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Personal Info

Birth date

1962-06-22 (63 Years)

Gender

Male

Known for

Acting

Place of birth

Hong Kong, British Crown Colony [now China]

Also known as

주성치
Stephen Chow Sing-Chi
Zhōu Xīngchí
Sing-Chi Chow
Stephen Chow
周星馳
周星驰
Zhou Xingchi
Zhou Xing-chi
Châu Tinh Trì
استیون چو
چو سین چی
星仔
星爺
星爷
Chow Sing-Chi

Stephen Chow

Biography

Stephen Chow Sing-Chi (Chinese: 周星馳) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, actor, and producer.

Stephen Chow was born in Hong Kong on 22 June 1962 to Ling Po Yee, an alumna of Guangzhou Normal University, and Chow Yik Sheung, an immigrant from Ningbo, Zhejiang. Chow has an elder sister named Chow Man Kei and a younger sister named Chow Sing Ha. Chow's given name "Sing-chi" derives from Tang dynasty Chinese poet Wang Bo's essay Preface to the Prince of Teng's Pavilion.After his parents divorced when he was seven, Chow was raised by his mother. Chow attended Heep Woh Primary School, a missionary school attached to the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China in Prince Edward Road, Kowloon Peninsula. When he was nine, he saw Bruce Lee's film The Big Boss, which inspired him to become a martial arts star. Chow entered San Marino Secondary School, where he studied alongside Lee Kin-yan. After graduation, he was accepted to TVB's acting classes.

Chow began his career as an extra for Rediffusion Television. He later joined TVB in 1981. He was drawn to attention hosting the TVB Jade children's program 430 Space Shuttle.

Chow made his film Final Justice in 1988, which won him the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 25th Golden Globe Awards.

Chow shot to stardom in The Final Combat. The following decade, he appeared in more than 40 films. Fight Back to School became Hong Kong's top-grossing film of all time. In 1994, he began directing films, starting with From Beijing with Love. In the latter half of the 1990s, Chow becomes very famous in China, he became a legend and the Stephen Chow Phenomenon.

In 2001, his film Shaolin Soccer grossed over US$50 million worldwide. Chow won Best Director and Best Actor at the 2002 Hong Kong Film Awards, and the film went on to garner additional awards including a Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and the Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Picture and Best Director. It was the highest-grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong at the time, grossing $46 million in the Asia region.

In 2004, his film Kung Fu Hustle grossed over US$106 million worldwide. Chow also won Best Director at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards and Best Picture of Imagine Film Festival as well as over twenty international awards. Critics as well as film stars such as comedian Bill Murray said that the film was the supreme achievement of modern comedy that had outshone any preexisting form of American comedy, including Murray's directorial work.

His film CJ7 began filming in July 2006 in the eastern Chinese port of Ningbo. In August 2007, the film was given the title CJ7, a play on China's successful Shenzhou manned space missions—Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou 6. CJ7 became the highest-grossing film of all time in Malaysia.

For his work in comedy, he has received praise from notable institutions such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, who called him the King of Comedy.

Stephen Chow has directed multiple classic films since the 1990s.

In 2013, his film Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons became the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time.

In 2016, his film The Mermaid broke numerous box office records, and became the highest-grossing film of all time in China.

Filmography

Acting

2024Hong Kong Hustle: The Chinese Cinema Odyssey Of Stephen Chow as Archival Footage

2018The 40th Anniversary of Chinese Film Since China's Reform and Opening-Up (1 Episode) as Unknown

2010CJ7: The Cartoon as Unknown

2008CJ7 as Ti Chow

2004Kung Fu Hustle as Sing

2001Shaolin Soccer as Mighty Steel Leg / Sing

2000黃香蓮歌仔戲之唐伯虎點秋香 (1 Episode) as 唐伯虎

1999The Tricky Master as Master Wong

1999TV total (1 Episode) as Self

1999Gorgeous as Policeman with Dog

1999King of Comedy as Wan Tin Sau

1998The Lucky Guy as Ho Kam Sui

1997Lawyer Lawyer as Chan Mon Gut

1997All's Well, Ends Well '97 as Lo Kung

1996The God of Cookery as Stephen Chow

1996Forbidden City Cop as Ling Ling Fat

1995Sixty Million Dollar Man as Lee Chak-Sing

1995Out of the Dark as Leon

1995A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella as Joker / Monkey King

1995A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box as Joker / Monkey King

1994From Beijing with Love as Ling Ling Chat

1994Hail the Judge as Pao Lung Sing

1994Love on Delivery as Ho Kam An

1993The Mad Monk as Dragon Fighter Lo Han

1993Flirting Scholar as Tang Pak Fu / Wah On

1993Fight Back to School 3 as Chow Sing Sing / Million Wong

1992King of Beggars as So Chan Ha Yee Chan

1992Royal Tramp 2 as Wai Siu Bo

1992Royal Tramp as Wai Siu Bo

1992Justice, My Foot! as Sung Sai-Kit

1992Screen Play (13 Episodes) as Unknown

1992Fight Back to School 2 as Chow Sing Sing

1992All's Well, Ends Well as Shang Foon

1992The Thief of Time as Dyun Siu Fei

1992Fist of Fury 1991 II as Lau Ching

1991The Banquet as Stephen Chow

1991The Magnificent Scoundrels as Valentino

1991God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai as Sing

1991Fight Back to School as Chow Sing Sing

1991The Gods Must Be Crazy: Crazy Safari as [Narrator]

1991Fist of Fury 1991 as Lau Ching

1991Legend of the Dragon as Chow Siu-Lung

1991The Top Bet as Sing

1991Tricky Brains as Koo Jing / Che Man Jing

1990God of Gamblers II as Sing

1990Triad Story as Sing

1990When Fortune Smiles as Vincent Hing

1990All for the Winner as Sing

1990Look Out, Officer! as Hsing

1990It Runs in the Family (15 Episodes) as Unknown

1990Sleazy Dizzy as Sing

1990Curry & Pepper as Pepper

1990The Unmatchable Match as Cheung Lon

1990Lung Fung Restaurant as Rubbish Pool

1990My Hero as Sing

1990Love Is Love as Sam Shek Kam Shui

1989Thunder Cops II as Sui Yien

1989The Justice of Life (30 Episodes) as 何鑫淼 (阿水)

1989Just Heroes as Jacky

1989Dragon Fight as Andy Yau

1989File Noir (20 Episodes) as Unknown

1989The Final Combat (30 Episodes) as Duen Fei

1988Faithfully Yours as Puddin Lai

1988The Tribulation of Life (20 Episodes) as Unknown

1988My Father's Son (20 Episodes) as Unknown

1988Final Justice as Boy

1988He Who Chases After the Wind as Ah Sing

1988Behind Silk Curtains (5 Episodes) as Unknown

1988The Last Conflict as Lau Ting Kin

1988On the Brink as Unknown

1987The Price Of Growing Up (59 Episodes) as Unknown

1987Back To The Beyond as Lau Ching

1986Brother’s Girlfriend as Unknown

1984The Nuts (22 Episodes) as Zombie Star

1983Angels And Devils (20 Episodes) as Unknown

1983Woman on the Beat (20 Episodes) as Unknown

1983Beyond the Rose Garden (20 Episodes) as Unknown

1983Linqi:Decision as Unknown

1983The Legend of the Condor Heroes (19 Episodes) as 宋兵甲

1983Crossroads-Pocket Money as Unknown

1982Love & Passion (30 Episodes) as Unknown

1982Soldier of Fortune (30 Episodes) as Unknown

1981I.Q. 100 (20 Episodes) as 学生会会长

1962Golden Horse Awards (1 Episode) as Self

Production

TBA西游驱魔前传 (1 Episode) ... Executive Producer

2024Take Me Home (12 Episodes) ... Producer

2023The Monkey King ... Executive Producer

2019The New King of Comedy ... Producer

2017Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back ... Producer

2016The Mermaid ... Executive Producer

2015CJ7: Super Q Team ... Producer

2013Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons ... Producer

2009Dragonball Evolution ... Producer

2008Shaolin Girl ... Producer

2008CJ7 ... Producer

2004Kung Fu Hustle ... Producer

Directing

TBAShaolin Women's Soccer ... Director

2019The New King of Comedy ... Director

2016The Mermaid ... Director

2013Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons ... Director

2008CJ7 ... Director

2004Kung Fu Hustle ... Director

20031:99 Shorts ... Director

2001Shaolin Soccer ... Director

1999King of Comedy ... Director

1996The God of Cookery ... Director

1996Forbidden City Cop ... Director

1994From Beijing with Love ... Director

1993Flirting Scholar ... Co-Director

Crew

2024A Chinese Odyssey - Odyssey (24 Episodes) ... Presenter

2001Shaolin Soccer ... Presenter

Creator

2024A Chinese Odyssey - Odyssey ... Creator

1984The Nuts ... Creator

Writing

2019The New King of Comedy ... Writer

2017Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back ... Writer

2016The Mermaid ... Writer

2013Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons ... Writer

2010CJ7: The Cartoon ... Writer

2009Jump ... Writer

2008CJ7 ... Writer

2004Kung Fu Hustle ... Screenplay

2001Shaolin Soccer ... Screenplay

1999King of Comedy ... Writer

1996The God of Cookery ... Writer

1996Forbidden City Cop ... Writer

1994From Beijing with Love ... Writer

Sound

2004Kung Fu Hustle ... Music