Teddy Robin, born Kwan Wai-pang in Guilin, Guangxi in 1945, moved to Hong Kong with his father in 1949. He acted in Radio Rediffusion dramas as a schoolboy and, devoted to music, formed the band Teddy Robin and the Playboys, a sensation during the 1960s English-language pop boom. He worked at Rediffusion Television and later TVB, hosting music programmes while learning the production side. In 1970 he appeared in Shaw Brothers' The Price of Love, his first film role. After wandering through Europe and America between 1973 and 1979 and marrying in Canada, he returned to Hong Kong and turned to filmmaking, producing The System (1979), The Saviour (1980), The Beasts (1980) and The Story of Woo Viet (1981). Invited by Tsui Hark to act in All the Wrong Clues (1981) and score it, he joined Cinema City's inner circle and earned the nickname 'Logic Bin'. He later produced Once Upon a Rainbow (1982) and scored many films. His first directorial works were All the Wrong Spies (1983) and The Legend of Wisely (1987). He co-founded Good Friends Films with Eric Tsang and Alan Tam, produced such films as Kawashima Yoshiko (1990), and founded Tai Film in 1993, backing new directors. He won the 19th Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Score for Once Upon a Rainbow, and the 30th Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score for Gallants (2010).
Teddy Robin is one of the few filmmakers who left a mark across music, acting and production, and his scores gave 1980s Hong Kong cinema a rock and jazz edge. Moving between Cinema City, Good Friends and Tai Film, he spotted and backed a large group of new directors, helping the local industry bloom in the 1980s and 1990s. His instinct for genre shows in works as different as The System and The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus.
Achievements
- 1979 · Produced his first film, The System (1979), which won praise and strong box office, marking his shift into film production.
- 1982 · Won Best Adapted Score at the 19th Golden Horse Awards for Once Upon a Rainbow and helped Cinema City and PolyGram form the Cinepoly label.
- 2011 · Won both Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Film Score at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards for Gallants.