Sean Lau Ching-wan (born 16 February 1964) is a Hong Kong actor who has acted in both films and television series. He is best known for starring in the films '' C'est la vie, mon chéri'' (1993), '' My Name Is Fame'' (2006), '' Mad Detective'' (2007), '' Overheard''

film series A film series or movie series is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. It is a type of series fiction. This article explains what film series are and gives brief examples ...

(2009–2014), and '' Life Without Principle'' (2011). Most recently, Lau is known for his role in '' Detective vs Sleuths'' (2022), for which he won the

Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor is an annual Hong Kong industry award presented to an actor for the best performance by an actor in a leading role. History The award was established at the 1st Hong Kong Film Awards (1982) and the first ...

. In 2025, he won a

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 ...

, a Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award and an Asian Film Award with his performance in '' Papa'' (2024).

Career

Lau was born in Hong Kong in 1964. He joined the

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 ...

acting classes in 1983 and made his first appearance on television in the following year in the drama ''Draw Out the Rainbow''. Dark-skinned with no matinee-idol look, he struggled with minor roles until the immensely popular

stock market A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (also called shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include ''securities'' listed on a public stock exchange a ...

drama ''

The Greed of Man ''The Greed of Man'' is a Hong Kong television series first broadcast on TVB Jade in 1992.Dianying.com.Dianying.com" ''The Greed of Man.'' Retrieved on 2009-08-11. The story, spanning three decades from the 1970s to the 1990s in Hong Kong and T ...

'' (1992), where he first achieved his

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

status, and acted opposite

Adam Cheng Adam Cheng Siu-chau (born 24 February 1947; formerly known as Cheng Chong-sai and Wong Ho-chung) is a Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Limited, TVB actor and Cantopop singer. Career Cheng started his career in the 1970s, where he gained a reput ...

. His wife, Amy Kwok, who won the

Miss Hong Kong Pageant Miss Hong Kong Pageant (), or Miss HK () for short, is an annual beauty pageant organised by local Hong Kong television station, TVB. The pageant was established in 1946, and acquired by TVB in 1973. Regulations Recruitment All participants ...

in 1991, is also a well-known former television actress and co-starred with him on ''The Greed of Man''. Lau starred in two series with ATV in 1991 and again in 2000. Lau made his film debut in 1986 and since then has been cast in numerous roles. His critically acclaimed roles include acting opposite

Anita Yuen Anita Yuen Wing Yee (born 4 September 1971) is a Hong Kong actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for her roles in the films '' C'est la vie, mon chéri'' (1993), '' He's a Woman, She's a Man'' (1994), and '' From Beijing with Lo ...

as a down-and-out musician in '' C'est la vie, mon chéri'' (1993) and in a number of cop thrillers such as ''Big Bullet'' (1996), '' Full Alert'' (1997), ''

The Longest Nite ''The Longest Nite'' (, Literal Title: ''Dark Flowers'') is a 1998 Hong Kong crime thriller film directed by Patrick Yau and Johnnie To, starring Sean Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai. The film was produced by To and Wai Ka-fai along with their p ...

'' (1998), '' Running out of Time'' (1999), ''

Running Out of Time 2 ''Running Out of Time 2'' (, literal title:''Hidden War 2'') is a 2001 Hong Kong crime film, crime heist film, caper film co-directed by Johnnie To and Law Wing-cheung. It is a sequel to To's 1999 film ''Running Out of Time (1999 film), Runnin ...

'' (2001) and '' Mad Detective'' (2007). Lau is known for his versatility as an actor, having acted in a variety of genres. Lau joined Milkyway Image production house in the mid-1990s.

Personal life

Lau is married to

Miss Hong Kong Miss Hong Kong Pageant (), or Miss HK () for short, is an annual beauty pageant organised by local Hong Kong television station, TVB. The pageant was established in 1946, and acquired by TVB in 1973. Regulations Recruitment All participants ...

1991, Amy Kwok Oi Ming.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Dubbing

Lau has also done

voiceover Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...

work for films:

Host

Sean Lau at chinesemov.com
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Awards and nominations

Lau has won Best Actor Awards at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards in 1997, 2001, 2011, 2014 and the Golden Bauhinia Awards in 1999 and 2007. He also won his first Best Actor award at the

s in 2007 for his performance in the film '' My Name Is Fame''. He won his first Golden Horse Award in 2012 for his performance in '' Life Without Principle''.

References

External links

*
HK cinemagic entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Sean Ching Wan 1964 births Living people Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong male television actors TVB actors 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male actors