Chen Hung Lieh

Biography

Chen Hung Lieh, born on 7 June 1943 in Shanghai into a wealthy family, had 11 siblings and lived in a private mansion. In 1949, he fled with his mother to Hong Kong due to the Chinese Civil War, and later changed his surname from Zhou to Chen. He joined the "Nanguo Training Academy" under Shaw Brothers in 1962 and signed as an actor. Known for villain roles, he demanded leading roles from Shaw Brothers, and Run Run Shaw raised his salary from 250 to 3,500 yuan monthly. In 1964, he rose to fame as "Jade Faced Tiger" in "Come Drink with My Wine" alongside Cheng Pei-pei and Yueh Hua. He married actress Pan Yin-tze in 1971 and divorced in 1979. He co-founded a film company with his brother in 1974 and directed "The Big Cannon," while his second film "The Wolf's Kiss" won Best Cinematography at the Asian Film Festival in 1976 and earned him a Best Director nomination. He retired from acting in 1983 to pursue jeans business, was kidnapped in Taiwan in 1988 and ransomed for 6 million New Taiwan dollars. He returned to acting in 1995 and joined TVB.