John Sham Kin-Fun (born 1952) 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 An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and film producer. His English name is sometimes written as John Shum. Whilst known primarily for his comedic acting roles in Hong Kong cinema, he also spent time as a political activist.

Biography

Shum was educated in Hong Kong, the UK and the US. Upon his return to Hong Kong, he co-founded "City Magazine" with John Chan, and worked as its editor. At the same time, he began working in television and radio. He was also a student activist in the 1970s back in his youth and was a member of a

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

vanguard party Vanguardism, a core concept of Leninism, is the idea that a revolutionary vanguard party, composed of the most conscious and disciplined workers, must lead the proletariat in overthrowing capitalism and establishing socialism, ultimately progres ...

the Revolutionary Marxist League. In 1983, he set up the film production company D&B Films, along with

Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...

and Dickson Poon. He later founded another film company with John Chan, Maverick Films Ltd. Sham's most prolific period working as an actor was during the 1980s. Of the 45 films he has appeared in, 33 were during this period. Notable appearances include Sammo Hung's Lucky Stars films '' Winners and Sinners'' (1983) and '' Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars'' (1985), and starring roles alongside comedy partner

Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-hon (27 December 1939 – 9 April 2023), also known as Richard Woo, was a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film and television career Ng a ...

in the Pom Pom series (1984–1986). Sham is credited as a producer on over 20 films, including '' Hong Kong 1941'' (1984), '' The Lunatics'' (1986), '' Legacy of Rage'' (1986) and '' The Banquet'' (1991). He also worked as an assistant director on the 1987 Michelle Yeoh film '' Magnificent Warriors'' and also has credits on a number of other films, with roles such as planning, executive production and presentation. In 1992, Sham co-hosted the

Hong Kong Film Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual List of film awards, film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies typically take place in April, and have mostly been held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Cent ...

s ceremony. Throughout much of the 1990s, films took a back seat as Shum was heavily involved with the Pro-Democracy movement in Hong Kong. In 2005, he was appointed the Executive Secretary of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, by the government-sponsored Film Development Committee (FDC). In December 2007, he was enrolled as an executive committee member of the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild. His latest role is as executive producer, alongside

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

, for the film ''Wushu'' (2008), which was directed by Antony Szeto and starred

Filmography

Films

* '' A Complicated Story'' 一個複雜故事 (2013), actor * '' A Simple Life'' 桃姐 (2011), actor * '' Bodyguards and Assassins'' 十月圍城 (2009), actor * '' Mr. Cinema'' 老港正傳 (2007), actor * '' McDull, the Alumni'' 春田花花同學會(2006), actor * ''

New Police Story ''New Police Story'' is a 2004 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Benny Chan (filmmaker), Benny Chan. It stars Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Charlene Choi, and Daniel Wu. The film was released theat ...

'' 新警察故事 (2004), actor * ''The Miracle Box'' 天作之盒 (2004), actor * '' King of Chess'' 棋王 (1991), actor * '' Yes, Madam'' 一皇家師姐 (1985), actor * '' Winners and Sinners'' 奇谋妙计五福星 (1983), actor John Shum at chinesemov.com
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shum, John 1952 births Hong Kong male actors Living people Hong Kong film producers Chinese Trotskyists