Chan Hung-lit was born in Shanghai on 7 June 1943 under the name Chow Hung-lit into a wealthy family. During the Chinese Civil War in 1949 he came to Hong Kong with his mother and later took her surname, Chan. He joined Shaw Brothers' Nanguo training class in 1962 and signed as an actor on graduating. In 1964 he played the villain Jade-faced Tiger in King Hu's 'Come Drink with Me', making an instant impact and rising to fame alongside Cheng Pei-pei and Elliot Ngok, becoming a noted villain of 1960s and 1970s Mandarin cinema and one of the few actors to win fame by playing villains; at Shaw Brothers he also appeared in 'The Story of Sue San', 'The Twin Swords' and 'The Jade Bow', usually as a villain. He married Shaw starlet Pan Ying-tzu in 1971, the marriage lasting about eight years and ending in 1979, and in 1974 formed a film company with his brother, personally directing 'The Skyrocket'; his second film as a director, 'Wolf's Kiss' (1976), won a cinematography prize at the Asian Film Festival and earned him a Best Director nomination, but the company lost some five million Hong Kong dollars. After leaving films for the denim business in the 1980s, he rejoined TVB in 1995 and again in 2003 as a character actor, and had also worked in Taiwan. In a career of over 160 films, he won TVB's Favourite Powerful Actor award in 2004 for 'War and Beauty', and in 2008-09 his role as 'Big Yim' in the sitcom 'Off Pedder' boosted his popularity. He died of a heart attack while filming 'Off Pedder' at Tseung Kwan O on 24 November 2009, aged 66.
From a renowned villain of the Mandarin-cinema era to a mainstay of TVB situation comedy in later life, Chan Hung-lit enjoyed a renewed surge of fame as 'Big Yim' in 'Off Pedder' shortly before his death. His career across Shaw Brothers, Taiwan and TVB reflects the migration routes of Hong Kong actors through different eras. His sudden death while filming also became a moment widely remembered by local television audiences.
Achievements
- 1962 · Joined Shaw Brothers' Nanguo training class
- 1964 · Rose to fame as Jade-faced Tiger in 'Come Drink with Me'
- 1974 · Formed a film company with his brother and directed 'The Skyrocket'
- 2004 · Won TVB's Favourite Powerful Actor award for 'War and Beauty'