóróng (Mandarin)
Jyutping Zoeng1 Gwok3wing4 (Cantonese)
Ancestry Meizhou, Guangdong
Origin Hong Kong
Born 12 September 1956(1956-09-12)
Hong Kong
Died 1 April 2003(2003-04-01) (aged 46) (Suicide)
Hong Kong
Other name(s) 哥哥 (Ge4ge1; lit. Big Brother)[1][2]
Occupation Singer, actor, director, songwriter
Genre(s) Cantopop
Instrument(s) Vocals, piano
Label(s) Polydor, Capital Artists, Cinepoly, Rock, Apex Music, Universal
Years active 1977–2003
Parents Cheung Wut Hoi

Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003), nicknamed Gor Gor (哥哥), which means elder brother,[3][4][4][5] was a Hong Kong film actor and musician. Cheung was considered as "one of the founding fathers of Cantopop", and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".[6]

In 2000, Cheung was named Asian Biggest Superstar by China Central Television, and voted/ranked the 1st as The Most Favorite Actor in 100 Years of Chinese Cinema in 2005.[7][8] Recently, he was voted the third of the CNN's "top five most iconic musician of all time" placing behind Michael Jackson and The Beatles.[9]

Contents

Childhood and education

Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Cheung was the youngest of ten children in a middle-class Hakka family. Cheung Wut Hoi, his father, was a fairly well known tailor, whose customers included American actors William Holden, Marlon Brando, and Cary Grant.[10][11][12] His parents divorced when he was quite young. While in Hong Kong, Cheung attended Rosaryhill School (Stubbs Road, Hong Kong).

At the age of 13, he was sent to England as a boarder at Eccles Hall School. After six month study, he transferred himself to a school in Chelmsford, and obtained a scholarship. He worked as a bartender at his relatives' restaurant and sang during the weekends. It was around this period that he chose his name, "Leslie". According to Cheung, he chose this name because "I love the film Gone with the Wind. And I like Leslie Howard. The name can be a man's or woman's, it's very unisex, so I like it."[13]

In several of his interviews, Cheung stated that he had had a fairly unhappy childhood. "I didn't have a happy childhood. Arguments, fights and we didn't live together; I was brought up by my granny."[13] "What I would say most affected me as a child, was that my parents were not at home with me. As a young kid, one could not always understand why his parents weren't at home. This made me depressed sometimes."[14]

Cheung attended the University of Leeds in northern England, where he studied textile management. He dropped out of university at the end of his first year, when his father fell ill. After his father's recovery, Cheung did not return to England to complete his studies.[11][15]

Career

Early career

In 1977, Cheung won first runner-up by singing Don McLean's "American Pie" at the Asian Music Contest held by Rediffusion Television (RTV). He signed a contract with RTV, which subsequently became Asia Television Limited (ATV) and began his career in the entertainment industry. He also signed a music contract with Polydor Records, releasing Day Dreaming (1977) and Lover's Arrow (1979).

The early days of his career were not easy. He was once booed off the stage during a public performance, and his first two albums were not welcomed by the public. He left Polydor Records at the end of his contract. Cheung's first film, The Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓春上春) in 1978 was a soft porn film. Cheung later stated that he was unaware of the sexual nature of the film when he signed the contract.[14]

During the 1970s and 1980s, he appeared in a number of TV dramas 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). These TV dramas helped turn him into a household name in South East Asia.

Ascent to fame

In 1982, Cheung joined Capital Artists upon the end of his contract with RTV. It was at Capital Artists that Florence Chan became his music agent and remained as such through his entire career. While at Capital Artists, he also met Anita Mui, another Hong Kong Cantopop idol, starting a long lasting friendship. In 1983, Cheung released his first hit song, "The Wind Blows On" (風繼續吹). In 1984, he released his first top ten hit song "Monica", which became the first so-called "fast" song that won the RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award. "Monica" became representative of a new genre of Hong Kong music in the mid 1980s. Fans began to demand fast and energetic Cantopop songs that would be suitable for both dancing and listening. Other Top Ten Gold Songs released by Cheung through Capital Artists included "Wild Wind" (不羈的風) (album, For Your Love Only, 1985); "Who Can Be With Me" (有誰共鳴) (album, Leslie Cheung: Allure Me, 1986) and "Love in Those Years" (當年情) (theme song for A Better Tomorrow, album Leslie Cheung: Allure Me, 1986). "Who Can Be With Me" became the Gold of the Gold Songs (Best Song) of the Year for 1986. In the same year, Cheung released his first Mandarin album in Taiwan, also titled "Love in Those Years," and became an instant hit.

Cheung's movie career was a little slower to take off. He appeared in supporting roles in his second and third movies Encore (1980) and On Trial (1981). However, his acting talent was soon recognized with his nomination for the Hong Kong Film Awards' Best Supporting Actor for his role in On Trial. Subsequent to this nomination, he played the leading role in Teenage Dreamers (1982) and held the lead role in almost every movie he was in from then on. From the early 1980s through 1986, most of the movies in which he had starred were teenage movies. Among them, Nomad (1982, directed by Patrick Tam Kar-ming) is widely considered by film critics as representative of Hong Kong "New Wave" films. Cheung's role as Louis in Nomad won him his first Best Actor nomination of the Hong Kong Film Awards. Later, Cheung stated that he considers Nomad as his first "real" movie. During this period, Cheung continued to act in a number of Television Broadcasts (TVB) dramas, such as Once Upon an Ordinary Girl (儂本多情) and The Fallen Family (武林世家), opposite Maggie Cheung.

Stardom and retirement

In 1986, he joined Cinepoly Records Hong Kong and released the album Summer Romance in 1987. Summer Romance became the Best Selling CD of the Year and IFPI Best Selling Album in Hong Kong. The success of Summer Romance made him one of the top two Cantopop idols at the time (the other was Alan Tam). In 1988, he composed one of his most famous songs "Silence is Golden" (沉默是金), which was later adapted to both Mandarin and Taiwanese versions. Other popular albums published by Cheung through Cinepoly Records included Hot Summer (1988), Virgin Snow (1988), Leslie '89 (Side face, IFPI Best Album of the Year, 1989), Final Encounter (1989), and Salute (1990). In the meantime, Cheung also released several Mandarin albums in Taiwan, such as Refuse to Play (拒絕再玩) and Car Ride. Salute was the first non-profit album released by a superstar in Hong Kong music history that would only compile songs originally performed by other singers. According to Cheung, Salute is his homage to music. He donated all the proceeds from the sales of Salute to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (香港演藝學院), which was named the Leslie Cheung Memorial Scholarship after his death.[16]

With the popularity of Cheung and Tam, fans of these two stars became increasingly hostile to each other, starting a long-standing conflict that soon put heavy pressure on both singers. In 1988, Alan Tam publicly quit all pop music award ceremonies. In 1989, Cheung announced his intention to retire from his music career as a singer. Cheung then set a record by being the first singer ever in Cantopop history to hold a retirement concert series (Final Encounter of the Legend), which ran for 33 consecutive nights (he was 33 at the time) at Hong Kong Coliseum. In 1990, he left Hong Kong at the peak of his music career and emigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he reportedly "found peace and tranquility."[17] Cheung gained Canadian citizenship in 1992 and returned to Asia full-time in 1995 for his re-emergence in Chinese-language popular music.

From 1986 to 1989, Cheung acted in a number of movies that are considered as Hong Kong classics by film critics and Asian movie fans.[18][19] In 1986, Cheung co-starred with Chow Yun-fat in A Better Tomorrow (directed by John Woo), which was widely considered as a trend starter for Hong Kong triad movies in the 1980s. Cheung played Kit, a righteous and idealistic young cop. Cheung's role in the movie was widely considered his debut as a serious actor. He also starred in the sequel, A Better Tomorrow II (1987). Also in 1987, Cheung starred in Stanley Kwan's Rouge where he played Chen-Pang Chan, an infatuated, opium-smoking playboy and doomed lover of a beautiful prostitute, Fleur (played by Anita Mui). Further, in the same year (1987), he appeared in Tsui Hark's A Chinese Ghost Story (directed by Ching Siu-tung). Cheung played Ling Choi Sin, a well-meaning but cowardly debt collector who had fallen in love with a beautiful ghost (played by Joey Wong). His performance in these movies won him two Best Actor nominations from Hong Kong Film Awards. The success of A Better Tomorrow and A Chinese Ghost Story made his name known in the Japanese and South Korea film markets.

Golden age in film

Leslie Cheung at the Cannes Film Festival.

The mid-80s to mid-90s was a golden age in Hong Kong's film industry, which coincided with Cheung's film career. In 1990, Cheung acted as Yuddy, a handsome, ruthless bad boy, philanderer and narcissist in Wong Kar-wai's movie Days of Being Wild. His performance in Days of Being Wild won him the Best Actor Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1991 and his first nomination of Best Actor at the Golden Horse Film Festival (Taiwan). He also acted in two other Wong Kar-wai movies. In the 1994 martial arts film, Ashes of Time, he starred as Ouyang Feng, a swordsman and assassin who spent his days in a desert. His role as Ouyang won him the Best Actor Award at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards. In 1997's movie Happy Together which centrally depicts a complex relationship between two gay lovers (although Wong insists that it isn't essentially a "gay" film[20]), he played the capricious Ho Po-wing, who goes to Argentina with his lover Lai Yiu-fai (played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai).

In 1992's historical masterpiece Farewell My Concubine (directed by Chen Kaige), Cheung acted as the Peking opera star Dieyi Cheng, a Beijing opera artist who reaches fame with his exquisite performances of female roles. Farewell My Concubine is the first Chinese film to have won the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival. It also won more than twenty other film awards including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film and Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Film and Best Cinematography. Cheung's performance in the film won him international fame as a film star and set his steps in the mainland China film industry. In 1996, he worked again with Chen Kaige, playing the role of a misty gigolo, Zhongliang Yu, in Temptress Moon. In 1998's A Time to Remember (directed by Yip Ying), he acted as Jin, an underground Chinese Communist leader. His Hong Kong background caused a heated debate at the time, but the film still achieved box office success in mainland China and in 2004 won a "Most Popular Foreign Film" Award at the Pyongyang Film Festival.

Other important movies Cheung starred in during this period include The Bride with White Hair (with Brigitte Lin, 1993), He's a Woman, She's a Man (with Anita Yuen, 1994), The Phantom Lover (1995), and Viva Erotica (with Shu Qi, 1996). His performance in these movies won him three Best Actor Award nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards and three Best Actor Award nominations at the Golden Horse Film Festival from 1990 to 1998.

As a versatile actor, Cheung also acted in many comedies. In 1991, teamed again with Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung, Cheung played a skillful and charming thief in John Woo's Once A Thief. In 1992's All's Well, Ends Well, he acted as an effeminate brother who would later realize the meaning of true love. Other well-known comedies included The Eagle Shooting Heroes, It's a Wonderful Life, and The Chinese Feast, where he starred opposite Anita Yuen. Cheung was also a box office attraction in Hong Kong; from 1990 to 1998, 13 out of 39 movies in which he starred were listed as yearly top ten box office movies.[21]

Although Cheung quit his career as a pop singer from 1989 to 1995, he continued his music career as a composer. He composed more than ten songs during that time. In 1993, he won Best Original Movie Song Award from Golden Horse Film Festival for the theme song Red Cheek, White Hair to the movie The Bride with White Hair (as a composer). In 1995, he composed all three theme songs for the film The Phantom Lover. As a composer, Cheung won four nominations for Best Original Movie Song Award at the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards and two nominations for Best Original Film Song at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 1998, he was a member of the jury at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.[22]

Return to music

In 1995 Cheung signed a contract with Rock Records, returning to music as a singer. At the same year, he released his first post-"retirement" album, Beloved. Beloved achieved large market success with the award of IFPI Best Selling Album,[23][24] but it did not receive much acclaim from music critics as it is a collection of Cheung's movie theme songs from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, Cheung released possibly his most highly acclaimed album, Red. Red was a fusion album, mixing smooth jazz, R&B, trip hop, etc., into Cantopop, forming a consistent unique style. Cheung worked since then on cutting-edge music as well as Cantopop, his new music style being markedly different from before his earlier retirement. In this album, Cheung also composed another important song in his music career, Red. In April 1998, Cheung released Printemps, a Mandarin album in collaboration with renowned Taiwanese song writers and music producers, Liu Chi Hong (劉志宏) and Liu Si Ming (劉思銘). Another version of Printemps was released in Japan titled Gift. Both versions include Cheung's first song sung in Japanese, "Marshmallow."

In 1997 Cheung held his first post-retirement concert series: World Tour 97, which lasted from 12 December 1996 to 17 June 1997. As with the refinements to his musical style, Cheung introduced a new image to his audience. The most daring part possibly was the closing dance "Red" where Cheung did a tango duet in a pair of red high-heels with a macho dancer. World Tour 97 included 55 concerts: 24 concerts were held in Hong Kong Coliseum and 31 concerts were held in the cities around the world. Among them, six concerts were held in Japan and mainland China respectively. World Tour 97 was the first concert series that Cheung held in these two areas.

In 1999 Cheung started a music company, Apex Music, signing a distribution contract with Universal Music Group(UMG). Important albums released via UMG includes Count Down With You (1999), Big Heat (2000), and Untitled (2000). The hit songs released by him during this period include "Passing-by Dragonfly", the top one hit song, "Big Heat", and "Left Right Hands", Top Ten Gold Song of the Year (1999). He also composed the song I (first released in album Big Heat), which was considered by him as a song of self-statement. In 1999 Cheung was awarded the Golden Needle award (lifetime achievement award in Cantopop music). In 2000, Cheung had been assigned as the "Music Ambassador" of Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH) until his death. Cheung also composed the theme song "Noah's Ark" for the CASH Golden Sail Award.

The later years

In 2000, Cheung held his last concert series, Passion Tour. Passion Tour included 43 concerts, lasting from 31 July 2000 to 16 April 2001. Cheung worked at the first time as the art director as well as the singer for the concert. He invited Jean-Paul Gaultier to design all eight costumes for the concert. However, the costumes, together with his long wig and beard, were criticized bitterly by Hong Kong media at the early stage of the concerts. Cheung later disclosed that Gaultier was very angry about the criticism and claimed in an email (sent to Cheung) that he would never design costumes again for any Asian performer. Despite the early criticisms from the media, Passion Tour achieved huge success. Passion Tour was highly welcomed in Japan and made Cheung hold 10 concerts there. Together with World Tour 97 concerts, Cheung set a record of foreign artists of holding 16 concerts in Japan. In China, Cheung set a record yet to be broken by holding two consecutive night concerts in Shanghai Stadium (capacity of 80,000). He was also awarded the "Grand Salute Award" (2000) by Mingpao Weekly (Hong Kong) and "Music Salute Award" (2000) from Chinese Pop Music Media Association (mainland China) for his work in Passion Tour.

By the end of the 1990s, Cheung had begun to focus on acting in non-romance roles. In The Kid (1999, directed by Jacob Cheung Chi-Leung), he starred as a poor single father who fostered an abandoned baby boy. In the action thriller Double Tap (2000, directed by Lo Chi Leung), he played a psycho killer, Rick. In the 2002 psycho thriller Inner Senses (directed by Lo Chi Leung), he played psychologist Dr. Law, who discovered his own emotional issues when he tried to treat his patient Yan (Kar Yan Lam). His performance in these films earned him another Best Actor nomination from the Hong Kong Film Awards. He also garnered another two Best Actor Award nominations from Taiwan Film Festival. During this period, Cheung began to try his hand at film direction. In 2000, he directed his first movie, the 45 minutes From Ashes to Ashes. In 2002, he began to film his first regular length movie Stealing Heart. The film was not completed due to the deterioration of his health.

Death

Cheung committed suicide on 1 April 2003 at 6:41 pm (HKT). He leapt from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, located in the Central district of Hong Kong Island.[25] He left a suicide note saying that he had been suffering from depression. He was 46 years old.[26][27][28][29][30][31]

As one of the most popular performers in Asia, Cheung's death shocked the Asian entertainment industry and Chinese community worldwide.[26][32][33][34][35][36] The day after Leslie's death, his family confirmed that Cheung suffered from (clinical) depression and had been seeing psychiatrists for treatment for almost a year. They also revealed that Cheung had attempted suicide in 2002. Later at his funeral, Cheung's niece disclosed that her uncle had severe clinical depression and suffered much over the past year (2003).

Despite the risk of infection from SARS and the WHO's warning on travels to Hong Kong, tens of thousands attended Cheung's memorial service, which was held for the public, on 7 April 2003, including celebrities and other fans, many from other parts of the world such as mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, the United States and Canada. Cheung's funeral was on 8 April 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 three months after his death.

  • Cheung's suicide note (translation): "Depression! Many thanks to all my friends. Many thanks to Professor Felice Lieh-Mak (Cheung's last psychiatrist, 麥列菲菲). This year has been so tough. I can't stand it anymore. Many thanks to Mr. Tong. Many thanks to my family. Many thanks to Fei-Fei (Lydia Shum Din-ha). In my life I did nothing bad. Why does it have to be like this?"
  • Cheung's suicide note (Chinese): "Depression! 多謝各位朋友,多謝麥列菲菲教授,這一年很辛苦,不能再忍受, 多謝唐先生,多謝家人,多謝肥姐. 我一生沒做壞事 為何這樣?"

Achievement lists

Selected awards

  • RTV Asian Song Contest Runners-up with the song "American Pie" 1977
  • Overseas Chinese Daily News The Best Newcomer Award 1977
  • RTHK 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 Chinese Pop Songs Award winner 1984
  • RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with song Wild Wind 1985
  • TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner with song Wild Wind 1985
  • Commercial Radio Chinese Pop Songs Award winner 1987
  • RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with song Who Can Be With Me 1986
  • TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner with songs Who Can Be With Me and, Love in Those Years 1986
  • Commercial Radio Chinese Pop Songs Award winner 1986
  • RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with song Sleepless Night, 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 with song Sleepless Night
  • RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with songs Silence is Golden and Up Close 1988
  • TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award Most Popular Male Singer 1988
  • CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards Best Male Singer 1988
  • TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Award winner with song Start From Zero, and also winner of the Most Popular Male Singer 1989
  • Commercial Radio Ultimate Song Chart Male Gold Award 1989 winner LESLIE, album is also the IFPI Best Album of the Year
  • IFPI Best Selling Album winner with Fondness 1999
  • RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Millennium Gold Song Award for "Monica" 1999
  • RTHK Golden Needle Award (lifetime achievement award in Cantopop) 1999
  • RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award winner with song Left Right Hand 1999
  • CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards Top Ten Albums for Countdown With You 1999
  • CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards Best Song Award for Left Right Hand 1999
  • Metro Radio Hit Music Awards Best Song Award for Left Right Hand 1999
  • Metro Radio Hit Music Awards Top Ten Best Hits for Left Right Hand 1999
  • TVB Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Awards Music Salute Award 2000
  • Mingpao Weekly Outstanding Male Singer Award 2000
  • Ming Pao Weekly Grand Salute Award for Passion Tour 2000
  • Joint Award by RTHK, CR, TVB & Metro Radio for the Best Album of the Year winner with album Untitled 2001
  • Chinese Pop Music Media Awards Best Male Singer Award 2001
  • Chinese Pop Music Media Awards Best Concert Award for Passion Tour 2001
  • Chinese Pop Music Media Awards Top Ten Chinese Songs for Passing Dragonfly 2001
  • "Sprite My Choice" China Original Music Pop Chart Awards Golden Song Award for Fever 2001
  • "Sprite My Choice" China Original Music Pop Chart Awards Millennium Outstanding Achievement Award 2001
  • RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards Silver Jubilee Award of Excellence 2002
  • Chinese Pop Music Media Awards Lifetime Achievement Award 2003
  • Chinese Pop Music Media Awards Top Ten Chinese Songs for So Far So Close 2003
  • CASH My All-time Favorite Song for I 2003
  • CASH Golden Sail Music Awards Best Alternative Composition for So Far So Close 2003
  • Hong Kong Film Awards winner Best Actor for Days of Being Wild 1991
  • Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival winner Best Original Movie Song for White-haired Beauty 1993
  • Chinese Performance Art Association Special Achievement Award for Farewell My Concubine 1993
  • Japanese Critic Society Best Actor Award (Foreign Movie) for Farewell My Concubine 1994
  • Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song Award for Chase 1995
  • Winner of HK Film Critics Society Best Actor Award for Ashes of Time 1994
  • Taiwan Golden Horse Awards, Udn, Phoenix TV, and World Journal Global Top Ten Chinese Movie Stars Award 1996
  • Ming Pao Weekly Performing Arts Awards Most Outstanding Actor for Inner Senses 2002
  • Nikkei Entertainment Japan Top Ten Best Actors in Asia 2004
  • NHK Japan Top Ten Favorite Movie Stars 2006
  • Hong Kong Film Awards Eternal Glory Performing Arts Award 2004
  • Hong Kong Film Awards Most Favorite Actor Award in 100 Years of Chinese Cinema 2005
  • Hong Kong Film Awards Silver Jubilee Best Actor Award 2006
  • Standard Chartered Hong Kong Platinum Multi-Talented Award 2000
  • CCTV-MTV Music Awards Biggest Asian Artist Award 2000
  • Sina China Top 10 Cultural Idols of the 20th century 2003
  • Sina China Most Missed Artist 2007
  • Sohu China "Remembering My 1997" Most Memorable Celebrity 2007
  • CNNGO Asia's 25 greatest actors of all time 2010
  • CNNGO Top 5 Global Music Icon No.3 2010
  • CNNGO 19 most beautiful men from Hong Kong cinema No. 1 2010

Discography

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^ "刘嘉玲误会张国荣昵称 "哥哥"其实是唐唐". Xinhua. 3 April 2008. http://news.xinhuanet.com/audio/2008-04/03/content_7910039.htm. Retrieved 28 March 2012. (Chinese)
  2. ^ "Sina Entertainment News". Ent.sina.com.cn. http://ent.sina.com.cn/y/p/2008-04-02/10051971439.shtml. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  3. ^ http://china.org.cn/english/NM-e/91868.htm
  4. ^ a b Leslie Cheung – Biography
  5. ^ "Thousands of fans pay tribute to Leslie Cheung". China Daily. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-04/01/content_319707.htm. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  6. ^ Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, "World Music Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific", P54., BBC Radio, ISBN 1-85828-636-0
  7. ^ "Cheung Tops Asia's CCTV-MTV Honors", AllBusiness.com, Inc.
  8. ^ "'Farewell My Concubine' most appreciated in HK", China Daily
  9. ^ "Michael Jackson: Your number one music icon". CNN. 27 August 2010. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/24/music.icon.gallery/index.html#fbid=nVIn7HoUxgC&wom=false. Retrieved 20 September 2010. 
  10. ^ Kevin Thomas, "A Career In Full Plumet", Los Angeles Times, 22 June 1997, page 6
  11. ^ a b Michel Ciment, Hubert Niogret, "Interview of Leslie Cheung", Positif no. 455/1999, Berlin, conducted on 21 February 1998
  12. ^ Chitose Shima, "Leslie Cheung Interview", All About Leslie, p25-40, Saangyo Henshu Center Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 1999, ISBN 4-916199-10-3
  13. ^ a b Corliss, Richard (30 April 2001). "Forever Leslie". Time. http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,108021,00.html. Retrieved 14 August 2008. 
  14. ^ a b Leslie Cheung, "Leslie Cheung Autobiography", Commercial Radio Hong Kong, 1985, (also collected in Album Collection History-His Story by Capital Artist, 2004), an English translation can be found in [1]
  15. ^ Chitose Shima, "Leslie Cheung Interview", All About Leslie, p25-40, Sangyo Henshu Center Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 1999, ISBN 4-916199-10-3
  16. ^ "Leslie Cheung Memorial Scholarship". Hkapa.edu. http://www.hkapa.edu/asp/general/general_friends_sponsors.asp. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  17. ^ "The rise and tragic fall of a Canto-pop king". Asian Pacific Post. 10 April 2003. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080215165836/http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/402881910674ebab010674f4a523125d.do.html. Retrieved 21 February 2008. 
  18. ^ The Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures, Hong Kong Film Awards
  19. ^ "A Better Tomorrow"[dead link]
  20. ^ Khoi Lebinh and David Eng "Interview with Wong Kar-wai", conducted 27 October 1997 for WBAI, 1999.5, New York, conducted (see discussion page for exact quote)
  21. ^ ""1990–99 Box Office Ranking for Chinese Movies in Hong Kong" ("1990–99年历年华语片票房排名")". Dvdspring.com. http://www.dvdspring.com/Article_Show.asp?ArticleID=12673. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  22. ^ "Berlinale: 1998 Juries". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1998/04_jury_1998/04_Jury_1998.html. Retrieved 14 January 2012. 
  23. ^ [2] "Leslie Cheung's Beloved are sold more than 300,000"], Min Pao Weekly, 28 Oct. 1995, see
  24. ^ Achievements of Leslie Cheung[dead link]
  25. ^ Corliss, R. (2003). "That old feeling: Days of being Leslie" Time magazine Asia Edition. Retrieved 17 December 2005, from ]
  26. ^ a b Stephen Kelly, "WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS?" Leslie Cheung, 1956–2003", 8 May 2003
  27. ^ "Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing commits suicide.", Hong Kong Entertainment News in Review (2003). Retrieved 17 December 2005
  28. ^ "Actor Leslie Cheung 'found dead'", BBC, 1 April 2003
  29. ^ "Activities to Commemorate Leslie Cheung", Xinhua, 2 April 2005
  30. ^ Yu Sen-lun, "The Leslie Cheung Legend Lives on", TaiPei Times, 10 April 2003
  31. ^ Bruce Einhorn, "Hong Kong: A City in Mourning", BusinessWeek, 14 April 2003
  32. ^ "Leslie Cheung, Larger Than Life". Web.archive.org. 18 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080418005003/http://www.hkvpradio.com/artists/lesliecheung/. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  33. ^ "Jonathan Crow, "Leslie Cheung", AOL Allmovie". Movies.aol.com. http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/leslie-cheung/12724/biography. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  34. ^ "Leslie Cheung's Suicide" Gothamist, 3 April 2003
  35. ^ "Week of 5 April 2003". "Life In Legacy. http://www.lifeinlegacy.com/2003/WIR20030405.html. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  36. ^ "Forty Thousands Fans Farewell Leslie Cheung in the Raining Night", Modern Business News, 4 Apr. 2003

Further reading

  • Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, World Music Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, BBC Radio, 2000, ISBN 1-85828-636-0
  • Klein, A. (2003). Farewell, Leslie Cheung. Los Angeles City Beat. Retrieved 17 December 2005, from [3].
  • Kei Mori, "夢想之欠片 (Broken pieces of dreams)", Renga Shyobo Shinshya Co Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, 2004, ISBN 4-902603-55-1
  • Chitose Shima, "Leslie Cheung Interview", All About Leslie, p25–40, Sangyo Henshu Center Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 1999, ISBN 4-916199-10-3
  • Chitose Shima, Time of Leslie Cheung, Sangyo Henshu Center Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 2004, ISBN 4-916199-59-6
  • City Entertainment Editor Committee, Leslie Cheung's Movie World 2 (1991–1995), City Entertainment, Hong Kong, 2006, ISBN 962-8114-98-0
  • De Hui, Leslie Cheung's Movie Life I, II, Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, Shanghai, 2006, ISBN 7-80678-557-4.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Chow Yun-fat
for All About Ah Long
Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actor
1991
for Days of Being Wild
Succeeded by
Eric Tsang
for Alan and Eric Between Hello and Goodbye
Preceded by
None
Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards for Best Actor
1994
for Ashes of Time
Succeeded by
Stephen Chow
for A Chinese Odyssey
Preceded by
Anita Mui
Golden Needle Award of RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award
1999
Succeeded by
Jacky Cheung

[Category:1956 births]]


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Mentioned in

The Drummer (1983 Film)
Elisa Chan (Rock Artist)
Teenage Dreamers (1982 Film)
Days of Being Wild (1991 Drama Film)
Alan Tam (World Artist, '80s-2000s)