Sing Fui On (1 February 1955 – 27 August 2009) was a Hong Kong film and television actor and an indigenous inhabitant of Nam Wai Village in Sai Kung. He grew up in a modest household, left school at thirteen and did various grassroots jobs before following his elder brother into Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Ltd at fifteen as a props hand and extra, making his screen debut in The Young Dragons in 1975. In 1978 he was spotted by the actor Danny Lee and began acting full time. His tall build and rugged features led to gangster and henchman parts through the 1980s. In 1987, playing the vicious inmate 'Big Silly' (Dai Sor) in Prison on Fire, he created such a vivid image that the nickname stuck and he became a character actor regularly cast as a villain, appearing in similarly menacing roles in A Better Tomorrow II (1987), No Compromise (1988) and The Killer (1989). He was twice nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards, for Crazy Love and Stars and Roses, and appeared in more than 230 films in all. Some films turned his villainy comic, as in God of Gamblers (1989) and God of Gamblers II (1990), where his bullying is repeatedly outwitted by the hero; he also landed a leading role in the cops-and-robbers comedy City Cops (1989). Diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2004, he cut back on acting, returned briefly after treatment, and died in 2009 at the age of fifty-four.
Typecast by his 'Big Silly' role, Sing Fui On turned a menacing look into a comic rhythm, shaping a distinctly Hong Kong blend of villain and comic foil. Rising from extra to well-known character actor, his career mirrors the 1980s Hong Kong film industry itself.
Achievements
- 1975 · Made his screen debut in The Young Dragons.
- 1978 · Was spotted by the actor Danny Lee and began acting full time.
- 1987 · Played the inmate 'Big Silly' in Prison on Fire, a role that made his name.
- 1990 · Was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 9th Hong Kong Film Awards for Stars and Roses.