Stanley Fung Tsui-fan was born on 8 November 1944 and died in Taiwan on 31 October 2025, aged 80. Originally named Fung Siu-kan and styled Ho-ching, he came from a Cantonese opera family: his father Fung King-wah played martial and old-man roles, his mother Ng Wai-nong was a celebrated actress, and his elder sisters Pak Yeung and Fung Mei-man also performed on stage. The family moved to Hong Kong in 1950 when he was six; he studied in Wan Chai and worked part-time at a newspaper office in secondary school. He joined Rediffusion in 1965 as a broadcaster and dubbing artist, graduated from RTV's second artiste training class in 1967, and was spotted by director Chor Yuen, becoming his first protégé. He moved to TVB in 1968, dubbing alongside Tam Ping-man and Keung Chung-ping and starring in the station's first long-form drama, and in 1974 directed his first feature. From 1975 to 1978 he was a production manager and programme producer at Commercial Television, returning to TVB in 1978. In the 1980s he formed the Lucky Stars with Sammo Hung, Richard Ng, Charlie Chin and John Sham, becoming famous as a deadpan comedian, and settled in Taiwan in 1986. He is also remembered for comic roles such as Lau Ding-kin in the Carry On Pickpocket series and Ngau Ching-fan in The Yuppie Fantasia, a line from the latter becoming a popular saying in Taiwan; in 2010 he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards for Accident. In his later years he lived in Linkou, Taiwan, was hospitalised in May 2025 with low blood oxygen, and died on 31 October that year at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan.
As a deadpan comedian, Stanley Fung created characters such as Rhino Skin and was one of the key figures of the 1980s Lucky Stars comedy series. His performances and catchphrases shaped the rhythm and humour of later Hong Kong comedy, and in his later years he lived and worked in Taiwan.
Achievements
- 1967 · Graduated from RTV's artiste training class and was spotted by director Chor Yuen.
- 1968 · Joined TVB and starred in its first long-form drama, Dreams of Love.
- 1983 · Starred in Winners and Sinners, gaining fame as Rhino Skin.