Ben Wong Chi-yin

Biography

Ben Wong Chi-yin was born in Hong Kong on 20 October 1967 and grew up in Sham Shui Po before moving to several different public housing estates with his family of nine siblings. His father was a roast meat stall vendor whose gambling addiction caused the family great hardship. Wong enrolled in the police cadet school at age 14 and served as a police officer for three years after graduation, working in uniformed patrol and mobile forces. He joined TVB in 1989 as a trainee in the 15th artist training programme and began his career as one of the first hosts of the children's programme "Flash Fax". He initially aspired to be a singer, participating in a radio singing contest and studying vocal techniques for one year. He gained widespread recognition for his role as "Rong Xianghai" in the long-running drama "A Kindred Spirit" from 1995 to 1999, a role that earned him the nickname "Ah Hai". He left TVB in 2000 and returned in 2004 to stay with his wife. He won the "Best Supporting Actor" award at the 2011 TVB Anniversary Awards for his role as a turncoat undercover agent in "Lives of Omission", and was again nominated for the same award in 2012 for his villainous role in "Highs and Lows". He became one of TVB's leading actors after starring roles in "Gilded Chopsticks" and "Raising the Bar", and was nominated for "Most Popular Male TV Character" in 2018. He is a regular collaborator with producer Chong Wai-kin and maintains close friendships with several industry colleagues.