Lei Ming / Chien Kuo-pin

Biography

Lei Ming was one of the prominent Cantonese film actors in Hong Kong, whose real name was Chien Kuo-pin. Born in Macau in 1927, he began his artistic career at a young age by participating in theatre troupes behind the scenes. He moved to Hong Kong in 1948 where he started with minor roles in Cantonese films, then got an opportunity at Da Guan Studio in 1951 where director Cho Shu-sen gave him the stage name "Lei Ming". He worked at Rediffusion as a broadcaster in 1952, then moved to a Hong Kong radio station in 1955 to present detective stories, martial arts stories and film stories. He achieved a turning point in his career in 1958 when he appeared in the film "The Seventh Driver" directed by Cheung Ying, which led to him signing with Hua Qiao Company as a core actor. His activities expanded to include film production and distribution, and he owned his own football team. Over his lifetime he presented more than a hundred Cantonese films which he donated to the Hong Kong Film Archive after his death. He passed away on 16 July 2013 at the age of eighty-five due to pneumonia, leaving behind three sons and two daughters.