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Craig Fong

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Craig Fong
Born
Craig Robert Fong

(1970-10-22) 22 October 1970 (age 54)
Carnarvon, Western Australia, Australia
Alma materCentral Institute of Technology
Occupation(s)Film actor,
Stage actor,
Television actor,
Author
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Websitecraigfong.com

Craig Robert Fong (born 22 October 1970), known professionally as Craig Fong is an Australian actor. Fong has performed across a wide spectrum of leading and supporting roles in a variety of low-budget and studio films, ranging from drama to horror and action films.

Early life

Craig Fong was born in Carnarvon, Western Australia. In this small country town with less than five thousand residents, Craig grew up in a somewhat isolated outback environment and was first cast in the stage comedy ‘Custards Last Stand’. At fourteen Craig moved to Perth to continue his studies at Rossmoyne Senior High School but there were no drama classes, instead he picked up photography with the intention of eventually becoming a film director.

After high school he enrolled into the Central Institute of Technology located in Perth, majoring in film production and animation. During his three years he won Best Television Commercial and his actor Matt Thompson won Best Male Actor for a short film he made in 1991 at the Film and Television Institute (FTI) Awards in Fremantle. The following year he was nominated for Best Documentary at the same event.

His partner at the time, a prominent model, introduced him to her agent and thus was cast in his first television commercial for Western Australian Tourism.

Career

Craig left Perth for Sydney to pursue an acting career. He was an extra on Thank God He Met Lizzie, ‘Hart to Hart Down Under’ and was featured in a Crowded House music video, Instinct. From there he left for Singapore and modelled for Elite Singapore and then with Mannequin Studio.

His travels took him to Malaysia where his first real acting break came from a Hollywood movie Entrapment, where he spent five days standing next to Catherine Zeta-Jones as the right-hand-man of Maury Chaykin’s character. He did not have a large part in this movie. In fact, it was a very small one with a one-word line. In 1999 Craig was cast in his first lead role in an independent film Spinning Gasing portraying Harry, a young musician who is caught between culture, religion and love. ‘Spinning Gasing’ was later garnished with awards from the Hawaii International Film Festival, Slamdunk Film Festival in Utah and the CINEFAN Film Festival in Bombay.

Craig briefly returned to Singapore to work in mostly movies made for television with longtime friend and director Kabir Bhatia. Together they made ‘On the Wings of Butterflies’ playing a Japanese soldier who falls in love with a local Chinese Singaporean girl during World War II and ’Full Circle’.

After two years in Singapore he returned to his home in Perth and met playwright John Aitken where he was cast as an Imperial Princess in ‘Imperial Façade’, a Russian Mongolian soldier in ‘Ships Pass Quietly’ and a doppelgänger in ‘Lost is my Quiet’ where he was awarded Best Supporting Actor at the October 2007, 8th Annual Equity Guild Awards in Western Australia.

It was also the same year he played Bao Tang in the Australian feature film, The Line with Andy Mcphee, Peter Phelps, Ferdinand Hoang and John Flaus. A crime thriller, that takes an uncompromising journey into the world of police corruption.

In June 2009, Craig was cast in the Malaysian epic feature film Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa (also known internationally as The Malay Chronicle: Bloodlines), playing the role of Admiral Liu Yun where the fight scenes were shot on the shores of Kuala Terengganu.

In August of the same year he appeared as the love interest Karl Vincent in the television series, Wadi Unung for Astro Prima. While post-production continued on The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines, Fong began shooting on the WWII mini-series Akinabalu in February 2010 alongside Dira Abu Zahar and Aaron Aziz, as the Japanese Lieutenant Tanaka. The Astro Citra miniseries, directed by Kabir Bhatia, was based on the Japanese occupation of South-East Asia, particularly the Sandakan Death Marches.

Craig can be seen in many German based productions, including Liebe und Tod auf Java (‘Love and Death in Java’). Directed by Heidi Kranz. Screenplay by Christian Schmidt and produced by teamWorx Television & Film GmbH. The cast included, Muriel Baumeister, Francis Fulton-Smith, Julia Thurnau, Sönke Möhring and Gottfried John. Set in a tobacco plantation in Java during the 1920s just before World War II had been declared and Nazi persecution had begun.

Verloren auf Borneo, (‘Lost in Borneo’). A German made movie about Borneo's endangered Orangutans, which in the film is highly threatened by deforestation. Starring Hannes Jaenicke, Mirjam Weichselbraun and Patrick Heyn.

Craig worked on ‘Fragrant Harbour’ Hafen der Düfte with German actress Veronica Ferres who was also co-producer and acted with Russell Wong and Matthew Marsh. The story based on the novel by Harold Nebenza. Directed by Peter Gersina for teamWorx Television & Film GmbH.

In November 2011, Craig Fong was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines at the Anugerah Skrin in Malaysia.

In 2013 Craig teamed up once again with writer and director Kabir Bhatia on Gila Baby. On February of the same year, he starred in the Malaysian drama film Cuak.

March 2013 – Das Traumschiff which is Germany's longing running television series filmed in and around Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi. Craig Fong playing the character Beto alongside actor Nick Wilder.

June 2018 – Filming began on The Heights by Matchbox Pictures for the ABC Australia and NBC America. Fong plays the role of Benny.

January 2020 - Filming of the feature film, Talbis Iblis (Devil's Deceptions) in Kuala Lumpur directed by Kabir Bhatia.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Spinning Gasing Harry Lee
1999 Entrapment Admiral Lui Yun
2009 The Line Bao Tang
2011 The Malay Chronicles Admiral Lui Yun
2011 Akinabalu The Movie Lieutenant Tanaka
2014 Cuak The Man in Blue
2014 Gila Baby Mongol

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Kopitiam William 3 episodes
2004 Bully Daniel Lum
2005 On The Wings Of A Butterfly Kenji
2010 Wadi Unung Karl Vincent 24 episodes
2011 Crossings Corporal Kanada
2011 Akinabalu Lieutenant Tanaka 8 episodes
2012 Verloren auf Borneo Setiawan
2012 Liebe Und Tod Auf Java Tojo Murakami
2013 What If
2019 The Heights Benny 8 episodes
Theatre
Year Production Playwright Role Notes
2005 Imperial Facade John Aitken Princess Wing Lee
2007 Lost Is My Quiet John Aitken Simon Brewster
2006 Ships Pass Quietly John Aitken Yuri

References

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