Leung is a Toisanese-Chinese born in Hong Kong, though his family came from Taishan, Guangdong, China. Leung's early childhood was punctuated with parents' quarrels and arguments about money. A mischievous boy in his early years, Leung's personality changed when his father, a chronic gambler, left the family when he was seven; he and his younger sister were brought up single-handedly by their mother.
Leung became a reticient, quiet child; his childhood experiences made it difficult for him to trust in marriage and paved the way for his acting career. Leung's mother worked hard to keep him attending a private school, but even so, Tony had to quit school at the age of 15 due to financial difficulties. As an adolescent he behaved himself and remained very close to his mother. During a DVD interview on the making of
Hero, he says that he sees his mother as his definition of a "hero[ine]" for having brought up two children alone.
After quitting his studies, Leung worked in a variety of jobs, first as a grocer's runner at his uncle's shop, then a showroom salesman in a Hong Kong shopping centre. He met actor and comedian Stephen Chow who influenced his decision to become an actor. The two now-superstars remain very good friends.
In 1982 he passed the training courses of television channel TVB. Due to his boyish looks, TVB cast him as host of a children's programme, 430 Space Shuttle. Leung enjoyed comedies during his television years; it was for these he became well known.
Many consider Tony Leung's role in John Woo's 1992 action film
Hard Boiled in which he co-starred with Chow Yun-Fat, as his breakthrough role in film. However, Leung first gained international exposure through Hou Hsiao-Hsien's 1989 film
A City of Sadness, which won the Venice Golden Lion.
Leung often collaborates with director Wong Kar-wai and has appeared in many of his films. His most notable roles in Wong Kar-wai's films include the lonely policeman in
Chungking Express (1994), a gay Chinese expatriate living in Argentina in
Happy Together (1997), and a self-controlled victim of adultery in
In the Mood for Love (2000), for which he won the Best Actor award at Cannes.
He is considered by many to be the finest actor of his generation in Hong Kong. Robert De Niro is an admirer of his work, and Leung has been called Asia's answer to Clark Gable.
Leung also has an on-and-off Cantopop and Mandarin pop singing career. He sang the theme song of
Infernal Affairs with Andy Lau.
Leung speaks decent English and is well read and well versed on historical issues. During the late 1990s, some predicted that it would be difficult for him to break into Hollywood since he would not take on stereotypical and degrading roles because of his pride and character. To date, he has not done a Hollywood film, but is primed to appear in one after signing on with an American film agent.
In addition to Cantonese, English and Spanish, Leung is also able to speak Mandarin and Japanese (as heard in
Tokyo Raiders).
During the promotion of the film
Hero, some politicians and commentators in Hong Kong attacked Leung for expressing the view that the Tiananmen Square demonstration crack down was necessary to maintain stability. Under constant political pressure and boycott threats, Leung made a single statement that he may have been quoted out of context but refused to retract his statement in the magazine. However, the film magazine editor maintained that the original statement was not out of context and challenged people to read the complete interview.
Leung has dated Hong Kong actress Carina Lau since the end of 1989. He had known her since
The Replica in 1984 as she had been good friends with Margie Tsang, his previous girlfriend. He worked on-screen with Lau in
Replica (1984),
Duke of Mount Deer (1984), "Police Cadet" (1984, 1985, 1988),
The Yangs' Saga (1985),
Days of Being Wild (1990),
He ain't heavy, he's my father (1993),
Ashes of Time (1994), and
2046 (2004).
In 1990, during the filming of
Days of Being Wild, Lau was abducted for several hours. Wong Kar-wai said, "Originally, there were plans for
Days of Being Wild I and II, and the sequence featuring Tony Leung was meant to be the opening scene of the second movie. But two things happened, one of which was that
Days of Being Wild didn't do well in Hong Kong, so the producers said, "No Part 2." The other reason was the Carina Lau's kidnapping."
On July 21, 2008, the couple got married in Bhutan in a royal fashion. The wedding created a media frenzy in Hong Kong, with companies spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to pursue the wedding party. According to Ming Pao Daily News, Faye Wong and her husband actor Li Yapeng had taken them to India in 2007 to visit the 17th Karmapa. The Karmapa's counsel helped them to resolve a crisis in their relationship, and he also suggested Bhutan as a wedding venue.
Besides Wong Kar-wai, Leung has been a frequent collaborator and good friend of Maggie Cheung. Their first TV serial together was the highly successful "Police Cadet" in 1984 (later named "Police Cadet 84" to distinguish it from subsequent sequels). Leung played an outgoing young man who decides to become a police officer in order to earn a living for his family; Maggie Cheung played a shy bookworm, Tony's upstairs neighbour and love interest. Since then they have worked together on
The Yangs' Saga (1985),
Days of Being Wild (1990),
Ashes of Time (1994),
In the Mood for Love (2000),
Hero (2002), and
2046 (2004).
taniamarapavaoposted 42 days ago
