Andy Lau

Not to be confused with director Andrew Lau.

Andy Lau

Andy Lau Tak-wah (simplified Chinese: 刘德华; traditional Chinese: 劉德華; pinyin: Liú Déhuá; Cantonese: Làu Dākwà) (born September 27, 1961 in Hong Kong as 劉福榮 Làu Fūkwìng) is a Hong Kong pop star and a movie actor.

The first lead role that made his initial popularity was the TVB series Hunting in 1982. In the same year, Andy began acting in his first movie Boat People. Later in 1983, his role as Yang Guo in wuxia TV serial The Return of the Condor Heroes made him even more popular and landed him his first leading role in a Shaw Brothers' film called On the Wrong Track.

Andy's most recent role was in Battle of Wits in 2006.

Movie highlights

File:Andy lau6.jpg

Top: Andy Lau (right) with Idy Chan in 1983 TVB The Return of the Condor Heroes - Bottom: Andy Lau (left) with Takeshi Kaneshiro in 2004 House of Flying Daggers

He has since appeared in more than 100 films, and has a huge fan base throughout Asia with the success of both his onscreen performance and his musical career. Andy Lau is best known for his (often) recurring roles in the King of Gamblers.

Lau is known to some more for his good looks than for his strengths of acting, though he has answered his critics since the turn of the century in a series of critically acclaimed movies, especially those directed by Johnnie To. His first major acting prizes came with A Fighter's Blue and Running Out of Time in 2000. In 2004, he won the prestigious Golden Horse Award for his performance in Infernal Affairs 3, the sequel to the popular Infernal Affairs. Western audiences may also be familiar with his performance in the House of Flying Daggers.

Andy Lau was awarded "No.1 Box Office Actor 1985-2005" of Hong Kong, yielding a total box office of HKD 1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in the past 20 years. It is compared to the first runner-up Stephen Chow (HKD 1,317,452,311) and second runner-up Jackie Chan (HKD 894,090,962). "I've never imagined that would be as much as 1.7 billion!" he told the reporters.

Musical career highlights

He is also one of the more successful Chinese music celebrities, with an extensive list of Cantonese and Mandarin hits to his credit. His first music contract came in 1985, but his singing career reached stellar status in 1990 with the release of the album entitled 可不可以 "Would It Be Possible?", and his subsequent releases only solidified his status as a marketable singer. Andy Lau along with Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai also named as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王 Cantonese: sêi daài tïn wong, Pinyin: sì dà tiān wáng).

Andy Lau also entered into Guinness World Records for "Most Awards Won By A Canto-Pop Male Artist". By April 2000, Andy Lau had won an unprecedented 292 awards, for a singing career that began in 1988. Since 1992, Lau has appeared in concert 179 times. That said, sales of his recordings have dwindled from the late 1990s, and while he is still being able to maintain his reputation as a renowned showbiz entertainer, principally by means of his movies, his recording career has been overtaken by the younger generation of singers.

The most notable hits by Andy Lau include 一起走過的日子 (The Days We Passed Together), 愛不完 (Neverending Love), 潮水 (The Tide), 忘情水 (Forget Love Potion), 中國人 (Chinese People), 笨小孩 (Stupid Child), 愛你一萬年 (Love You Forever (lit. Love You For 10,000 Years)), 你是我的女人 (You Are My Woman), 暗裡著迷.

As well as being a versatile singer, Andy Lau also writes lyrics and composes music for many of his songs.

Trivia

• Lau has demonstrated a proficient command of Chinese calligraphy during onstage performances.
• In 2003, he started his own media company called Focus Group Holdings Limited.

Discography

Note: Compilations with no new material are not included on this list. English titles in italic indicates the name is simply a translation of the Chinese title as no official English title exists.

Year	Album	English Title	Label	Notes
1985	只知道此刻愛你		華星 (Capital Artists)	Cantonese Album
1987	情感的禁區		EMI	Cantonese Album
1988	回到你身邊	Back for You	EMI	Cantonese Album
1989	劉德華	Andy Lau	EMI	Cantonese Album
1989	在夢裡 - 愛的連線		EMI / Impact	Cantonese Album
1990	可不可以 - 誰說不可以		IPS	Cantonese Album
1990	如果妳是我的傳說	If You Are My Legend	IPS	Mandarin Album
1990	再會了		IPS	Cantonese Album
1991	愛不完	Neverending Love	IPS	Cantonese Album
1991	我和我追逐的夢		IPS	Mandarin Album
1991	一起走過的日子	The Days We Passed Together	IPS	Cantonese Album
1991	不可不信……緣		IPS	Cantonese Album
1991	來生緣		IPS	Mandarin Album
1992	愛的空間		IPS	Cantonese Album
1992	謝謝你的愛	Thank You For Your Love	IPS	Mandarin Album
1992	真我的風采		WEA	Cantonese Album
1993	答案就是你	The Answer is You	WEA	Cantonese Album
1993	寧願我傷心 - 一生一次		WEA	Mandarin Album
1993	愛意		WEA	Cantonese Album
1994	忘情水	Forget Love Potion	WEA	Mandarin Album
1994	五時三十分	5:30	WEA	Cantonese Album
1994	天意	Fate	WEA	Mandarin Album
1995	真永遠 Always Andy	Always Andy	Music Impact	Mandarin Album
1995	情未鳥		Music Impact	Cantonese Album
1996	相思成災		Music Impact / BMG	Mandarin Album
1996	在乎你	Caring About You	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese Album
1996	反轉紅館倒轉地球 劉德華演唱會 96		Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese / Mandarin Live Album
1996	因為愛	Because of Love	Music Impact / BMG	Mandarin Album
1997	愛如此神奇	Love is Mysterious	Music Impact / BMG	Mandarin / Cantonese Album
1997	真生命	Real Life	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese Album
1997	愛在刻骨銘心時		Music Impact / BMG	Mandarin Album
1998	你是我的女人	You Are My Woman	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese Album
1998	笨小孩	Stupid Child	Music Impact / BMG	Mandarin / Cantonese Compilation
1999	回家真好	Good To Be Back Home	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese / Mandarin Compilation
1999	人間愛	Love in the World	Music Impact / BMG	Mandarin Album
1999	劉德華演唱會 99	Andy Lau in Concert 99	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese / Mandarin Live Album
1999	愛無知	Love is Innocent	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese Album
2000	Just For You	Just For You	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese / Mandarin EP
2000	男人的愛	Men's Love	Music Impact / BMG	Mandarin Album
2000	心藍	Heart's Blue	Music Impact / BMG	Cantonese Album
2001	The Melody Andy Vol. 8	The Melody Andy Vol. 8	NMG / BMG	Cantonese / Mandarin Compilation
2001	天開了	Daybreak	Multi-Talent / BMG	Mandarin Album
2001	夏日 Fiesta	Summer Fiesta	Multi-Talent / BMG	Cantonese / Mandarin EP
2001	夏日 Fiesta 演唱會 2001	Andy Lau in Concert 2001	Multi-Talent / BMG	Cantonese / Mandarin Live Album
2002	美麗的一天	A Better Day	Catchy / EMI	Mandarin Album
2002	你是我的驕傲演唱會	Proud of You	Catchy / EMI	Cantonese / Mandarin Live Album
2003	如果有一天	If One Day	Catchy / EMI	Cantonese Album
2004	Coffee or Tea	Coffee or Tea	Ever Song	Cantonese Album
2004	劉德華 Vision Tour 2004 演唱會	Andy Lau Vision Tour 2004	Ever Song	Cantonese / Mandarin Live Album
2005	再說一次‧我愛你	All About Love	Focus Music	Mandarin Album
2005	繼續談情	Best of My Love	Focus Music	Cantonese / Mandarin Compilation
2006	聲音	Voice	Focus Music	Cantonese Album
2006	聲音	Voice CD+DVD Limited Birthday Celebration Version 27/09/06	Focus Music	Cantonese Album

Filmography

In chronological order

Year	English Title	Chinese Title	Role
1982	Boat People		Actor
1983	Home At Hong Kong		Actor
1983	On the Wrong Track		Actor
1984	Everlasting Love		Actor
1984	The Deer and the Cauldron		Actor
1985	Shanghai 13		Actor
1985	The Unwritten Law	法外情	Actor
1986	Magic Crystal		Actor
1986	Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars	夏日福星	Actor
1986	Lucky Stars Go Places		Actor
1987	Rich And Famous	江湖情	Actor
1987	Sworn Brothers	肝膽相照	Actor
1987	Tragic Hero	英雄好漢	Actor
1988	As Tears Go By	旺角卡門	Actor
1988	The Crazy Companies	最佳損友	Actor
1988	The Crazy Companies II	最佳損友闖情關	Actor
1988	The Dragon Family	龍之家族	Actor
1988	In the Blood		Actor
1988	Last Eunuch in China		Actor
1988	The Romancing Star 2	精裝追女仔2	Actor
1988	Three Against The World	群龍奪寶	Actor
1988	The Truth	法內情	Actor
1988	Walk On Fire	獵鷹計劃	Actor
1989	Bloody Brotherhood	同根生	Actor
1989	Casino Raiders	至尊無上	Actor
1989	China White		Actor
1989	City Kids	人海孤鴻	Actor
1989	Crocodile Hunter	專釣大鱷	Actor
1989	The First Time Is The Last Time	第一繭	Actor
1989	God of Gamblers	賭神	Actor
1989	Little Cop		Actor
1989	Long Arm of the Law III	省港旗兵第三集	Actor
1989	News Attack		Actor
1989	Perfect Match		Actor
1989	Proud and Confident		Actor
1989	The Romancing Star 3	精裝追女仔3之狼之一族	Actor
1989	Runaway Blues		Actor
1989	Stars And Roses	愛人同志	Actor
1989	The Truth - Final Episode	法內情大結局	Actor
1990	Days of Being Wild	阿飛正傳	Actor
1990	Dragon in Jail	獄中龍	Actor
1990	The Fortune Code	富貴兵團	Actor
1990	Gangland Odyssey	義膽雄心	Actor
1990	God of Gamblers II	賭俠	Actor
1990	A Home Too Far		Actor
1990	Island of Fire		Actor
1990	Kawashima Yoshiko	川島芳子	Actor
1990	Kung Fu vs Acrobatic	摩登如來神掌	Actor
1990	A Moment Of Romance	天若有情	Actor
1990	No Risk, No Gain (Casino Raiders - The Sequel)	至尊計狀元才	Actor
1990	Return Engagement	再戰江湖	Actor
1991	The Banquet	豪門夜宴	Cameo
1991	Casino Raiders 2	至尊無上II之永霸天下	Actor
1991	Dance with the Dragon	與龍共舞	Actor
1991	Don't Fool Me	中環英雄	Actor
1991	Hong Kong Godfather	衝擊天子門生	Actor
1991	The Last Blood	驚天十二小時	Actor
1991	Lee Rock	五億探長雷洛傳: 雷老虎	Actor
1991	Lee Rock II	五憶探長雷洛傳II: 父子情仇	Actor
1991	Saviour of the Soul		Actor
1991	The Tigers	五虎將之決裂	Actor
1991	Tricky Brains	整蠱專家	Actor
1991	Zodiac Killer	極道追蹤	Actor
1992	Casino Tycoon	賭城大亨之新哥傳奇	Actor
1992	Casino Tycoon 2	賭城大亨II之至尊無敵	Actor
1992	Come Fly The Dragon		Actor
1992	Gameboy Kids	機Boy小子之真假威龍	Actor
1992	Gun N' Rose		Actor
1992	Handsome Siblings	絕代雙驕	Actor
1992	The Moon Warriors	戰神傳說	Actor
1992	The Prince Of Temple Street	廟街十二少	Actor
1992	Saviour Of The Soul 2	92神鵰俠侶：痴心情長劍	Actor
1992	The Sting	俠聖	Actor
1992	What A Hero!	嘩！英雄	Actor
1993	Days Of Tomorrow	天長地久	Actor
1993	Future Cops	超級學校霸王	Actor
1994	Drunken Master II	醉拳II	Cameo
1994	Drunken Master III	醉拳III	Actor
1994	A Taste Of Killing And Romance	殺手的童話	Actor
1994	The Three Swordmen	刀劍笑	Actor
1994	Tian Di	天與地	Actor, Producer
1995	The Adventurers	大冒險家	Actor
1995	Full Throttle	烈火戰車	Actor
1996	What A Wonderful World	奇異旅程之真心愛生命	Actor
1996	A Moment of Romance 3	天若有情Ⅲ之烽火佳人	Actor
1996	Shanghai Grand	新上海灘	Actor
1996	Thanks For Your Love	1/2次同床	Actor
1997	Armageddon	天地雄心	Actor
1997	Cause We Are So Young	求戀期	Cameo
1997	Made in Hong Kong	香港製造	Producer only
1997	Island of Greed	黑金	Actor
1998	A True Mob Story	龍在江湖	Actor
1998	The Conman	賭俠1999	Actor
1998	The Longest Summer	去年煙花特別多	Producer only
1999	Fascination Amour	愛情夢幻號	Actor
1999	Prince Charming	黑馬王子	Actor
1999	The Conmen In Vegas	賭俠大戰拉斯維加斯	Actor
1999	Century Of The Dragon	龍在邊緣	Actor
1999	Running Out Of Time	暗戰	Actor
2000	The Duel	決戰紫禁之巔	Actor
2000	Needing You	孤男寡女	Actor
2000	A Fighter's Blues	阿虎	Actor, Producer
2001	Love On A Diet	瘦身男女	Actor
2001	Fulltime Killer	全職殺手	Actor, Producer
2001	Dance of a Dream	愛君如夢	Actor, Producer
2002	Fat Choi Spirit	嚦咕嚦咕新年財	Actor
2002	The Wesley's Mysterious File	衛斯理藍血人	Actor
2002	Infernal Affairs	無間道	Actor
2002	Golden Chicken	金雞	Cameo
2003	Cat And Mouse	老鼠愛上貓	Actor
2003	Give Them a Chance	給他們一個機會	Cameo
2003	Running on Karma	大隻佬	Actor
2003	Infernal Affairs III	無間道III: 終極無間	Actor
2003	Golden Chicken 2	金雞2	Actor
2004	Magic Kitchen	魔幻廚房	Actor
2004	Jiang Hu	江湖	Actor
2004	McDull, Prince de la Bun	麥兜．菠蘿油王子	Voice only
2004	House of Flying Daggers	十面埋伏	Actor
2004	Yesterday Once More	龍鳳鬥	Actor
2004	A World Without Thieves	天下無賊	Actor
2005	Wait 'Til You're Older	童夢奇緣	Actor
2005	All About Love	再說一次我愛你	Actor,producer
2006	I'll Call You	得閒飲茶	Cameo
2006	A Battle of Wits	墨攻	Actor
2007	Protege		Actor

Duets

• With Anita Mui
  • Dance of a Dream
  • Don't Say Love Hurts
  • Moon Represents My Heart

• With Jacky Cheung
  • Miao Xiang Tian Kai

• With Kelly Chen
  • I Think I Don't Love You Enough

• With Sammi Cheng
  • Happily Ever After

• With Sharon Cuneta
  • In Your Eyes

• With Tony Leung
  • 無間道 (廣東版) - Infernal Affairs (Cantonese Version) (2002)
  • 無間道 (國語版) - Infernal Affairs (Mandarin Version) (2002)

See also

• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Cantopop

External links

• Official site for Andy Lau (Chinese)
• Andy World Club - Andy Lau's Official Fan Club (Chinese)