Chow Yun-fat

Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility, encompassing action to melodrama and comedy and historical drama, he is the recipient of various accolades, including three Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actor and two Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor. In a film career spanning more than forty years, Chow has appeared in over 100 television drama series and films.

Chow was propelled to fame by TVB dramas such as ''The Good, The Bad And The Ugly'' (1979) and ''The Bund'' (1980). His first acclaimed film was the Hong Kong political drama ''The Story of Woo Viet'' (1981), in which he played a Vietnamese refugee struggling to reach the United States. He is known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in five Hong Kong action films: ''A Better Tomorrow'' (1986), which made Chow a box-office superstar in Asia, ''A Better Tomorrow II'' (1987), ''The Killer'' (1989), ''Once a Thief'' (1991), and ''Hard Boiled'' (1992). He also starred in the video game ''Stranglehold'' (2007), produced by Woo. Chow also made several popular action films with Hong Kong director Ringo Lam, including ''City on Fire'' (1987), ''Wild Search'' (1989), and ''Full Contact'' (1992). Chow is credited for bringing Hong Kong gangster films to world prominence.

His other notable Hong Kong and Chinese films include ''God of Gamblers'' (1989), ''Curse of the Golden Flower'' (2006), ''Let the Bullets Fly'' (2010), ''From Vegas to Macau'' (2014) and its two sequels (2015, 2016), and ''Office'' (2015). Chow made his Hollywood debut in ''The Replacement Killers'' (1998). He is also known in the West for ''Anna and the King'' (1999), ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' (2000), ''Bulletproof Monk'' (2003), and ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' (2007). Provided by Wikipedia