Kent Tong

Kent Tong Chun-yip (traditional Chinese: 湯鎮業; simplified Chinese: 汤镇业; pinyin: Tāng zhèn yè; born 29 September 1958) is a Hong Kong actor. He was a popular TVB actor during the 1980s, nicknamed "Prince" and one of the "Five Tiger Generals" of TVB.[1][2]

Kent Tong
湯鎮業
Born (1958-09-29) 29 September 1958
Other namesKen Tong, Kenneth Tong, Tong Chun-yip, Ken Tong Chun-yip
OccupationActor
Spouses
Jiang Kun
(m. 1993; div. 2001)
    Wen Jing
    (m. 2008)
    Children6
    RelativesTong Chun Chung (brother)
    Roxanne Tong (niece)
    Cassandre Tong (niece)
    Chinese name
    Traditional Chinese湯鎮業
    Simplified Chinese汤镇业

    Early life

    Kent Tong was born to and grew up in a poor family in Hong Kong. His father was a fisherman who always caught seafood to feed his family. All 12 members of his family lived in a small-sized living room that was only 30 square meters. After graduating from high school, he worked on a salary of around 500 Hong Kong dollars per month.[2]

    Career

    In 1979, Kent Tong received actor training from the TVB Artist Training Class, and proceeded to act for TVB. Although he has appeared in over a dozen movies, he is mostly known for his work in TVB television series, such as Duen Yu in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1982) and Yin Ching in The Unyielding Master Lim (1986). Tong often undertook roles of princes and villains in TVB dramas.[1]

    During the 1980s, Kent Tong, along with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Andy Lau, Michael Miu and Felix Wong became known as the Five Tiger Generals of TVB. They were widely considered the most popular and best looking leading male actors in TVB at the time. Everyone called him a nickname "Prince" – the most handsome guy in the group.[2] In 1985, Tong was blamed by the public for the suicide of his then girlfriend, actress Barbara Yung, suffering a nervous breakdown as a result. At the end of 1985, he left TVB to avoid more negativity.[2][3]

    In 1993, he married former ATV actress Jiang Kun from China, who bore him a daughter and twin sons. However, while he and Jiang Kun were in the midst of their divorce, Kent was in a relationship with another woman from Guangzhou, their son was born in 2000. The couple officially divorced in 2001. In 2008, he married Qingdao native Zou Wenjing, who is 25 years his junior. Their twin girls were born in 2008.

    From between the 1990s and now, Tong had switched to develop his food business and also shoot films in China. Tong is appointed as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference representing Guangdong Province since December 2007.[4] In 2015, Tong made a comeback to TVB after 30 years with big success of the blockbuster Lord of Shanghai. Besides, he was nominated for Best Actor of the year.[3][1]

    Filmography

    Television

    Year Title Network Role
    1979Chor Lau-heungTVB
    Yesterday's GlitterTVB
    1980The BundTVBChan Hon-lam
    1981SeekersTVB
    Double FantasiesTVB
    The Adventurer'sTVB
    Come Rain, Come ShineTVB
    1982Soldier of FortuneTVBYing Ji Fai
    The Wild BunchTVBHong Gwan-lei
    Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1982 TV series)TVBDuen Yu
    1983The Bold Ones TVB
    The Return of The Condor HeroesTVBFok-do
    The Legend of the UnknownsTVB
    1984Summer Kisses Winter TearsTVB
    The FoundationTVBLei Yuen Gat
    The Rise And Fall of a Stand-inTVB
    Love Me, Love Me NotTVB
    The Return of Wong Fei HungTVBNalan Masanori
    1985The Yang's SagaTVBPrince Bat-yin
    A Tough FightTVB
    The Unyielding Master LimTVBYin Ching
    The Brave SquadTVB
    Kings of IdeasTVB
    1987Beauty of the Han's DynastyTaiwanEmperor Yuan of Han
    1988General Wu San KweiTaiwanWu San Kwei
    1991Noble ConflictATV
    1992The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty IVATVGuangxu Emperor
    1993Secret Battle of The MajestyATV
    Who is The Winner IIIATV
    1996Mission Against CorruptionChina
    1997InterPolATV
    1999A FukChina
    2002The PrisonerChina
    2003Dong Fang Mu QinChina
    2005The Royal SwordsmenChinaWan Sanqian
    2006Xiang Fen Chuan QiChinaZhu Yuanzhang
    2009Pretty MaidChina
    2011PalaceHBSKangxi Emperor
    2012Palace 2HBSAh Ling Ah
    Heros in Sui & Tang DynastiesEmperor Wen of Sui
    2015Lord of ShanghaiTVBChak Kam Tong
    Legend of Ban ShuCCTVUncle Zhong
    2017OCTB
    2018Guardian Angel 2018 Web DramaTVBJin Shang-wen
    2019I Beg Your PardonTVBWen Xiong

    Films

    • Once Upon a Rainbow (1982)
    • Hell Has No Boundary (1982)
    • Nomad (1982)
    • Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1982)
    • Red Spell Spells Red (1983)
    • Maybe It's Love (1984)
    • The Surgeon (1984)
    • Police Story (1985)
    • The Story of Dr. Sun Yat Sen (1986)
    • Eastern Condors (1987)
    • You OK, I'm OK (1987)
    • Call Girl '88 (1988)
    • The Dragon Family (1988)
    • Bitter Taste of Blood (1988)
    • City Cops (1989)
    • The Tigers (1991) – Best Supporting Actor Nomination for The Tigers (11th Hong Kong Film Awards)
    • Pretty Woman (1991)
    • Take Me (1991)
    • Fox Legend (1991)
    • The Days of Being Dumb (1992)
    • The Pearl of Oriental (1992)
    • Royal Tramp II (1992)
    • Sex And Curse (1992)
    • Sisters in Law (1992)
    • A Matter of Life or Death (1992)
    • Hero of Hong Kong 1949 (1993)
    • Lord of the East China Sea (1993)
    • Hero – Beyond The Boundary of Time (1993)
    • The Tale of a Heroine (1993)
    • Bogus Cops (1993)
    • Hot Desire (1993)
    • Dancing Boy in Underworld Street (1993)
    • Pink Panther (1993)
    • Battle of No Truce (1993)
    • A Man and a Woman (1993)
    • Naked Rose (1994)
    • Bloody Beast (1994)
    • Possessed (1994)
    • Reunion (2002)
    • Eternal Flame of Fatal Attraction (2003)
    • My Jail Story (2003)
    • Moving Targets (2004)
    • Love is a Many Stupid Thing (2004)
    • Dragon Squad (2005)
    • My Mother is a Belly Dancer (2006)
    • Brothers (2007)
    • The Scroll of Wing Chun White Crane (2014)
    • Silently Love (2015)
    • Doomed Disaster (2015)
    • Out of Ordinary (2016)
    • Xuan Zang (2016)
    • Chasing the Dragon (2017)
    • Agent Mr Chan (2018)
    • Our Time (2018)
    • Dragon Action Secret Code (2019)

    [5] [6]

    Variety show

    YearEnglish titleChinese titleRoleNotes
    2021China in Classics典籍里的中国King Huai of Chu

    References

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