Dean Shek (17 June 1949 – 20 September 2021), born Lau Wai-shing, was born on the mainland and moved to Hong Kong at the age of three; he became an actor, director and producer. After secondary school he entered Shaw Brothers' Southern Drama School in 1967 and signed with Shaw as a contract player in 1969, appearing in a series of its Mandarin productions. He left Shaw at the end of the 1970s and in 1980 joined Karl Maka and Raymond Wong to found Struggle Film Company, which was reorganised as Cinema City; he was one of the 'Seven Wacky Ones of Cinema City'. Running from 1980 to 1991, the studio produced signature hits such as the 'Aces Go Places' series and 'A Better Tomorrow', in which he both acted and produced. Noted for broad slapstick and nicknamed 'Hong Kong's Charlie Chaplin', he starred in 'Laughing Times' (1980), Cinema City's debut production, directed by John Woo. In 1987 he played Lung-sze, Ti Lung's mentor, in 'A Better Tomorrow II', a role that became memorable. After Cinema City disbanded in 1991 he gradually withdrew from film and moved into property and financial investment. He made a cameo in Sammo Hung's 'The Bodyguard' in 2016, his last film. Shek died of cancer in September 2021, aged 72, and his family kept the funeral low-key at his wish. In 1981 he changed image to play a city playboy in 'Chasing Girls', another Cinema City hit, and at its height the studio's core team was known as the 'Seven Wacky Ones of Cinema City', its output including the 'Aces Go Places', 'A Better Tomorrow', 'Prison on Fire' and 'Happy Ghost' series. He continued producing into 1990–91 before leaving the industry.
As one of the founding team of Cinema City, Dean Shek helped build the ensemble-comedy model of 1980s Hong Kong cinema through his broad slapstick performances and production work, earning the nickname 'Hong Kong's Charlie Chaplin'. His Lung-sze in 'A Better Tomorrow II' showed audiences he was more than a comic.
Achievements
- 1969 · Signed with Shaw Brothers as a contract actor.
- 1980 · Joined Karl Maka and Raymond Wong to found Struggle Film Company, which became Cinema City; he was one of its 'Seven Wacky Ones'.
- 1987 · Played Lung-sze in 'A Better Tomorrow II', a role that became memorable.