Tony Leung Hung-wah, born in 1957, is a Hong Kong screenwriter, producer and director, and a former Television Broadcasts (TVB) actor. His family was wealthy in his early childhood, his father chairing the council of a major local chamber of commerce, before hard times set in through his father's generosity and misplaced trust. His elder siblings, noticing him imitating stars, put his name forward to the station, and he hosted a children's programme until secondary three. After studying at two Kowloon schools he joined TVB's sixth acting class in 1976, graduating in 1977 alongside Idy Chan, Liu Wai-hung and Ray Lui. Over the next decade he played supporting roles in series and wrote scripts for films, and in the 1970s he alternated with the band Wynners at a Wan Chai bar as its bass guitarist. He began writing screenplays around 1986, and in 1989 joined D&B Films, founded by Sammo Hung and John Shum, as planner and screenwriter, gaining practical experience of commercial production. In 1992 his long-prepared Garry Film company opened, and its first production, Best of the Best (1992), which he produced and wrote and which starred Jacky Cheung and Sammi Cheng, earned its lead actress a nomination for Best New Performer at the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards; a later production, New Tenant (1995), brought him a Most Creative Producer nomination, and he went on to direct and produce further thrillers and action films. In 1999 he wrote and directed the horror film The Wicked Ghost, starring Francis Ng and Gigi Lai; a poor performer on release, it found an afterlife on home video and grew into a cult title, spawning two sequels. In 2006 he set up the charity New Life Dynamic to train new actors while continuing production and distribution work.
Leung moved from TVB actor to screenwriter and producer, founding his own Garry Film company in 1992 whose first production earned Sammi Cheng a best-newcomer nomination. Long active in production and distribution, he set up a charity to train new actors, helping sustain the industry's grassroots talent.
Achievements
- 1977 · Graduated from the sixth acting class of Television Broadcasts
- 1989 · Joined D&B Films as planner and screenwriter
- 1992 · Founded his own Garry Film company and produced and wrote Best of the Best
- 1999 · Wrote and directed the horror film The Wicked Ghost