David Chiang Tai-wai (born Chiang Wei-nien; 29 June 1947) is a Hong Kong actor, director, producer and martial artist. A well-known martial arts actor formerly from Shaw Brothers Studio in the 1970s, he has appeared in over 130 films and 30 television series.
David Chiang | |||||||||||
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 Chiang interviewed by the press after winning the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor by In Broad Daylight on 14 April 2024 | |||||||||||
| Born | 29 June 1947 | ||||||||||
| Other names | John Chiang | ||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, producer | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1952–1963, 1967–2000, 2003–present | ||||||||||
| Spouse |
Maggie Lee (m. 1974) | ||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||
| Relatives | Paul Chun (brother) Derek Yee (half-brother) Raymond Cho (son-in-law) | ||||||||||
| Awards | Asia-Pacific Film Festival Best Actor 1970 Vengeance 1973 Blood Brothers | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||||
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| Chiang Wei-nien | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||||
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Early life
editChiang was born in Shanghai, China on 29 June 1947. Chiang's mother Hung Wei (
Career
editAt age four, Chiang began his acting career as a child actor. In 1966, while working as a stuntman and fight instructor for the Shaw Brothers Studio, Chiang was spotted by director Chang Cheh, who immediately saw his potential and screen presence, and became his mentor. Chang gave him the stage name David Chiang, even though his real English name was John.
With Wang Yu's sudden departure in 1969, Run Run Shaw and his senior executives were looking for a new leading man and made Chiang an offer. In 1970, under Chang Cheh's guidance, Chiang won the Best Actor award at the 16th Asia-Pacific Film Festival for his role in Vengeance. In 1972, at the 18th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, he won the Best Actor for his role in Blood Brothers. In 1973, at the 19th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, he won the Most Contemporary award for his role in The Generation Gap.
In 1973 Chiang left Hong Kong with his mentor Chang Cheh and set up an independent production company called Chang's Scope Company. With the help of Run Run Shaw, their films continued to be distributed through Shaw's channels. At Chang's Scope Company, Chiang worked as a director, producer, and screenwriter. As the 1970s came to an end and the 1980s approached, Chiang continued acting, working with directors Lee Han Chiang, Hsueh Li Pao, Ho Meng-hua, and Chia-Liang Liu. In 1980 he made his television debut in The Green Dragon Conspiracy, followed by Princess Chang Ping and Dynasty. In the mid-1980s, Chiang worked with his brothers, Paul Chun and Derek Yee, directing, producing and acting in the comedy Legend of the Owl. Chiang also acted in other comedy movies such as The Challenger and The Loot, directed by Eric Tseng. In the late 1980s into the early 1990s Chiang directed the movies Heaven Can Help, Silent Love, The Wrong Couples, Mr. Handsome, Double Fattiness, My Dear Son, Will of Iron, and Mother of a Different Kind. Since 2000 he has continued to work in movies and TV series, including Election, Daisy, Revolving Doors of Vengeance, Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion, Land of Wealth, The Family Link and the 2007 television series The Gem of Life. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for his role in the TVB series Revolving Doors of Vengeance.
In 2004, Chiang was inducted into The Avenue of Stars, which honours celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry. It is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Personal life
editOn 20 January 1974, Chiang married Maggie Lee Lam Lam (
He currently[as of?] lives in Vancouver, Canada with his family, but returns to Hong Kong to film movies and television dramas.
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | The Closer the Better ( |
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| 1953 | Green Heaven ( |
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| 1954 | Return ( |
Siao-ming | |
| 1956 | Blind Love ( |
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| The Orphan Girl ( |
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| 1957 | A Mellow Spring ( |
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| Little Angel of the Streets ( |
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| 1958 | The Blessed Family ( |
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| Young Vagabond ( |
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| 1959 | The Kingdom and the Beauty ( |
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| 1960 | Street Boys ( |
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| Twilight Hours ( |
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| Kiss Me Again ( |
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| The Orphan in Distress ( |
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| 1961 | Till the Clouds Roll by ( |
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| The Search of Loved One ( |
Orphan Ngau | ||
| 1962 | Ladies First ( |
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| Unspeakable Truths ( |
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| 1963 | The Lady and the Thief ( |
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| 1967 | Lady in Distress: The Invincible Fighter ( |
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| The Black Killer ( |
Extra | [1] | |
| 1968 | Golden Swallow ( |
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| Blue Falcon ( |
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| Red Lamp Shaded in Blood ( |
Extra | ||
| The White Dragon ( |
Extra | ||
| The Sword of Swords ( |
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| The Silver Fox ( |
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| Spring Morning Flying Cloud ( |
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| 1969 | Dead End ( |
David Liao Ching-Shui | |
| Have Sword, Will Travel ( |
Lo Yi | ||
| The Invincible Fist ( |
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| The Flying Dagger ( |
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| Return of the One-Armed Swordsman ( |
Yin | ||
| 1970 | The Heroic Ones ( |
Li Cunxiao | |
| The Singing Killer ( |
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| Vengeance ( |
Guan Xiaolou | ||
| The Wandering Swordsman ( |
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| The Winged Tiger (插翅 |
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| The Secret of the Dirk ( |
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| 1971 | The Anonymous Heroes ( |
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| The Deadly Duo ( |
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| Duel of Fists ( |
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| King Eagle ( |
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| The Duel ( |
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| New One-Armed Swordsman ( |
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| 1972 | Angry Guest ( |
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| Boxer from Shantung ( |
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| Four Riders ( |
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| Trilogy of Swordsmanship ( |
Mu Yuqi | Part 3: "White Water Strand" ( | |
| The Water Margin ( |
Yan Qing | ||
| Young People ( |
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| 1973 | Blood Brothers ( |
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| The Generation Gap ( |
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| The Pirate ( |
General Wu Yee | ||
| 1974 | The Two Faces of Love ( |
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| Five Shaolin Masters ( |
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| Friends ( |
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| The Savage Five ( |
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| The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires | |||
| 1975 | All Men Are Brothers ( |
Yan Qing | |
| The Empress Dowager ( |
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| The Imposter ( |
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| The Taxi Driver ( |
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| Temperament of Life ( |
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| The Young Rebel ( |
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| 1976 | The Condemned ( |
Also director | |
| The One-Armed Swordsmen ( |
Also director | ||
| 7-Man Army ( |
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| Shaolin Temple ( |
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| 1977 | Death Duel ( |
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| Judgment of an Assassin ( |
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| Magnificent Wanderers ( |
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| The Naval Commandos ( |
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| Whirlwind Kick ( |
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| Strife for Mastery ( |
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| 1978 | Shaolin Handlock ( |
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| Shaolin Mantis (螳螂) | |||
| The Red Phoenix ( |
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| Sensual Pleasures ( |
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| 1979 | Abbot of Shaolin ( |
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| Blooded Treasury Fight ( |
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| The Challenger (踢館) | |||
| The King of Fists and Dollars ( |
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| Murder Plot ( |
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| A Sword Shot at the Sun ( |
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| 1980 | Heaven and Hell Gate ( |
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| The Loot ( |
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| Fight for Glory ( |
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| The Lost Kung Fu Secrets (鈑公雞) | |||
| Six Directions of Boxing ( |
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| 1981 | The Legend of the Owl (貓頭 |
Also director | |
| Night of the Assassins ( |
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| Red Phoenix | |||
| Yee Dang Bing Chuk Chap ( |
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| Return of the Deadly Blade ( |
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| Funny Soldier (傻兵 |
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| 1982 | Play Con Game ( |
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| The Challenger ( |
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| Strife for Mastery | |||
| Till Death Do We Scare ( |
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| 1983 | Play Catch ( |
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| Sword with the Windbell ( |
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| 1984 | Heaven Can Help ( |
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| Shanghai 13 ( |
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| 1985 | Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars ( |
Cameo | |
| Yes Madam ( |
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| 1986 | Soul ( |
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| From Here to Prosperity ( |
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| Where's Office Tuba? ( |
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| 1987 | Angel ( |
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| It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World ( |
John | [2] | |
| The Wrong Couples ( |
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| 1988 | Double Fattiness ( |
Cameo, Also director | [3] |
| Tiger on Beat ( |
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| The Revenge Ghost of the Tree ( |
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| 1989 | Just Heroes ( |
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| Mr. Sunshine ( |
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| 1991 | Will of Iron ( |
Also director | |
| The Banquet ( |
Cameo | ||
| 1992 | Mary From Beijing ( |
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| Once Upon a Time in China II ( |
Luk Hou-dung | ||
| The Twin Dragons ( |
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| 1994 | What Price Survival ('94 |
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| 1995 | The Adventurers ( |
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| 1999 | The Legend of Speed ( |
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| 2003 | Star Runner ( |
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| 2005 | Election ( |
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| 2 Young ( |
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| 2006 | Daisy (데이지) | ||
| 2009 | Look for a Star ( |
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| 2012 | Love on Gallery Bridge ( |
Lin Fukun | |
| 2013 | The Rooftop ( |
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| 2014 | Kung Fu Jungle ( |
Master Chan Pak-Kwong | |
| 2015 | From Vegas to Macau II | Victor | |
| 2016 | From Vegas to Macau III | Victor | |
| 2017 | 20:16 | ||
| 2019 | Jade Dynasty 诛仙 | Cangsong Daoren |
Film (as director)
edit- The Drug Addict (1974)
- A Mad World of Fools (1974)
- The One-Armed Swordsmen (1976)
- The Condemned (1976)
- Whirlwind Kick (1977)
- The Legend of the Owl (1981)
- Heaven Can Help (1984)
- Silent Love (1986)
- Mr. Handsome (1987)
- The Wrong Couples (1987)
- Double Fattiness (1988)
- My Dear Son (1989)
- When East Meets West (1990)
- Will of Iron (1991)
- Mother of a Different Kind (1995)
Television dramas
edit| Year | Network | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | RTV | Dynasty ( |
Cang Zang | |
| 1981 | RTV | Princess Cheung Ping ( |
Jyun Joek-fei | |
| 1982 | RTV | The Green Dragon Conspiracy ( |
Ziu Hin | |
| ATV | The Conqueror ( |
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| TTV | The Return of Swords Lady Riding West on White Horse ( |
Ma Jiajun | ||
| 1984 | TTV | Jagged Generals of the Yang Family ( |
Liu Tianchi | |
| 1992 | TTV | Ma's Assassination ( |
Ma Xinyi | |
| 1993 | TVB | The Mystery of the Condor Hero ( |
Wong Yeuk-see | |
| 1994 | TVB | Fate of the Clairvoyant ( |
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| 1995 | TVB | The Fist of Law ( |
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| TVB | A Good Match from Heaven ( |
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| 1996 | ATV | The Snow is Red ( |
Luo Xuan | |
| 1998 | ATV | A Lawyer Can Be Good ( |
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| TVB | War and Remembrance ( |
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| 1999 | CETV | The Love Story in the Fantasyland ( |
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| 2000 | ATV | Hong Kong Police ( |
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| CTV | State of Divinity ( |
Qu Yang | ||
| ATV | Wonder Bar ( |
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| 2005 | TVB | Wong Fei Hung - Master of Kung Fu ( |
Wong Kei-ying | |
| TVB | Revolving Doors of Vengeance ( |
Cheung Wing-fat | Nominated - TVB Award for Best Supporting Actor (Top 5) | |
| 2006 | TVB | Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion ( |
Long Fan-wun | |
| TVB | Face to Fate ( |
Sum Sing-nam | ||
| TVB | Land of Wealth (滙通 |
Kiu Bun-yip | Nominated - TVB Award for Best Supporting Actor (Top 20) | |
| 2007 | TVB | The Family Link ( |
Ko Wing-kuen | Nominated - TVB Award for My Favourite Male Character (Top 24) |
| Mediacorp | Making Miracles ( |
Chen Guanlin | ||
| 2008 | TVB | The Master of Tai Chi ( |
Mo Chik | |
| 2008-2009 | TVB | The Gem of Life ( |
Hong Ching-yeung | |
| 2009 | TVB | The Threshold of a Persona (ID |
Mak Kai-ming | |
| TVB | A Chip Off the Old Block ( |
Cho Tsuen | Nominated - Best Supporting Actor (Top 15) | |
| Room to Let I ( |
Li Linlin | |||
| 2010 | Room to Let II ( |
Li Linlin | ||
| 2011 | TVB | Men with No Shadows ( |
Tong King-tin | |
| TVB | Grace Under Fire ( |
Wong Fei-hung | Nominated - Mingpao's 43rd Anniversary Award | |
| 2012 | TVB | Gambler ( |
Chuen | Episode 7: "Fight for Your Life" (搏老 |
| Her Whole Life (她的 |
Li Datong | |||
| HBS | The Magic Blade ( |
Xiang Yingtian | ||
| 2014 | HBS | The Loving Home ( |
Xia Lieyang | |
| 2015 | HKTV | Incredible Mama | Chung Hok-saang | |
| RCTI | Preman Pensiun | 'Kang Saef | ||
| HKTV | The Wicked League | |||
| HKTV | Hidden Faces ( |
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| 2017 | TVB | My Ages Apart ( |
Sung Lai | |
| 2018 | TVB | Birth of a Hero ( |
Ren Wofei | |
| TVB | Daddy Cool ( |
He Heping | ||
| 2019 | TVB | Big White Duel ( |
Dr. Lui Chung-hok | Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2020 | TVB | Of Greed and Ants | Mah Sing Leih/ Sing Suk / Sing Jay
Guest Role | |
| TVB | On-Lie Game (迷網) | Sze To -cham | ||
| TVB | Al Cappuccino ( |
So Wai-sun | Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 2021 | TVB | The Forgotten Day ( |
Mung Kwan-sui | Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Most Popular Male Character |
| 2022 | TVB | Stranger Anniversary ( |
Lee Kwun-hang | |
| TVB | Touch the Sky ( |
Wing Kit | Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Most Popular Male Character Nominated — TVB Anniversary Awards for Favourite TVB Actor in Malaysia | |
| TVB | Big White Duel II ( |
Dr. Lui Chung-hok | ||
| TVB | The War of Beauties ( |
Pong Kwok-tung | Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — TVB Anniversary Award for Most Popular Male Character | |
| 2023 | TVB | My Pet, My Angel ( |
Kam Ching-chung | |
| TBA | Flying Swords of Dragon Gate ( |
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| Filming | TVB | Big Biz Duel ( |
Ying Man-ho |
Gallery
edit
References
edit- ^ "The Black Killer". hkmdb.com. 8 March 1967. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World". hkmdb.com. 28 January 1987. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Double Fattiness". hkmdb.com. 19 May 1988. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ David Chiang at douban.com
- ^ David Chiang at chinesemov.com