Boyishly handsome Tony Leung Chiu Wai’s seemingly confident swagger has not always been there. In fact, he continues to struggle with projecting that appearance when he is not acting. The Hong-Kong born Chinese actor got a slice of the hard knock life at age eight(8) when his father abandoned the family. In a society not very forgiving of single mothers, Tony’s mom was left with the task of raising Tony and his sibling.

The financial strain and stigma Tony had to endure as a result of his father’s absence caused him to become restrained and more of an introvert. As luck would have it, Tony met with the King of Hong Kong comedy and entertainment industry Stephen Chow. Chow inspired Tony to pursue an acting career, partly to help him release his frustrations and fears wihtout the stigma. Today, Tony is a reknowned television and film star who has been a six (6) time award winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards, three (3) time winner at the Golden Horse Film Awards and the winner of “Best Actor” at the Cannes Film Festival (2000) and the Asian Film Awards (2008).

His real big break through on his international scene was his work in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s 1989 film “A City of Sadness” which won the Venice Golden Lion. Robert De Niro is reportedly an admirer of his work.

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