Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

singer and actor. Dubbed the " God of Songs", he is regarded as one of the

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the ...

of Hong Kong pop music. Cheung is known for his technically skilled vocals, lengthy tours, and multimillion-selling albums. His successful music and acting career has made Cheung one of Hong Kong's icons. He was elected by

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

as one of the "25 most influential people in the New Hong Kong". Cheung set the

Guinness World record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the largest combined audience for a live act in 12 months during his ''" Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century World Tour"'', with 2,048,553 audience members.
" ''Jacky Cheung performs for largest combined audience.'' Retrieved on 12 June 2012.

Early life

Jacky Cheung was born and grew up in

Quarry Bay Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. The western portion of the area was also formerly known as Lai Chi (). Traditionally an industrial and residential area, the number of comme ...

in the eastern part of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km2, . The island had a population of a ...

. His father is from

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...

and his mother is from

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

. He attended North Point Government Primary School from 1967 to 1973, and graduated from Literary College in 1978. In 2007, Cheung revealed that the paternal side of his family are mostly seamen, including his father, paternal cousin, and older brother. His first language is

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

, but he also speaks Mandarin and English. He sings Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and modern English pop songs. Cheung is known for his rich

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

voice, but also his dramatic

vibrato Vibrato ( Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms ...

by rapidly moving his pronounced

Adam's Apple The Adam's apple or laryngeal prominence is the protrusion in the human neck formed by the angle of the thyroid cartilage surrounding the larynx, typically visible in men, less frequently in women. Structure The topographic structure which is e ...

Musical career

Cheung originally started working as a reservation officer for the airline

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have ...

. His music career started when he won the Amateur 18-Hong Kong district singing contest in 1984 with the song "Fatherland" () by

Michael Kwan Michael Kwan Ching-kit is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer previously with the Philips label (the brand Polygram was not adopted until later in Hong Kong), and later with EMI. His back catalogue (1986–1988) continues to be published by Universal Mu ...

.Sina.com.
Sina.com
" ''资料：张学友--永恒的歌神不朽的传奇.'' Retrieved on 12 April 2009. He outcompeted more than 10,000 other contestants. After winning the contest, he was signed by the then

Polygram Records PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

, now

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. Although encouraged by a bright start, he was not achieve immediate supremacy in

Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong pop music") is a genre of pop music written in standard Chinese and sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production ...

, then dominated by

Leslie Cheung Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actor. Throughout a 26-year career from 1977 until his death, Cheung released over 40 music albums and acted in 56 films. He was one of the most prominent ...

Alan Tam Alan Tam Wing-lun MH (; born 23 August 1950) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. He played a major role in developing the Cantopop scene in the 1980s as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. From 1983 to 1987, Alan Tam ...

Anita Mui Anita Mui Yim-fong (; 10 October 1963 – 30 December 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actress who made major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and received numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout her career, and i ...

and

Danny Chan Danny Chan Pak-Keung (; 7 September 1958 – 25 October 1993) was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter, records producer and actor. He is widely recognised as the first modern day pop idol in Hong Kong, gaining fame alongside performers Alan Tam, ...

. In 1985 he won his first two major awards together with the 1985 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards and the

1985 Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards The 1985 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation () was held in January 1986. It is part of the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation series held in Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong S ...

. In 1991 he released the song "Loving You More Every Day" (), a translated version of the Japanese

Southern All Stars , also known by the abbreviations and SAS, are a Japanese rock band that first formed in 1974. The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata (lead vocals and guitars), Yuko Hara (vocals and keyboards), Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (bass), Hiroshi Matsuda (dr ...

hit "Midsummer's Fruit" (). The album ''True Love Expression'' () in 1992, as well as the subsequent release, ''Love Sparks'' () in 1992, achieved sales of over 400,000 copies in Hong Kong alone. His subsequent albums included 1993 ''Me and You'' () and 1994 ''Born to be Wild'' (). In the 1994

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...

in the US, he was named the most popular singer in Asia.Changsha digital online.
Csonline.com.cn
" ''Jacky Cheung to visit Beijing fans.'' Retrieved on 1 May 2009. He received numerous music awards both in Hong Kong and elsewhere, including the best-selling Chinese singer in the

World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world' ...

for two consecutive years in 1995 and 1996 held at Monaco.Universal music.
Umusic
" ''Jacky Cheung extends long relationship with Universal Music.'' Retrieved on 1 May 2009. Cheung was also elected as one of the world's Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons in 1999. Amongst his hit songs, some of his most famous were "Amour", "Just want to spend my life with you" () and "Goodbye Kiss" (). The 1993 album '' The Goodbye Kiss'' () is one of the best-selling Chinese music albums of all time, achieving more sales in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia than ever attained before, with more than 5 million copies sold in 1993, making him one of PolyGram's top 10 artists worldwide that year. It made him the first singer with non-Taiwanese citizenship to win Taiwan's

Golden Melody Awards The Golden Melody Awards (), commonly abbreviated as GMA, is an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan-languages popular and traditional music ...

. The album was also instrumental in helping Cheung break into the mandopop market. Due to these great songs and albums, Cheung is generally considered to be the pre-eminent member of the '' Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop''. He is regarded by some sources as the best singer of the four. In 1995, Cheung staged his record-breaking 100-show world tour titled "Yau Hok Yau" (), literally a pun of "friendship Jacky Cheung" reusing the same Chinese characters found in his name.Sina.com.tw.
Sina.com.tw
." ''專輯：張學友《學友光年世界巡回演唱會07》.'' Retrieved on 1 May 2009. The tour started with 34 shows from 8 April to 9 June at the

Hong Kong Coliseum Hong Kong Coliseum, commonly known as the Hung Hom Coliseum, is a multi-purpose indoor arena, in Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong near Hung Hom station. It is in Yau Tsim Mong District. It was built by the Urban Council and inaugurated on 27 ...

. Then the tour continued at

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Australia and returned to

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

and

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

.Hangzhou.com.cn.
China Hangzhou.com
" ''1991–1999张学友演唱会纪录.'' Retrieved on 1 May 2009. It then expanded to

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

in the US, different parts of Europe, Singapore, India, Malaysia and Japan. In 1999, he was named one of the

Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) program serves to formally recognize young people who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people. The program is sponsored by Junior Chamber Interna ...

by JCI (Junior Chamber International), a worldwide federation of young professionals and entrepreneurs. In 2000 he was awarded the Golden Needle Award by

RTHK Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econo ...

. This award, the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award, recognised outstanding contributions to the music industry. He expressed his astonishment upon receiving the award, as he was the least experienced living recipient at only 16 years, and this award was awarded to singers, producers and lyricists that are late in their careers or are semi-retired, in which he was not, but to quash any negative publicity, he clarified that according to his research, there was no stipulation of this sort. In 2004, Cheung released '' Life Is Like A Dream'', an album in which Jacky co-produced with long-time collaborative partner

Michael Au Michael Au Ding Yuk (; born 6 November 1957) is a Hong Kong music producer.Michael is Hakka people and his parents originate from Guangdong province, mainland China. He is well known for his collaboration with Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung and ...

, and Jacky composed the melody for all songs, and penned the lyrics for 3 of the songs. Cheung won the ''Best Selling Cantonese Album Award'' at the Hong Kong IFPI Awards in 2005 with his live album, ''Jacky Live Performance'', which he accepted in person for the first time in years. This is despite poor ticket sales for the reason that the concert was meant to be a one-night-only charity concert in nature, and Jacky attempted to sing a song by other artists for the first time. In the fast-changing scene of canto-pop, Cheung has maintained his popularity and sales power for more than 20 years after his debut, an incredible feat in Hong Kong pop music. In 2007, Cheung staged his ''"Year of Jacky Cheung World Tour 2007"''. The tour started on 18 February 2007 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

. When the tour ended in Hong Kong on 3 February 2008 after touring 58 cities around the world, a total of 105 shows had been given, attracting more than 2 million fans. 105 became the highest number of shows in a tour by a Chinese artist, breaking the previous record of 100, which was also set by Cheung previously.Hollywoodindustry.dig.
Hollywoodindustry.digitalmedianet.com
" ''Hard Rock International World's First Chinese Memorabilia Displayed at City of Dreams.'' Retrieved on 12 April 2009. In that same year, he also released a Mandopop album, ''By Your Side'', in which he was the sole executive producer of the album for the first time after Michael Au suddenly left to further his career in Beijing. In 2009, Cheung recorded ''

Private Corner Private Corner is a studio album by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung (Cantonese pinyin: Hok Yau)（中文名：张学友）, known as God of Songs and one of the Four Heavenly Kings. It is the first jazz album of Cantopop, a concept album recorde ...

'', his first jazz album for which he coined the phrase "Canto-jazz". The album was produced by

Andrew Tuason Andrew Tuason (born 30 November 1962) is a Hong Kong musician, record producer, composer, songwriter, arranger, conductor and musical director. He has been a producer and musical director for notable artists including Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Jacki ...

. " Everyday Is Christmas", "

Which Way, Robert Frost? "Which Way, Robert Frost" recorded with the title Zhǎo Duì Nǐ 找對你 (Looking for you) is a song by Jacky Cheung, written by Roxanne Seeman and Philipp Steinke for Cheung’s Private Corner album. The title and lyrics refer to the narrative ...

", " Let It Go", " Lucky in Love" and " Double Trouble" were co-written by

Roxanne Seeman Roxanne Joy Seeman is an American songwriter and lyricist. She is best known for her songs by Billie Hughes, Philip Bailey, Phil Collins, Earth, Wind & Fire, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, The Sisters of Mercy, The Jacksons, Jacky Cheung, and i ...

in collaboration with Tuason, tailor-made for Cheung. " Lucky in Love" is the end-credit song of " Crossing Hennessy", Hong Kong movie starring Jacky Cheung and Tang Wei, produced by Bill Kong. Nokia's music download service website (Ovi.com) announced that "Everyday Is Christmas" was the 10th most downloaded Christmas song in the world in 2010, joining classic hits such as Wham's "Last Christmas" and Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You". Cheung is the only Chinese language singer to make it into the Top Ten. In 2010, Cheung started his ''" Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century World Tour"''. This tour started on 30 December 2010 at Shanghai, and ended in Hong Kong on 30 May 2012. For 1 year and 5 months, his tour included 5 countries 77 cities, overall 146 shows, more than 2,800,000 audiences. 146 became the highest number of shows in a one tour by Chinese artist. Previous record of 105 was also made by Jacky Cheung on his 2007–2008 World Tour. Both 2007 and 2010 World tour was led by

as Cheung's Musical Director. At the beginning of that year, he also attempted new musical styles. His new album, ''

'', became his first ever Jazz album in Cantopop history, it also featured other non-mainstream Cantopop styles such as strings quartet, Waltz and Hymn. The special edition also featured a special glass-CD, also a first in Chinese pop history. " Double Trouble" from ''Private Corner'' was a featured produced number in the " Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century World Tour". In ''" Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century World Tour"'', he set a

for the largest combined audience for a live act in 12 months, with 2,048,553 audience members. During the first 12-month of the tour, was ran from 30 December 2010 to 29 December 2011, with 105 live concerts in 61 cities across China, USA, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. Cheung won the

" Honor of Golden song 35th Anniversary Award" in the 2012 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards, as he has the greatest number of RTHK Golden Songs since the award has been started. In 2018, he earned a new nickname of "Fugitive Bait" or "Fugitives' Krytonite" in China as his concerts attracted wanted criminals in China to purchase tickets to watch his concerts in China. He helped to bring 4 wanted criminals to be captured between April to June 2018 during Cheung's Chinese leg of the world tour. In June, two ticket scalpers were also captured. This was also part of his 233-show, ''"Jacky Cheung A Classic Tour"'' world tour, which eclipses the previous tour record. The entire tour, which lasted for 27 months with performances in 97 cities, ended on 29 January 2019 after a series of 15 concerts in Hong Kong.

Duets

Cheung not only performs solo but often performs

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a sol ...

s with female singers. Cheung recorded a duet with Filipino singer and Asia's Songbird

Regine Velasquez Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...

for the song "In Love with You"; the song was included in her multi-platinum album ''Listen Without Prejudice''. In 2008, Cheung and

A-Mei Kulilay Amit (, born 9 August 1972), better known by her stage name A-Mei, is a Taiwanese Puyuma singer and record producer. In 1996, she made her singing debut and released her album, ''Sisters''. Her albums ''Truth'' (2001), ''Amit'' (2009), ...

, the popular Taiwanese singer, performed ''Zhu Fu'' ("Blessing") as a duet in a benefit concert for victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Other duet partners include: *

Priscilla Chan Priscilla Chan (born February 24, 1985) is an American philanthropist and a former pediatrician. She and her husband, Mark Zuckerberg, a co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, established the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in December 2015, with a p ...

– "To My Dear" (), "A Pair of Lonely Hearts" (), "Love and Promise" (), "Being Close" () *

Faye Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album '' Shirley Wong'' ( ...

– "Unusual Summer" (), "Love, Can't Be Given Only Once" () *

Kelly Chen Kelly Chen Wai-lam (born Vivian Chen Wai-man on 13 September 1972) is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. She has been referred to as a " Diva of Asia" (). Chen has great success in the East Asian entertainment industry with nearly 20 m ...

– "Waiting for Your Love" *

– "Love Is Hard"' () *

Shirley Kwan Shirley Kwan, Milo Kwan, Bik Luik Kwan, Kwan Suk'E, or Kwan Suk Yee (, born 15 August 1966) is an influential Cantopop singer from Hong Kong. Kwan first shot to fame in 1989 with the hit, " Happy Are Those in Love" () and was widely popular throu ...

– "Youngster No Love" () *

Coco Lee Coco Lee (; born Ferren Lee, 17 January 1975) is a Hong Kong-American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. Lee's career began in Hong Kong and then expanded to Taiwan. Her single, "Do You Want My Love" also entered the US m ...

– () * Sandy Lam – () *

Vivian Chow Vivian Chow Wai-man (, born 10 November 1967) is a Hong Kong-based Cantopop singer-songwriter and actress. Life and career Vivian Chow is the only child in her family. Her father died before her birth due to heart disease. She was brought u ...

– () *

– "In Love with You" * Cally Kwong – "Only Love Persists" () * Karen Tong – "Miss Each Other in the Wind & Rain" (), "Deep Love for Half a Lifetime"() * Vivian Lai – "Long Flow, Never Rests" () * He Ruhui – () *

Francesca Kao Francesca Kao (born 24 August 1972) is a Taiwanese Tsou actress, singer and television host, known for her duet with Jacky Cheung, "You're the Most Precious". Since 2003, Kao has acted in numerous television series and films. She has won tw ...

– "You're the Most Precious" () * Chen Jia Lu – (), ()

On stage musical

In 1997, his work on the groundbreaking

Broadway-style musical ''

Snow.Wolf.Lake ''Snow.Wolf.Lake'' () is Hong Kong's first modern musical. Jacky Cheung, a cantopop artist, was the artistic director of the show and also played character Wolf in the musical. The running time of the musical is about three hours. It has two versio ...

'' was enthusiastically received by both audiences and critics.Xinhuanet.
Xinhuanet
" ''四大天王蓦然回首十五年.'' Cheung not only played the male lead, he was also the artistic director for this production. The first female leads were played by Sandy Lam in Hong Kong and

Nadia Chan Nadia Chan (; born 21 January 1971) is a Hong Kong actress, singer, model, and spokesperson. Life and career Chan was born to Chinese Ethnic Indonesian parents. Chan's parents are Indonesian Chinese and her family moved to Hong Kong when she ...

in Singapore.

Kit Chan use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

played the second female lead. They achieved 42 consecutive full-house performances at the gigantic

Hung Hom Hung Hom () is an area in the southeast of Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Including the area of Whampoa, Tai Wan, Hok Yuen, Lo Lung Hang and No. 12 Hill are administratively part of the Kowloon City District, with a portion west of Hu ...

which remains the record today.Gofuntaiwan.net.
Gofuntaiwan.net
" ''華人最大型經典音樂劇－ (雪狼湖).'' Retrieved on 12 April 2009. In November 2004, Cheung and his concert manager, Florence Chan Suk-fan, worked on a revised Mandarin version of ''Snow.Wolf.Lake'' so as to bring it to a wider audience. The female leads this time were

Evonne Hsu Evonne Hsu, also known as Hsu Hui-hsin () (born December 5, 1976 in Longview, Texas, United States), is a Taiwanese-American Mandopop singer. Hsu is managed by Music Nation Wingman Limited and signed by Universal Music Taiwan since her debut i ...

and Nadia Chan respectively. The market budget alone exceeded HK$15 million. The estimated budget for this revised production was HK$100 million and the show premiered on 24 December 2004 in Beijing.

Acting career

While Cheung is better known for his singing, he has also acted in many films. He received the Best Supporting Actor award in the 8th Hong Kong Film Awards for his work in '' As Tears Go By'' (1988) as well as the Best Supporting Actor Golden Horse Award for his work in '' The Swordsman'' (1990). That same year he also collaborated with

John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun ...

and Tony Leung in the film ''

Bullet in the Head ''Bullet in the Head'' () is a 1990 Hong Kong action film written, produced, edited and directed by John Woo, and starring Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee and Simon Yam. The film incorporates elements of the action, war, drama, and cr ...

''. He also received the Best Actor Award at the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common p ...

for his work in ''

July Rhapsody ''July Rhapsody'' () is a 2002 Hong Kong drama film directed by Ann Hui and produced by Ann Hui and Derek Yee. Overview The film's Chinese title literally translates to Man, 40. Its alternative title is Laam yan sei sap. The film explores ...

'' (2002). His song ''Perhaps Love'', which serves as the theme song for the 2005 award-winning film of the same name, also won the ''Best Song Award'' at the 2005

Hong Kong Film Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ...

and the CASH Best Song Award at the 2006 CASH Gold Sail Music Awards. In 2002, he appeared in Taiwanese mini-series ''Love Scar'' (2002) with F4 member

Jerry Yan Jerry Yan (), born Liao Yangzhen (), is a Taiwanese actor, model and singer. He is well known for his lead role as Daoming Si in the Taiwanese dramas '' Meteor Garden'' and ''Meteor Garden II'', an adaptation of a Japanese shōjō manga. He i ...

and Karen Mok, where he played Jerry Yan's older brother. In the 2004 drama film ''

Jiang Hu ''Jianghu'' () is a term that generally refers to the milieu, environment, or sub-community in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set. The term is used flexibly, and can be used to describe a fictionalized version of Historical China (usually ...

'' directed by

Wong Ching-po Wong Ching-Po (; born 1973) is a Hong Kong film director. Filmography * '' Fu bo'' (2003) * ''Jiang Hu'' (2004) * ''Mob Sister ''Mob Sister'' () is a 2005 Hong Kong action film, directed by Wong Ching-Po and starring Annie Liu as the tit ...

, Cheung plays Lefty, the best friend and right-hand man of crime boss Hung Yan Chau (

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...

). The film includes several other actors from ''

Infernal Affairs ''Infernal Affairs'' is a 2002 Hong Kong action thriller film co-directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Jointly written by Mak and Felix Chong, it stars Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Sammi Cheng and Kelly Chen. The film fo ...

''.Jacky cheung in Jiang Hu (2004)
lovehkfilm.com Retrieved 30 August 2007 As of 2021, he is one of a handful of Chinese singer-actors who have never starred in a television drama.

Ceremonies and spokesperson

Cheung was named the spokesperson for

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...

in 2004. He took part in a number of large-scale marketing events organised by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, beginning with the hosting of a TV program, ''Magical World of Disneyland''. He recorded a multi-lingual song for Hong Kong Disneyland, entitled ''One.'' The music video for ''One'' was filmed at Hong Kong Disneyland. He also recorded for '' Hong Kong Disneyland: The Grand Opening Celebration Album''. In December 2006, Cheung performed live the theme song "Together Now" at the

Opening Ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

of the

15th Asian Games 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious n ...

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...

, Qatar. He was introduced as "the most popular Asian performer in the world". In 2010, Cheung and

Jane Zhang Jane Zhang (; born October 11, 1984) is a Chinese singer-songwriter. She is known for her signature whistle register and has been dubbed the " Dolphin Princess" (). Zhang began performing as a teenager by singing in pubs to help earn money for ...

the Mandarin version of the

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

Celebration Mix of

K'naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominenc ...

's "

Wavin' Flag "Wavin' Flag" is a song by Somali-Canadian artist K'naan from his album ''Troubadour''. The song was originally written for Somalia and aspirations of its people for freedom. The original single was a hit in Canada and reached number two on the ...

", which was the brand's promotional anthem for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. In 2012, Cheung sang "", the cheering song of China for the 2012 London Olympics.

Personal life

On 15 February 1996 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Cheung married Hong Kong actress

May Lo May Lo Mei Wei (born 1 September 1965) is a Hong Kong former actress. Personal In 1986, Lo met singer Jacky Cheung during the filming of ''Devoted to You'', a movie that they both starred in. On 15 February 1996, they married in London, Engl ...

Mei-mei. They met during the filming of Devoted to You in 1986. The couple have two daughters, Zoe, b. 2000, and Zia, b. 2005. He is a Buddhist and a vegetarian.

Community work

In March 2009 he became the first

Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; with later influences coming from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkie ...

artist to contribute items to the

Hard Rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...

franchise memorabilia collection.CBS.
CBSnews
" ''Jacky Cheung Donates Memorabilia To Hard Rock.'' Retrieved on 12 April 2009. Items are to be exhibited at the Hard Rock hotel in

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

. A joint donation is also made to donate HK$600,000 to the Children's Cancer Foundation and ORBIS Macau. In September 2009, Cheung, was one of the super ambassadors of End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation (ECSAF) founded by

Josephine Siao Josephine Siao Fong-fong () is a Hong Kong film star who became popular as a child actress and continued her success as a mature actress, winning numerous awards including Best Actress at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival (for '' Sum ...

; he attended the charity fundraising event for ECSAF's 10th anniversary in Hong Kong.

Discography

* ''By Your Side'' was awarded one of the ''Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year'' at the 2007 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

Filmography

Awards and nominations

IFPI Gold Disc Award * 1989 87' Polygram * 1990 Polygram IFPI Platinum Disc Award * 1985 Smile Polygram * 1986 Polygram * 1987 Polygram * 1987 Jacky Polygram * 1988 Polygram * 1990 Polygram * 1990 Polygram

Golden Melody Award for Best Male Mandarin Singer The Golden Melody Award for Best Male Mandarin Singer () is an award given by the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan. It was first presented in 1990 as Best Male Singer. The award has been won by Eason Chan and Johnny Yin the most times, with three win ...

* 1998 Polygram IFPI Top 10 Sales Album * 2003 Where is he What's Music * 2004 Black & White What's Music * 2005 Live What's Music IFPI Top 10 Sales Artist * 2005 IFPI Top Sales Album * 2005 Live What's Music

References

Sources

"MTV Top 10 Christmas Songs 2010""Ovi Music Trends Top 10 Downloaded Festive Songs"

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Jacky 1961 births Living people 20th-century Hong Kong male singers 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male singers 21st-century Hong Kong male actors Hong Kong Buddhists Cantopop singers Hong Kong Mandopop singers English-language singers from Hong Kong Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong philanthropists Hong Kong idols