Lau Hak-suen

Biography

Lau Hak-suen was born on 18 December 1911 in Rong County, Guangxi, China. He received university education and was also among the first graduates of the Cantonese opera actors training institute at the Guangzhou Eighth Association, studying alongside classmates such as Luo Piu-cho, Ho Hing-sing, and Cheung Wood-yau. He was particularly skilled in the "Ma She-tsang" singing style and worked in the 1930s and 1940s as a second male lead in opera troupes led by Ma She-tsang, Tam Lan-hing, and Sit Hsin-hsin. After graduation, he joined rural Cantonese opera troupes. In 1945, after World War II, he moved to Hong Kong and joined Shaw Brothers film company, continuing to act in Cantonese films. He appeared in over five hundred films, often portraying villainous roles, and was renowned for his outstanding acting skills. He also worked as a film director, directing films such as "Six Crossings of Immortal He Xian-gu", "Desolate Golden Chrysanthemum", "Flower Falls on Heartbreak Bridge", and "Bao'er's Filial Piety Saves Both Parents". In 1970, he retired from acting due to the decline of Cantonese cinema and his advanced age. In 1978, he returned to work with the rise of nostalgia in the television industry, joining the television station that preceded Asia Television, and participated in series like "New Chameleon", shifting to positive character roles. In 1980, he moved to TVB and appeared in numerous series such as "Catch the Treasure", "Four Seasons of Love", "Unique Spectrum", and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils". He died on 24 January 1983 at Kwong Wah Hospital due to a heart attack while filming the series "God of Fortune from Heaven". He married four times and had nine children, including his son Lau Chi-wing, who became a famous actor at Asia Television.