Pat Poon Chi-man

Biography

Pat Poon Chi-man, known as "潘翁" (Poon Ah), is a Hong Kong actor and television host, currently a contract artist with TVB. He graduated from the 3rd training class of Cathay Film Company, where his classmates included Law Ho-kai, Lau Kong, and Charlie Chin. His nickname "潘翁" originated from a 1980 conversation with director Ng Wui, who jokingly called him that after he brilliantly portrayed a character in "The Chameleon". Born in Xinhui, Guangdong, his father was a ship mechanic and his mother came from a wealthy Xinhui family. His parents divorced when he was young, and he was raised by his mother alongside a brother and a sister. He studied at a leftist school in Macau, graduating primary school at age 10, then returned to Hong Kong for secondary education. In 1967, he enrolled in the Cathay Film Company training program and began his acting career. In 1968, he joined Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), performing in radio dramas and learning broadcasting skills from Ching Nai-kun alongside classmates such as Yan Kwok-leung and Tsang Lai-zhen. He also performed Western pop songs and Cantonese opera with the Lung Cheung Opera Company, trained by soprano Wai Sau-han. He rejoined TVB in 2013 and was nicknamed TVB's "stroke specialist" after playing stroke patients in four dramas. He also studied singing with Hui Pui.