Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow Sing-chi, born on 22 June 1962 in British Hong Kong, is a Hong Kong filmmaker and actor whose screen persona combined deadpan delivery, sudden wordplay, and elastic physical comedy. He entered television through TVB's acting classes in 1982 and became widely known as a presenter of the children's program 430 Space Shuttle. His breakthrough in cinema came with All for the Winner (1990), a gambling comedy that parodied God of Gamblers and made him a major box-office draw. Chow's comic style, frequently called mo lei tau, depends on non sequiturs, Cantonese slang, parody, and abrupt changes in tone.

He consolidated that popularity with Fight Back to School (1991), which topped Hong Kong's annual box-office chart, and with sequels including Fight Back to School II (1992). In 1994, he directed and starred in From Beijing with Love, his first feature as director. The same decade brought Chinese Odyssey two films, A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box and Cinderella, which transformed familiar Journey to the West material into a romantic fantasy comedy centered on the Monkey King. He also acted in The God of Cookery (1996) and King of Comedy (1999), films he directed with longtime collaborator Lee Lik-chi.

Shaolin Soccer (2001) paired football with martial arts and became the highest-grossing Hong Kong film of its time. Chow directed, co-wrote, produced, and played Sing, a former Shaolin disciple who recruits his brothers for a soccer team. Kung Fu Hustle (2004), set in 1940s Shanghai, follows small-time criminal Sing as he clashes with the Axe Gang and discovers his martial arts ability. The film earned him international distribution and received six Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. In 2008, he released CJ7, an effects-driven family film in which he played a father raising his son.

Chow shifted increasingly toward directing and producing in the 2010s. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013), which he directed and co-wrote, adapted episodes preceding the classic pilgrimage narrative and became China's highest-grossing film at the time. The Mermaid (2016), a romance about a businessman and a mermaid community threatened by coastal development, became the highest-grossing Chinese film ever upon release. He followed it with The New King of Comedy (2019), a new story about a struggling actor. In 2017, he produced Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, a sequel directed by Tsui Hark and released there.