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Andy Lau
A star of over 100 films and one of Asia's most popular singers, Andy Lau Tak-Wah was born on September 27, 1961 in Hong Kong. He grew up in a very poor area where there was not even running water -- the young Tak-Wah had to make up to eight trips a day to collect water for his family. Despite financial problems, Andy's parents encouraged him to do well in school, and upon graduating, he entered the TVB academy, where he studied acting and martial arts. After appearing on television for a couple of years, Lau moved onto films with 1982's Boat People.
As was the norm for many young stars at this time, there was an attempt to diversify Lau by having him record an album. While these types of albums usually provide some extra publicity and money for the actor, for Lau they became a second career. Though it took quite a while -- his first album (I Only Know I Love You) came out in 1985 to a minor buzz. It was not until 1990, when Lau had established himself as one of Hong Kong's top actors and TVB came up with the "Sky Kings of Cantopop" gimmick (which also promoted Aaron Kwok, Leslie Cheung and Leon Lai) that he became a bonafide pop star as well.
Lau's musical career intertwined with his acting, as he began to record songs for the movies he appeared in. Despite his success, Lau's career almost suffered a fatal flaw early on when he refused to sign a contract with TVB. Lau was blacklisted from Hong Kong television, and it was only through the intervention of Chow Yun-Fat (who was a friend of the director of Boat People, Ann Hui) that Lau began to find more work in movies.
Though having never really gained the respect of local critics or many Western fans, Lau's list of film credits is pretty impressive. Unlike many "idols," Lau has never really seemed to be pigeonholed into a certain role. While he is probably best known for romantic comedies like 2001's Love on a Diet, Lau's career has included everything from action (1991's The Last Blood and Saviour of the Soul) to comedy (1991's Tricky Brains) to art-house fare (with two Wong Kar-Wai movies, 1988's As Tears Go By and 1990's Days Of Being Wild). Lau has also become a mainstay of the modern gambling movie, appearing in many of the most popular films of the type, including 1989's Casino Raiders, which re-launched the genre.
Despite having a reputation of being hard to work with (one story has Lau refusing to smile because he thought it might make wrinkles show), Lau continues to be one of Hong Kong's most prolific and bankable actors. In fact, there were times when Lau was so popular that he was working on multiple films as well as recording songs all at once, sleeping in his car as time allowed. This dedication to work seems to have finally paid off in one respect; in 2000 Lau won the Hong Kong Film Award for his work in Running Out Of Time.
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Andy Lau - news / articles
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Hong Kong star Lau loses appeal in film stunt suit -
3 July 2009
-Hong Kong singer/actor Andy Lau is facing an increased compensation payout to a Taiwanese airline after he wrecked a helicopter in a failed film stunt.-
-Bosses at flight company Daily Air loaned Lau a chopper in 1997 for his film The Island of Greed. -
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Andy Lau - what members say
Andy Lau - filmography
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Warlords
on DVD
(2008)
Starring: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro
Director: Peter Chan, Wai Man Yip, Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Certificate: 
Watch now: £2.49
Warlords is a heroic tale of three blood brothers and their struggle in the midst of war and political upheaval. It is based on "The Assassination of Ma," a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) story about the killing of general Ma Xinyi.
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61%
from 5,383 members
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Protege
on DVD
(2007)
Starring: Louis Koo, Daniel Wu, Anita Yuen
Director: Derek Yee
Certificate: 
Nick (Daniel Wu, NEW POLICE STORY) is a narcotics agent who has gone undercover to win the trust of one of Hong Kong's drug kingpins, known as 'Banker', (Andy Lau, INFERNAL AFFAIRS). Having been groomed as Banker's protege, Nick becomes embroiled in the trade and finds himself entering a murky grey ..read more »
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59%
from 1,100 member
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Battle Of Wits - BLU-RAY Version
(2006)
Starring: Andy Lau, Sung-kee Ahn, Zhiwen Wang
Director: Chi Leung Cheung
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
In 370BC, China was separated by several small tribes, one of those being the city state of Liang. The nation of Zhao is led by the terrifying prime commander Xiang Yangzhong who orders his troops to launch an attach on Liang in a bid to conquer the small city. Leaping to the defense of the cowed ..read more »
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62%
from 180 members
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Battle Of Wits
on DVD
(2006)
Starring: Andy Lau, Sung-kee Ahn, Zhiwen Wang
Director: Chi Leung Cheung
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
In 370BC, China was separated by several small tribes, one of those being the city state of Liang. The nation of Zhao is led by the terrifying prime commander Xiang Yangzhong who orders his troops to launch an attach on Liang in a bid to conquer the small city. Leaping to the defense of the cowed ..read more »
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62%
from 554 members
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House Of Flying Daggers
on DVD
(2004)
Starring: Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro
Director: Yimou Zhang
Certificate:
Near the end of the Tang Dynasty, police deputies Jin (Kaneshiro) and Leo (Lau) tangle with Mei (Zhang), a dancer suspected of having ties to a revolutionary faction known as the House of Flying Daggers. Enraptured by her, the deputies concoct a plan to save her from capture, and Jin leads her ..read more »
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68%
from 60,539 members
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Jiang Hu
(2004)
Starring: Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Shawn Yue
Director: Wong Ching Po
Certificate:
Triad leader Hung (Andy Lau) wants to leave the triad world, but leaving means death. News coming that someone has hired an assassin to kill Hung in 12 hours. Hung's best friend Left Hand (Jacky Cheung) decides to dig the assassin out. Green triad member Wing (Shawn Yue) has been selected to be the ..read more »
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65%
from 2 members
Due for release on 30th November 2009
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Magic Kitchen
(2004)
Starring: Sheila Chan, Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng
Director: Li Chi Ngai, Chi-Ngai Lee
Certificate: 
Yau is the chef and owner of a speakeasy restaurant who cooks everything by the book. But her successful career can't compensate for an empty love life. During an appearance on the popular Japanese TV show "Iron Chef", Yau bumps into her old flame Chuen, who is about to marry Yau's best friend. ..read more »
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52%
from 15 members
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A World Without Thieves
on DVD
(2004)
Starring: Rene Liu, Ge You, Andy Lau
Director: Feng Xiaogang
Certificate:
Hong Kong cinema star Andy Lau stars in director Feng Xiaogang's crime story about con-artist couple Bo (Andy Lau, INFERNAL AFFAIRS), an expert thief from Hong Kong, and Li (Rene Liu), a beautiful grifter from Taiwan. The pair travel across China plying their crooked trade. But suddenly Li decides ..read more »
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65%
from 39 members
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Infernal Affairs
on DVD
(2002)
Starring: Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong
Director: Siu Fai Mak, Wai-keung Lau
Certificate:
Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a tense thriller featuring Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Tony Leung. The film follows the parallel lives of Ming (Lau), a cop who secretly reports to ruthless Triad crime boss Sam (Eric Tsang); and Yan (Leung), an undercover police ..read more »
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71%
from 14,581 members
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Avenging Fist
on DVD
(2001)
Starring: Sammo Hung, Stephen Fung, Yuen Biao
Director: Andy Lau, Corey Yuen-Kwai
Certificate:
Loosely based on the popular TEKKEN series of video games, THE AVENGING FIST stars HK luminaries Sammo Hung, Ekin Cheng, and Yuen Biao as three of the cadre of martial artists who have joined in the fight to reclaim the Power Glove. Stolen by the devious special agent Combat 21, the glove confers ..read more »
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49%
from 533 members
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Full Time Killer
on DVD
(2001)
Starring: Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, Simon Yam
Director: Johnny To, Wai Ka Fai
Certificate:
Johnny To (HEROIC TRIO) directs this thriller, which stars Andy Lau as Tok, a mysterious and flamboyant hitman who challenges the reigning top assassin, known as "O," for supremacy. Tok's string of high-profile and somewhat careless hits have not only made him the talk of the underworld, but also ..read more »
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61%
from 1,054 member
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The Duel
(2 discs)
on DVD
(2000)
Starring: Andy Lau, Ekin Cheng, Nick Cheung
Director: Wai Keung Lau
Certificate:
A pair of expert swordsmen (Andy Lau and Ekin Cheng) prepare for a climactic duel on top of the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City. Meanwhile, a top minister is assigned to sell tickets and discovers that treachery is afoot and assassination attempts on the emperor must be foiled. THE DUEL is a ..read more »
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55%
from 495 members
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Running Out Of Time
on DVD
(1999)
Starring: Wai Ai, Shiu Hung Hui, Suet Lam
Director: Johnny To
Certificate:
Wah's doctors tell him that he has 2 weeks left to live, so he figures he has nothing to lose by committing a few crimes. As he takes on the Hong Kong Police Force, one negotiator is determined to stop him from continuing with his plans, but who will put the most on the line in order to carry out ..read more »
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56%
from 787 members
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The Conman 1999
(1998)
Starring: Andy Lau, Nick Cheung, Athena Chu
Director: Jing Wong
Certificate:
The God of Gamblers series continues. King, the successor to the original God of Gambler, accidentally kills an assassin and is sentenced to five years in prison. He eventually tries to help a friend win money on a gambling banker and his assistant, whose brother was the assassin King killed. The "..read more »
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57%
from 8 members
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Island Of Greed
on DVD
(1997)
Starring: Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Paulyn Sun
Director: Michael Mak
Certificate:
A criminal mastermind (Tong Leung) is running for government office in Taiwan. It's up to a police detective (Andy Lau) and his cohorts to probe the candidate's campaign and see if he's cleaned up his act, after all. The action, of course, leads to a violent face-off.
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46%
from 195 members
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Rich And Famous
on DVD
(1997)
Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Danny Lee, Andy Lau
Director: Taylor Wong
Certificate:
A gambling debt gone awry now has Yung (Alex Man) running for his life. In desperation, he turns to triad leader Lee Ah-Chai (Chow Yun-Fat, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) for money, protection and employment for himself, his sister and stepbrother Kwok (Andy Lau). Things looking pretty good for a ..read more »
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46%
from 437 members
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Young And Dangerous
on DVD
(1996)
Starring: Jordan Chan, Dior Cheng, Francis Ng
Director: Andy Lau
Certificate:
Andrew Lau's YOUNG AND DANGEROUS follows Chan Ho-Nam (Cheng Ekin) and his friends as they become formidable players within the notorious Hung Hing Society gangster triad. Aided by Uncle B (Chi-Hung Ng) and society head, Mr. Chiang (Simon Yam), Chan and his entourage thrive. However, a failed ..read more »
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62%
from 351 members
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Young And Dangerous 3
on DVD
(1996)
Starring: Jordan Chan, Ekin Cheng, Gigi Lai
Director: Andy Lau
Certificate:
Third--and most ambitious--installment in the popular "Triad youth" franchise, which finds unrepentant Hong Kong teenagers climbing the ladder of a Triad gang. Very violent, slick, and stylish, with character chemistry that balances the disturbing subject matter.
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62%
from 238 members
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Young And Dangerous 2
on DVD
(1996)
Starring: Jordan Chan, Gigi Lai, Chingamy Yau
Director: Andy Lau
Certificate:
A member of the Hing Hing Society and branch leader opens his first club which he celebrates with his girlfriend and high society members. Later when a power struggle erupts, the Hing Hing Society is threatened...
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62%
from 257 members
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Naked Killer 2
on DVD
(1993)
Starring: Chingamy Yau, Mark Cheng, Simon Yam
Director: Andy Lau
Certificate:
This freestanding sequel to NAKED KILLER follows a suave serial rapist and killer in his pursuit of two more victims. Recommended for adults only and available in Mandarin.
Rate this:
39%
from 337 members
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Days Of Being Wild
on DVD
(1990)
Starring: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Certificate: 
York was abandoned in his childhood, and spent much of his youth drifting from one friendship to the next, in the hope of discovering the identity of his birth mother. Though his foster mother is aware that she moved to the Philippines, she refuses to tell York. Yet, thanks to one of his lovers, he ..read more »
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62%
from 1,346 member
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Island Of Fire
on DVD
(1990)
Starring: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wang Yu
Director: Yin-Ping Chu
Certificate:
Jackie Chan plays a shrewd cop who goes undercover with a team of mercenaries when a man he put away two years before commits a murder. The film features the great Sammo Hung as well as the terrific Tony Leung Ka Fai.
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54%
from 757 members
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God Of Gamblers
on DVD
(1990)
Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Andy Lau
Director: Wong Jing
Certificate:
Violent action, intense drama and Hong Kong comedy set against the backdrop of Hong Kong's notorious gambling circuit.
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63%
from 1,138 member
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As Tears Go By
on DVD
(1988)
Starring: Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Certificate:
A sombre, atmospheric, almost brooding film set in the frenetic and garish Mongkok district in Hong Kong, AS TEARS GO BY is art house auteur and romantic Wong Kar-Wai's first feature film. It sets the tone of films to come, exemplary of the director's existential preoccupations and obsession with ..read more »
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57%
from 816 members
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Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars
on DVD
(1985)
Starring: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao
Director: Sammo Hung
Certificate:
Rollicking follow-up to the comic blockbuster "My Lucky Stars," with former "Little Fortunes" Hung, Chan, and Biao resurrecting their famous slapstick chemistry once more as crimefighters called upon to save a kingpin from assassins. Available in Mandarin.
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60%
from 1,005 member
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Drunken Master 3
on DVD
Starring: Gordon Liu, Andy Lau
Director: Chia-Liang Liu
Certificate:
Third in the series of DRUNKEN MASTER films, and having absolutely nothing to do with its predecessors, DRUNKEN MASTER III is set in China, 1915, and is based on the story of the folk hero Wong Fei-Hung. The film stars Michelle Reis as Sum Yu, a young princess betrothed to the dictator Yuan Shih-..read more »
Rate this:
42%
from 126 members
Andy Lau - watch online
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Warlords
to Watch Now
(2007)
Starring: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro
Director: Peter Chan, Wai Man Yip, Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Certificate: 
Watch now: £2.49
Run time: 112 minutes
One of the most stunningly realized spectacles of all time is unleashed, pushing dazzling action and extraordinary scenes of combat to breathtaking limits rarely seen in modern cinema. This incredible story of the last great Warlords is the epic reborn! Under the corrupt rule of the Qing dynasty, ..read more »
Rate this:
74%
from 70 members
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Battle of Wits
to Watch Now
(2006)
Starring: Andy Lau, Sung-kee Ahn, Zhiwen Wang
Director: Chi Leung 'Jacob' Cheung
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
Run time: 132 minutes
Set during the harrowing, hell-ravaged era of the infamous warlords, the small city state of Liang lies defenseless against the terrifying hordes of the Zhao nation. Their salvation lies in one man, Ge Li ("Infernal Affairs" superstar Andy Lau). A mysterious, nomadic warrior, Ge Li possesses an awe-..read more »
Rate this:
80%
from 1 member
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Andy Lau facts
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How it should be done... 10 July 2004
...ilmed with the kind of swagger that John Woo wishes he could pull off nowadays. Andy Lau brings his usual charisma to the role of Tok, the number 1 assassin around, and...
A fine follow up 6 February 2005
