Choi Wing-cheong, whose original name was Choi Tuk-sang, was a Hong Kong film distributor and cinema-circuit manager, and one of the founding shareholders of Golden Harvest, regarded alongside Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho as one of its three leading figures. He first followed Raymond Chow into Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Ltd; when Chow left Shaw in 1970 to found Golden Harvest (Hong Kong) Ltd with Leonard Ho, Leung Fung and Choi, Choi joined as publicity manager and became a core member of the young company. He later took charge of Golden Harvest's local cinema distribution, covering both the company's own circuit and the western-film releases of its Panasia arm. As Golden Harvest signed stars such as Bruce Lee, Michael Hui and Jackie Chan, he helped arrange the distribution and promotion of its films locally and overseas, and backed independent production so that many directors could make films in their own style: he supported Johnny Mak on To Be Number One and Lord of East China Sea, Andrew Lau on The Storm Riders and A Man Called Hero, and Tsui Hark on the Once Upon a Time in China series. In 1979 he was promoted to director of Golden Harvest and Golden Communications, and in 1985 he rose to director and deputy general manager. After Golden Harvest Entertainment was listed in Hong Kong in 1994, he served on its board. He kept a low profile and rarely gave interviews; the director Wong Jing called him a 'silent giant' of Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s and 1990s, quietly backing most of the good films of the decade. In 2014 he was admitted to hospital after a fish bone lodged in his throat while eating and died the next day, aged 77.
Choi oversaw Golden Harvest's local cinema distribution and publicity, coordinating both its own circuit and the western-film releases of its Panasia arm. Quietly backing Johnny Mak's To Be Number One and Lord of East China Sea and other projects, he was a key behind-the-scenes executive whose distribution and production network supported many Hong Kong films with a personal style.
Achievements
- 1970 · Left Shaw Brothers with Raymond Chow and helped found Golden Harvest (Hong Kong) Ltd
- 1979 · Was promoted to director of Golden Harvest and Golden Communications
- 1994 · Became a board member after Golden Harvest Entertainment was listed in Hong Kong