Dicky Cheung Wai-kin (; born 8 February 1965) is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

actor and singer.

Early childhood

Cheung grew up with a physically abusive father. His parents divorced when Cheung was 14. Cheung was educated in St Francis Xavier's College in Hong Kong. He became interested in acting when he was in elementary school, stemming from his interest in analyzing human behaviour. For example, he always loved being in crowded streets or buses, where he could observe people and hear conversations. In plays, he would work as director, actor, and scriptwriter. In 1984, he won the TVB International Chinese New Talent Singing Championship. However, it was not a good start of his singing career. No record company wanted to sign a contract with him. So he changed his career path to acting. In 1985, he signed a contract with TVB. However, the following eight years he only acted in small parts until 1991 when he finally got the chance to be the main actor in the TVB drama called "Laoyou Guigui"(''"A Step Beyond"''). Later, he gained the lead role in ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...

'', where he gained many fans and supporters in Hong Kong.

Career

He entered show business in the early 1980s, signing a contract with television station

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong. The company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Canton ...

. He won the third annual

New Talent Singing Awards New Talent Singing Awards ( zh, t=新秀歌唱大賽) or ''NTSA'' for short, later re-organised into New Talent Singing Awards International Finals ( zh, t=全球華人新秀歌唱大賽 or ''NTSA International Finals'' for short), and most curr ...

in 1984. Up until the mid-90s, Cheung struggled for many years working as a low-paid actor, singer and appeared occasionally in films. It was not until his portrayal of the

Monkey King Sun Wukong (, Mandarin pronunciation: ), also known as the Monkey King, is a literary and religious figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monk ...

character in the 1996 TVB drama

, an adaptation of the classical Chinese novel ''

'', that his popularity began to skyrocket. A sequel to the TV adaptation was planned, but due to a contract dispute with TVB, Cheung left before production began. Benny Chan Ho Man took over the role of the Monkey King in the

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

. Cheung then went abroad to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

to continue his career. Cheung's most notable performance that made him famous was his portrayal of the

in the 1996 TVB adaptation of the classic Chinese tale ''

''. As well as being the lead character, Cheung also sang the theme song as well as many other songs throughout the series. This series was very popular during its run on

TVB Jade TVB Jade (), or simply Jade, is a Hong Kong Hong Kong Cantonese, Cantonese-language Terrestrial television, free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) as its flagship service, alongside its sister n ...

, it was even dubbed in English and broadcast on

TVB Pearl TVB Pearl () is an English-language television channel in Hong Kong owned by Television Broadcasts Limited. Established on 19 November 1967, it shares headquarters with TVB's other properties at TVB City at 77 Chun Choi Street in Tseung Kwan ...

, the only TVB series to receive this treatment to date. Cheung was also due to play the Monkey King in the sequel. However, due to a dispute regarding the contract, the role was given to Benny Chan Ho Man. He has appeared in many Taiwanese television productions since going to Taiwan. In 1999, TVB's rival station

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...

acquired the Hong Kong broadcasting rights to his Taiwanese television series ''

Young Hero Fong Sai Yuk ''Young Hero Fang Shiyu'' is a 1999 Hong Kong television series based on the story of Chinese folk hero Fang Shiyu. It starred Dicky Cheung as the titular protagonist. Plot In the beginning, Fang Shiyu was a troublemaker in Guangzhou, constant ...

''. Cheung played Fong Sai Yuk, a character also portrayed by

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

in his film '' Fong Sai Yuk''. The show was an instant hit in Hong Kong and managed to gain much higher ratings than TVB's own television series. The TVB series showing at that time was ''

Dragon Love A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

'', starring Benny Chan Ho Man, who replaced Cheung in the ''

'','' In one of the TV adaptations of

Louis Cha Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), was a Hong Kong wuxia novelist and co-founder of ''Ming Pao.'' Cha authored 15 novels between 1955 and 1972 and became one of the most popul ...

's Wuxia novel ''

The Deer and the Cauldron ''The Deer and the Cauldron'', also known as ''The Duke of Mount Deer'', is a historical novel by Jin Yong. It is his last and longest novel, originally serialized in the Hong Kong newspaper ''Ming Pao'' from 24 October 1969 to 23 September 1972 ...

''. Cheung played the anti-hero Wai Siu-Bo, a character previously portrayed by

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Tony Leung Chiu-wai ( zh , c=梁朝偉, p=Liáng Cháowěi, born 27 June 1962) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He is one of Asia's most successful and internationally recognized actors. He has won many international acting prizes, including the C ...

Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (; born 22 June 1962) is a Hong Kong filmmaker and former actor, known for his mo lei tau comedy. His career began in television, where he gained recognition through variety shows and TV dramas. Chow's breakthrough came in 1 ...

and

Jordan Chan Jordan Chan Siu-Chun (born 8 July 1967) is a Hong Kong actor, singer and dancer, known for starring in the ''Young and Dangerous'' film series and for his role in the 1998 TV adaptation of Louis Cha's novel, '' The Duke of Mount Deer''. In ...

in many television and film adaptations, in '' The Duke of Mount Deer.'' In 2001,

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah ( zh, order=t,j, t=劉德華, j=Lau4 Dak1 Waa4; born Lau Fook-wing; 27 September 1961), is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He was named the "Fourth Tiger" among the Five Tiger Generals of TVB in the 1 ...

's NMG production company produced another television adaptation of ''

''. Cheung was given a chance to once again portray the role in '' The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra''. The series was broadcast in 2002 on TVB. Although it received high ratings, many felt it was not as good as the 1996 version. Cheung played Shun in ''

Kung Fu Soccer ''Kung Fu Soccer'' ( Chinese: 功夫足球) is a Hong Kong television drama series that aired on TVB from December 6, 2004 to January 9, 2005. Plot ''Kung Fu Soccer'' is about the soccer world intertwined with talented people from the world of ...

'', a young talented soccer player originated from rural

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

whose also excels in kungfu yet suffers from short term memory loss. The series was broadcast by TVB from December 2004 to January 2005, with Cheung sang the opening theme of the series. After a 20-year absence, Cheung made his TVB comeback. He starred in TVB's 50th anniversary drama, '' The Learning Curve of a Warlord'' <大帥哥>, which was produced by Steven Tsui.

Personal life

At the end of 1997, Cheung met his wife Jess Zhang (

Zhang Qian Zhang Qian (; died c. 114 BC) was a Chinese diplomat, explorer, and politician who served as an imperial envoy to the world outside of China in the late 2nd century BC during the Western Han dynasty. He was one of the first official diploma ...

), an actress in China. They were filming in the same location on separate productions. They formally met each other when Jess was humming the tune of "哎呀哎呀親親你" (Aiya, Aiya, Kissing You) and did not know who originally sang the song nor realize the original singer was in her presence. Their relationship then further developed when Cheung purchased a water bottle for Jess. In 2004，Cheung married Jess in Nanjing and had a separate wedding ceremony in

Boracay Boracay (; sometimes shortened by non-natives as Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay, Panay Island. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of thre ...

in 2009. Prior to his marriage with Jess, he was involved in brief relationships with the actresses Elvina Kong and

Jessica Hsuan Jessica Hester Hsuan ( PA: syn hyn born 18 August 1970), also known as Suen Huen, is a Hong Kong actress. Early life Hsuan's father gave her the name Jessica, while her mother gave her the middle name Hester. She was educated in Hong Kong ...

. He has said that he would like to eventually leave the acting business and seriously consider doing something more meaningful in life such as volunteering to give back to the society.

Filmography

Television

* ''The Learning Curve of a Warlord'' ( zh, 大帥哥) (2018) * ''

Swordsman Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

'' (2013) * ''

Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties 1 & 2 ''Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties 1 & 2'' () is a 2012 Chinese historical television series directed by Li Hantao. It was first aired on Hunan Television in China in 2012. The series is based on the events in the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui duri ...

'' (2012) * ''The Legend of Hundred Family Surnames'' (2011) * ''The Next Magic'' (2011) * ''Shi Da Qi Yuan'' (2008) * ''The Kung Fu Master Wong Fei Hung'' (2008) –

Wong Fei Hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 19 August 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. Though he was considered an expert in the Hung Ga style of Chinese martial arts, his r ...

* ''Project A'' (2007) * ''Ayo'' (2007) * '' The Proud Twins'' (2005) * ''

Magic Chef Magic Chef, Inc. (formerly the American Stove Company) is an appliance brand currently owned by CNA International Inc. St. Louis origins In the 1850s John Ringen, a German immigrant to the United States, began a tinshop in St. Louis, Missouri. Hi ...

'' (2005) * ''

The Royal Swordsmen ''The Royal Swordsmen'' () is a Chinese ''wuxia'' television series directed by Deng Yancheng and Wei Liyuan, starring Roger Kwok, Li Yapeng, Wallace Huo, Michelle Ye, Damian Lau, Tammy Chen, Gao Yuanyuan and Eva Huang. It was first shown on Sh ...

'' (2005) * ''The Luckiest Man'' (2005) * ''The Legend of the Treasure Basin'' (2004) * ''

'' (2004) * ''The Luckiest Man'' (2003) * '' The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra'' (2002) –

Sun Wukong Sun Wukong (, Mandarin pronunciation: ), also known as the Monkey King, is a literary and religious figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monk ...

* ''Mr. Winner'' (2002) * ''Taiji Prodigy'' (2002) * ''Smart Kid'' (2001) * '' The New Adventures of Chor Lau-heung'' (2001) * '' The Duke of Mount Deer'' (2000) * ''

Chess Warriors ''Chess warriors'' was a TV programme in 2001. It has a mixture of action and romance in the programme. Cast *張衛健 (Dicky Cheung) as Xuē Yípiào (薛一驃)- the red horse (later) *樊亦敏 as Lěng Yàn (冷豔)- the red Minister (late ...

'' (1999) * ''Swordsman'' I (1999) * '' Young Hero Fang Shiyu'' (1999) – Fang Shiyu * ''Happy Flying Dragon'' I, II, III (1997) * ''The Witty Attorney'' (1997) * ''

'' (1996) –

* ''The Buddy Gang'' (1995) * " Money and Fame" (1992) * ''Edge of Righteousness'' (1992) * ''Wong Fei Hung Returns'' (1992) –

* ''Mystery of the Twin Swords'' II (1992) * ''Mystery of the Twin Swords'' (1991) * ''The Little boy from China'' (1991) * '' The Legend of the Book and the Sword'' (1987)

Films

} , , Xiao Bing , - , ''To Miss With Love'' , , , , Zhang Yijian , - , rowspan=11 , 1993 , , '' My Hero 2'' , , , , Zhang Jiankang , - , ''

Last Hero in China ''Last Hero in China'' is a 1993 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Wong Jing. It is a derivative of the '' Once Upon a Time in China'' film series, and unlike other imitations, it can be considered a spin-off or parody to some ...

'' , , , , Yacasu , - , ''Hero of Hong Kong 1949'' , , , , Chang Xiedi , - , '' Holy Weapon'' , , , , Wu Tong , - , ''

Hero – Beyond the Boundary of Time ''Hero – Beyond the Boundary of Time'' is a 1993 Hong Kong comedy film directed by Blackie Ko. The film is a spin-off of Jin Yong, Louis Cha's novel ''The Deer and the Cauldron'', with Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tony Leung reprising his role as "Wa ...

'' , , , , Ya Chao , - , ''Even Mountains Meet'' , , , , , - , ''

Future Cops ''Future Cops'' (; literal title: ''Super-School Tyrant'') is a 1993 Hong Kong action-comedy film loosely based on Capcom's fighting game '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' (1991), starring an ensemble cast of Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Aar ...

'' , , , , Chen Daxiong , - , ''Vampire family'' , , , , Di Long , - , ''Chez'n Ham'' , , , , Zhi Shi , - , ''Prince of Portland Street'' , , , , Da Dou , - , ''

The Black Panther Warriors ''The Black Panther Warriors'' is a 1993 Hong Kong action film directed by Clarence Fok and starring an ensemble cast of Alan Tang, Brigitte Lin, Simon Yam, Tony Leung, Dicky Cheung and Carrie Ng. Plot Black Cougar (Alan Tang) is a profess ...

'' , , , , Computer child prodigy , - , rowspan=3 , 1994 , , , , , , Qiu Zihong , - , '' The Kung Fu Scholar'' , , , , Lun Man Chui , - , ''Shaolin Popey II: Messy Temple'' , , , , Huang Ningmeng , - , rowspan=2 , 1997 , , ''The Dicky's Music Love Story'' , , , , , - , , , , , Zhang Haobei , - , 2003 , , ''

Golden Chicken 2 ''Golden Chicken 2'' (金雞2 ''gam1 gai1'') is a 2003 Hong Kong film directed by Samson Chiu. It is a sequel to the 2002 ''Golden Chicken''. Cast and roles * Sandra Ng – Kam * Bing – Granny B in the queue * Cha Man-Wet – Mainland busine ...

'' , , , , Gao Shuiwen , - , 2008 , , ''

The Winners ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

'' , , , , Zhang Feng , - , 2010 , , ''

72 Tenants of Prosperity ''72 Tenants of Prosperity'' (72家租客) is a 2010 Hong Kong comedy film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, Television Broadcasts Limited, United Filmmakers Organization, Sil-Metropole Organisation and Sun Wah Media Group. It was directed ...

'' , , , , Zhi Dashi , - , 2011 , , '' Summer Love Love'' , , , , Paranoid , - , 2012 , , ''

I Love Hong Kong 2012 ''I Love Hong Kong 2012'' is a Hong Kong comedy film produced by Eric Tsang and directed by Chung Shu Kai and Chin Kwok Wai. Film stars an ensemble cast of Tsang, Teresa Mo, Bosco Wong, Denise Ho, Stanley Fung, Siu Yam-yam, William So, Mak ...

'' , , , , , - , 2013 , , ''

The Palace ''The Palace'' is a British drama television series that aired on ITV (TV network), ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of t ...

'' , , , , Eunuch

References

External links

*
JayneStars.com – English translated news about Dicky Cheung

Dicky.cn (Chinese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Dicky 1965 births Big Four (band) members Cantopop singers Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong male television actors Hong Kong male singers Hong Kong Mandopop singers Hong Kong singer-songwriters Hong Kong male singer-songwriters Living people New Talent Singing Awards contestants Male actors from Shanghai 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male actors Hong Kong male comedians