Lawrence Cheng
Lawrence Cheng Tan-shui (born 28 December 1954) is a Hong Kong film actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and master of ceremonies. He was a Hong Kong DJ and radio channel executive.
Lawrence Cheng | |||||||||||
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| Born | 28 December 1954[1][2] Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1976–present | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鄭丹瑞 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 郑丹瑞 | ||||||||||
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| Musical career | |||||||||||
| Also known as | Ah Tan (阿旦) | ||||||||||
Cheng became famous after he created the radio drama series The Yuppie Fantasia (小男人週記) in 1986 which he also starred in. In 1989, he starred in the film adaptation of the series which was directed by Gordon Chan and became a box office hit.
Early life
Cheng was born in Hong Kong on 27 November 1954. His ancestral hometown is Huizhou (惠州市), Guangdong Province. Having attended secondary school in St. Paul's College, he went to the Baptist College, the top broadcasting school in Hong Kong, and graduated in 1978.
Acting career
Lawrence Cheng brought his comical slightly nerdish and slightly fantasia film persona into films since the mid-80s. He has acted in mainly comedy films over the next ten years and a few drama films. He occasionally wore more than one hat like other Hong Kong actors.
After graduating from the Baptist College in 1978, Cheng immediately joined RTV in which he worked on numerous popular television series. He later joined ATV and became a Creative Director. His career path changed from a TV personal to a radio producer and DJ in 1984 when he joined RTHK. In 1987, he made his return to television industry and joined TVB. In TVB, he was a variety show host, and acted in many dramas.
His film career started in 1980, however he was not yet well known til he starred in The Yuppie Fantasia in 1989, which was a box office hit grossing out US$2 million. Aside from being an actor, he is also a director, producer and screenwriter.
Cheng currently hosts variety shows as a freelancer for TVB, ATV, now TV Hong Kong Channel, feature Race Meetings and Events for The Hong Kong Jockey Club and acts in a few dramas. He acts as supporting actor in Hong Kong films.
In January 2011, he suffered a burst lung whilst playing football.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Encore | 喝采 | Actor writer |
| The Desperados | 籠裡雞 | Writer | |
| 1981 | The Third Hand | 第三隻手 | Actor |
| One Heart One Spirit | 童軍樂 | Actor | |
| Family of Lust | 代代風流代代春 | Actor | |
| 1982 | Hell Has No Boundary | 魔界 | Assistant Director writer |
| 1983 | The Drummer | 鼓手 | Actor |
| Red Panther | 害時出世 | "Kiang" | |
| Twinkle Twinkle Little Star | 星際鈍胎 | Writer | |
| 1984 | Behind the Yellow Line | 緣份 | "café captain" writer |
| My Darling Genie | 我愛神仙遮 | Writer | |
| 1985 | Seven Angels | 歡場 | "night club patron" |
| Love with the Perfect Stranger | 錯點鴛鴦 | "Ah Tan" | |
| Friendly Ghost | 老友鬼鬼 | Actor | |
| Carry On Doctors and Nurses | 天使出更 | "Nurse Tan" | |
| 1987 | Happy Bigamist | 一屋兩妻 | "Shin's colleague" |
| Wonder Women | 神奇兩女俠 | "Tan" | |
| 1988 | Heart to Hearts | 三人世界 | "Alex's friend at party" |
| The Eighth Happiness | 八星報喜 | "Beautiful's boyfriend" | |
| Profiles of Pleasure | 群鶯亂舞 | "Tall Kao" | |
| Ghost in the House | 吉屋藏嬌 | "Ging Goh" | |
| Couples, Couples, Couples | 三對鴛鴦一張床 | "John's friend in lounge" | |
| Mother Vs Mother | 南北媽打 | "Man on bus with Xi" | |
| 1989 | Miracles | 奇蹟 | "Daily Sun Reporter" |
| The Romancing Star III | 精裝追女仔之3狼之一族 | "Lo Ka-ling" | |
| Happy Together | 相見好 | "Robert" | |
| In Between Loves | 求愛夜驚魂 | "Chin Cheng" | |
| The Bachelor's Swan Song | 再見王老五 | "Tan" | |
| The Yuppie Fantasia | 小男人周記 | "Leung Foon" | |
| Little Cop | 小小小警察 | "Representative of Cruelty Against Animal" | |
| 1990 | Brief Encounter in Shinjuku | 錯在新宿 | "Leung Foon" producer |
| A Tale from the East | 漫畫奇俠 | "Dunn, the conductor of HK Youth Orchestra" | |
| Shanghai, Shanghai | 亂世兒女 | "Chan Tai-man" | |
| The Fun, the Luck & the Tycoon | 吉星拱照 | "Jimmy Chiu" | |
| 1991 | Alien Wife | 我老婆唔係人 | "Priest" Planning |
| Finale in Blood | 大鬧廣昌隆 | "Cheng Ming Pau" | |
| Inspector Pink Dragon | 神探馬如龍 | "Ma Yue-lung" | |
| 1992 | Game Kids | 機Boy小子之真假威龍 | "Gay Shop Manager" |
| Freedom Run Q | 太子爺出差 | "Albert" | |
| She Starts the Fire | 噴火女郎 | "Charles Siu" director | |
| King of Beggars | 武狀元蘇乞兒 | "Professor" | |
| Never Ending Summer | 吳三桂與陳園園 | "Chan Tai-yuen" | |
| 1993 | The Eight Hilarious Gods | 笑八仙 | "Uncle Cheung" |
| He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father | 新難兄難弟 | "Ko Lo-chuen" / "Siu-lung (adult)" | |
| Murder | 黃蜂尾後針 | "Chu Chung-hong" director writer Story | |
| Tom, Dick and Hairy | 風塵三俠 | "Hairy/Giorgio Mao" | |
| 1994 | The True Hero | 暴雨驕陽 | "Joe" |
| He & She | 姊妹情深 | "Martin Cheng Sai-kit" director writer Story | |
| The Modern Love | 新男歡女愛 | Actor | |
| He's a Woman, She's a Man | 金枝玉葉 | "Charles Chow Chu" | |
| 1995 | Heaven Can't Wait | 救世神棍 | "Hui Chi-on" |
| Romantic Dream | 追女仔95之綺夢 | "Leung Hoi" | |
| The Meaning of Life | 搶閘媽咪 | "Lam Chi Wing" | |
| 1997 | Those Were the Days | 精裝難兄難弟 | "Ko Lo-chuen" |
| Option Zero | G4特工 | Actor | |
| 1998 | The Storm Riders | 風雲─雄霸天下 | "Jester/Man Chow Chow" |
| 2001 | Born Wild | 野獸之瞳 | "Sandy's eye doctor" |
| 2002 | The Eye | 見鬼 | Producer |
| 2003 | Truth or Dare: 6th Floor Rear Flat | 六樓后座 | "Jason (voice only)" producer writer Story Planning |
| Golden Chicken 2 | 金雞2 | "Fortune Teller" | |
| 2004 | Six Strong Guys | 六壯士 | "Lawrence" producer Story |
| The Eye 2 | 見鬼2 | Producer Story | |
| Koma | 救命 | Producer | |
| 2005 | Bug Me Not! | 虫不知 | "Hyland's dad" |
| Mob Sister | 阿嫂 | "Boss Wang" producer | |
| The Eye 10 | 見鬼10 | Producer | |
| Home Sweet Home | 怪物 | Producer | |
| 2006 | Cocktail | 半醉人間 | "Tsuen" |
| 2007 | Simply Actors | 戲王之王 | "Tourist watching window cleaner" |
| 2008 | Ocean Flame | 一半海水，一半火焰 | "Yau's blackmailed victim" |
| Happy Funeral | 六樓后座2 家屬謝禮 | Producer Story | |
| 2010 | Break Up Club | 分手說愛你 | Himself producer writer |
| The Stool Pigeon | 綫人 | "Cher's friend" | |
| Perfect Wedding | 抱抱俏佳人 | Producer Writer Story | |
| Bruce Lee, My Brother | 李小龍 | "Ko Lo-chuen" | |
| 2011 | Hi, Fidelity | 出軌的女人 | "Mr. Ho" |
| Lan Kwai Fong | 喜愛夜蒲 | ||
| The Allure of Tears | 傾城之淚 | "Xiao Dan" Producer Writer | |
| 2012 | Vulgaria | 低俗喜劇 | "Professor Cheng" |
| 2013 | Bends | 過界 | "Leo" |
| 2014 | Break Up 100 | 分手100次 | "Policeman" Director Producer Writer |
| 2015 | Lost in Hong Kong | 港囧 | "Host of art exhibition" |
| Wong Ka Yan | 王家欣 | Actor | |
| Super Models | 色模 | Actor | |
| 2016 | 29+1 | Actor | |
| 2017 | The Yuppie Fantasia 3 | 小男人週記3之吾家有喜 | "Leung Foon" Director Screenwriter |
| 77 Heartbreaks | |||
| The Sinking City - Capsule Odyssey | |||
| 2018 | Agent Mr Chan | ||
| When Sun Meets Moon | |||
| 2019 | A Home with a View | ||
| 77 Heartwarmings | |||
TVB dramas
| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Man of Wisdom | 金牙大狀 | "Tai Ah-tau" |
| 1995 | Man of Wisdom II | 金牙大狀 II | "Tai Ah-tau" |
| 1997 | A Road and a Will | 香港人在廣州 | "Sam Yue" |
| 2004 | Sunshine Heartbeat | 赤沙印記@四葉草.2 | "Yip Shu-ko" |
| 2006 | Welcome to the House | 高朋滿座 | "Ko Yau-pang" |
| 2014 | Never Dance Alone | 女人俱樂部 | "Wong Kwok-leung" |
| 2021 | Fraudstars | 欺詐集團 | "Herman Cheng Kwok-cheung" |
ViuTV dramas
| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Into the Wild | 野人老師 | "Raymond" |
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Network | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-2023 | What Happens To Our Body[5] | RTHK TV 31 | Host |
See also
References
- "LAWRENCE CHENG TAN SHUI". Hong Kong Cinemagic.
- Lawrence Cheng at IMDb
- Lawrence Cheng at lovehkfilm.com
- Lawrence Cheng at chinesemov.com
- "What happens to our body". RTHK. Retrieved 8 April 2023.