The intense and versatile Francis Ng Chun-Yu was born (as Ng Chi-Keung) on December 21, 1961. He is regarded as one of the best actors working in HK today and, along with Anthony Wong and Lau Ching-Wan, was named one of the “Three Great Characters” at the 25th HK International Film Festival. In addition, the extreme aspects of his persona—ranging from quiet and serious to quirky or maniacal—both on and offscreen have earned him the nickname of “mental”. Given his accomplishments, it may be surprising for some to learn that Ng was once camera-shy and failed TVB’s Artist Training program not once, not twice, but a total of three times! Ng eventually graduated in 1985, but it would be over a decade before his potential as an actor was realized and his talent appreciated. During that time Ng worked his way up from being “Imperial Guard #2” to getting pivotal roles in many popular TV serials. However, his unconventional looks meant that he did not fit the traditional leading man mold. As was the case for many talented actors, the small world of television could not hold a fish that was growing as large and discontent as Ng. He had dabbled with movies early on in his career, and was nominated for a HK Film Best Supporting Actor Award for Handsome Siblings (1992), but Ng’s banning from the station due to his open criticisms of them is likely the key factor that pushed him completely to the world of film. The turning point in his career came with the villainous role of Ugly Kwan in Young and Dangerous (1996), in which Ng stole the show by simultaneously chewing and spitting out scenery. The character was so popular that it spawned an unofficial spin-off, Once Upon a Time in a Triad Society (1996), and Ng has reprised the role in official Y&D spin-offs and even completely unrelated films, like Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1996). In addition to gaining the appreciation of movie audiences, Ng began to be recognized critically as well, especially by the HK Film Critics Society, who have awarded him Best Actor three times, for Once Upon a Time in a Triad Society (1996), Bullets Over Summer (1999) and 2000 A.D. (2000). Ng’s small but impressive role in 2000 A.D., as a character many years older than himself, also won him the HK Film Best Supporting Actor Award. Pegged as the “dark horse” prior to awards night, his status as a first rate actor was solidified when he garnered the prestigious Golden Horse Best Actor Award for his work in The Mission (1999). His powerfully understated performance in Infernal Affairs II (2003) is expected to bring him further nominations and accolades. Ng has also ventured into the arenas of theatre and directing, with varying results. He has directed two films to date, What is a Good Teacher (2000) and 9413 (1998). The latter received some good reviews but both were box office flops. Despite this, Ng’s passion for directing is still burning hot and he recently accepted an offer to direct a commercial. Ng has had much more success with his stage work. In 1994-95 he starred in the play “Naughty Couple” with his ex-girlfriend Anita Lee. It ran for 70 shows, breaking records for number of shows and admissions, and was even adapted into a movie of the same name. Ng struck gold when he teamed up with colleagues and pals Dayo Wong and Cheung Tat-Ming to star in the wildly popular stand-up comedy and satirical production, “Free Man Show” (1998), and its follow up “Free Man Show 2” (2000). Ng recently returned to his roots (proving that nobody can stay enemies with TVB forever) to play an airline pilot in the well-received TVB series, “Triumph in the Skies”. (Yinique 2004)

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