LC
Leslie Cheung
Actor, Writer, Producer, Additional Credits
Born September 12, 1956Died April 1, 2003 (46 years)
Cheung Kwok-Wing (Chinese: 張國榮, English name: Leslie, September 12, 1956 – April 1, 2003) was a Hong Kong Canadian singer and actor. Born in Hong Kong, Leslie Cheung moved to the United Kingdom in 1971, settling in Leeds, where he enrolled at university to study fashion design. After completing his studies, he returned to Hong Kong and, in 1977, took part in an amateur singing competition—the ATV Asian Music Contest—where he won second prize. The following year, he released his first album, I Like Dreaming. He soon began appearing on television and quickly landed his first film role in Erotic Dreams of the Red Chamber (1978), an erotic production that Cheung himself later described as a “shameful disaster.”
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 pioneers that shaped the identity of Cantopop during the 1980s and became known for his flamboyant, often outrageous stage appearance. His venture into acting in the 1990s was recognized for his portrayal of queer characters in the then-conservative film industry, he was one of the few Hong Kong actors willing to take on gay roles—such as in Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together—or to play a cross-dressing opera performer in Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1993. His career was marked with both praise and criticism, with numerous public discussions focusing on his sexual orientation and androgynous persona.
Leslie Cheung died by suicide on April 1, 2003, at the age of 46, by jumping from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. In the note he left behind, he stated that he had been suffering from depression. Some, however, have speculated that his suicide was due to heartbreak, while others have claimed he had long been living with HIV and that AIDS had recently developed.
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 pioneers that shaped the identity of Cantopop during the 1980s and became known for his flamboyant, often outrageous stage appearance. His venture into acting in the 1990s was recognized for his portrayal of queer characters in the then-conservative film industry, he was one of the few Hong Kong actors willing to take on gay roles—such as in Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together—or to play a cross-dressing opera performer in Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1993. His career was marked with both praise and criticism, with numerous public discussions focusing on his sexual orientation and androgynous persona.
Leslie Cheung died by suicide on April 1, 2003, at the age of 46, by jumping from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. In the note he left behind, he stated that he had been suffering from depression. Some, however, have speculated that his suicide was due to heartbreak, while others have claimed he had long been living with HIV and that AIDS had recently developed.
Known For
Filmography
| 2017 | Duckweed · as Cast |
| 2002 | Inner Senses · as Jim Law |
| 2000 | Okinawa Rendez-vous · as Jimmy Tong |
| 2000 | And I Hate You So · as C.h. Yuen |
| 2000 | Double Tap · as Rick Y.h.pang |
| 1999 | The Kid · as Wing / Daniel |
| 1999 | Moonlight Express · as Tatsuya Misawa / Shek Karbo |
| 1998 | A Time to Remember · as Jin |
| 1998 | Anna Magdalena · as Editor |
| 1998 | |
| 1998 | Ninth Happiness · as Ma Lun Cheung / Tok Choi |
| 1997 | Happy Together · as Ho Po-Wing |
| 1996 | Viva Erotica · as Sing |
| 1996 | Who's the Woman, Who's the Man · as Sam Koo Gai Ming |
| 1996 | Shanghai Grand · as Hui Man Keung |
| 1996 | Temptress Moon · as Yu Zhongliang |
| 1996 | Tri-Star · as Chung Kwok Keung |
| 1995 | The Phantom Lover · as Song Danping |
| 1995 | The Chinese Feast · as Chiu Kong Sun |
| 1994 | Ashes of Time · as Ouyang Feng / Malicious West |
| 1994 | The Long and Winding Road · as Lam Chiu-Wing |
| 1994 | He's a Woman, She's a Man · as Sam Koo Gai Ming |
| 1994 | It's a Wonderful Life · as Roberto |
| 1993 | The Bride with White Hair II · as Cho Yi Hang |
| 1993 | The Bride with White Hair · as Cho Yi Hang |
| 1993 | The Eagle Shooting Heroes · as Huang Yaoshi |
| 1993 | All's Well, Ends Well Too · as David Copper Feel |
| 1993 | Farewell My Concubine · as Cheng Dieyi / Xiao Douzi |
| 1992 | Arrest the Restless · as Teddy |
| 1992 | All's Well, Ends Well · as Shang So |
| 1991 | The Banquet · as Little B-Head |
| 1991 | Once a Thief · as James / Jim |
| 1990 | Days of Being Wild · as Yuddy |
| 1990 | A Chinese Ghost Story II · as Ling Choi-San |
| 1989 | Mad Mission V: The Terracotta Hit · as Brother Thief |
| 1988 | Fatal Love · as Chi Ken Wing |
| 1987 | A Better Tomorrow II · as Sung Chi Kit |
| 1987 | Rouge · as Chan Chen-Pang |
| 1987 | A Chinese Ghost Story · as Ling Choi-San |
| 1986 | Last Song in Paris · as Louie |
| 1986 | A Better Tomorrow · as Sung Chi Kit |
| 1985 | For Your Heart Only · as Piggy Chan |
| 1984 | Merry Christmas · as John |
| 1984 | Behind the Yellow Line · as Paul Chan |
| 1984 | Long feng zhi duo xing · as Inspector Chan Wing |
| 1983 | Little Dragon Maiden · as Yang Guo / Yang Kang |
| 1983 | |
| 1982 | Nomad · as Louis |
| 1982 | Energetic 21 · as Ben Leung Man Bun |
| 1982 | Teenage Dreamers · as Jackson Chen |
| 1981 | On Trial · as Wing |
| 1980 | Encore · as Gigo |
| 1979 | The Spirit of the Sword (TV Series) · as 方宝玉 |
| 1978 | Hong lou chun shang chun · as Jia Baoyu |