Lau Tin-chi was born in Hong Kong on 10 March 1948 and graduated in philosophy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1974. He began writing while still a student, scripting radio dramas for Commercial Radio from 1968, writing gags for the Television Broadcasts comedy Double Stars, and appearing in the sitcom 73. After graduating he joined Golden Harvest with Michael Hui, writing Games Gamblers Play (1974) and The Last Message (1975) while also working as a producer. He returned to Television Broadcasts in 1975 as a writer and script reviewer, and in 1978 followed Selina Chow to Commercial Television as assistant general manager and creative director, becoming one of that station's 'six gentlemen'. He resigned shortly before it closed and rejoined Golden Harvest, writing screenplays including Knockabout (1979), The Young Master (1980) and The Sword (1980), and co-writing and directing Hello! Night Returnee (1978). Back at Television Broadcasts from 1979, he served successively as creative director, head of production and adviser. In 1988, at Metropolitan Film, he produced a run of comedies including The Crazy Company, Mother vs Mother and The Banquet. Emigrating to Canada in 1990, he chaired the Chinese-language Oriental Express News there until 2000 before returning to Hong Kong, where he wrote the screenplay for The Poet (1998), a film about the poet Gu Cheng. A long-time newspaper columnist, he has since 1984 published books on comedy and screenwriting such as The Secret Manual for Scriptwriters and The Basics of Screenwriting, and has also worked as a radio host and part-time university lecturer.
Writing from radio drama and television gags to screenplays, Lau worked on the Hui brothers' comedies including Games Gamblers Play and long headed creative departments at TVB and Commercial Television, shaping Hong Kong comedy in the 1970s and 1980s.
Achievements
- 1974 · He joined Golden Harvest with Michael Hui and helped write Games Gamblers Play, that year's top-grossing Hong Kong film.
- 1978 · He moved to Commercial Television as creative director, one of that station's six gentlemen.
- 1990 · After emigrating to Canada he chaired the Oriental Express News, and later returned to Hong Kong to write The Poet.