Liu Kai-chi

Liu Kai-chi
Liu with the crew of the film Project Gutenberg on 14 April 2019, after the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards
Born(1953-09-30)30 September 1953[1][2][3]
Died28 March 2021(2021-03-28) (aged 67)
Years active1979 – 2021
Spouse
Barbara Chan Man-yee
(m. 1987)
Children3 sons
AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsBest Supporting Actor
1993 Cageman
2009 Beast Stalker

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese廖啟智
Simplified Chinese廖启智
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLiào Qǐzhì
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingLiu6 Kai2 Zi3

Dick Liu Kai-chi[4] (Chinese: 廖啟智, 30 September 1953 – 28 March 2021)[5] was a Hong Kong actor, best known for his everyman supporting roles. His career spanned over 40 years, with appearances in over 90 television series and 70 films. He earned eight nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor, two of which he won; one for his role in the 1992 comedy Cageman, and the other for the action thriller Beast Stalker in 2009.[6]

Career

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Liu had been interested in acting at an early age, and decided to enter the film industry after graduating high school. He took on various film crew positions to accumulate industry experience,[7] and was initially rejected from acting school because of his height and "ordinary" appearance.[8] He was eventually accepted into the TVB artist training programme in 1979.[9] Liu was first known for his appearance in the hit 1980 TV series The Bund.[10][6]

Liu won his first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1993 for his role as Prince Sam in the comedy Cageman. He was subsequently nominated for the award in 2004 and 2006 for his performance in Infernal Affairs II and SPL: Sha Po Lang respectively, before winning the award a second time in 2009 for the Dante Lam film Beast Stalker, in which Liu plays the role of a policeman.[11] Liu continued to work with Lam on a number of films including The Sniper and The Stool Pigeon, the latter of which earned him another nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2011.[12]

In 2014, Liu was cast in a leading role for two Hong Kong Television Network drama productions, The Election and The Borderline. The two dramas were selected in a public poll for their online launch on 19 November 2014.[13]

Personal life and death

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On 11 November 1987, Liu married actress Barbara Chan Man-yee, also known as Money Chan, after meeting her in the TVB artist training programme.[7] Together, they had 3 sons.[14] On 5 April 2006, Liu lost his youngest son, six-year-old Liu Man-lok to leukemia, after a three-year struggle with the terminal illness.[15] Both Liu and Chan were known for being committed Christians, which Chan credits for helping her overcome the death of her son.[8][9]

In March 2021, it was reported that Liu was suffering from gastric cancer; Chan replied to a media interview to confirm the diagnosis. Liu had discovered the condition in December 2020, and had to suspend work for treatment. Liu died of gastric cancer on 28 March 2021 at 8:32 pm[16] in Prince of Wales Hospital, surrounded by his family. His funeral service was held in April 2021 at St Andrew's Church, Kowloon[1][2][3]

In honour of Liu, a special tribute featuring his final TVB performance on Law dis-Order was broadcast on TVB Jade.[17]

Filmography

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Liu was involved in 74 films, and over 90 television shows throughout his acting career.[10] Five of his films were released posthumously.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "廖啟智安息禮官方刊物". 陳敏兒. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "【人生短跑】廖啟智輸在起跑線 贏在終點時". 東網. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b "一月曾跟智叔食齋聚舊 吳麗珠稱對方無異樣不知患癌". 頭條日報. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. ^ Frater, Patrick (18 May 2017). "Cannes: Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok Star in Hong Kong Action Film 'Project Gutenberg'". Variety. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ^ 廖啟智的真正生日日期是9月30日
  6. ^ a b "港星廖啟智胃癌病逝 太太陳敏兒悲痛". tw.news.yahoo.com (in Chinese). 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  7. ^ a b Pong, Johannes (5 August 2010). "Liu Kai-chi". HK Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Insta-Buzz: What The Stars Were Up To This Week". 8 Days. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Veteran Hong Kong actor Liu Kai-chi dead at 66". South China Morning Post. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b hermesauto (29 March 2021). "Late actor Liu Kai Chi remembered by Singapore and Hong Kong artistes". The Straits Times. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  11. ^ "The Beast Stalker (証人) (2008)". www.lovehkfilm.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  12. ^ "30th Hong Kong Film Awards" (in Chinese). Official website of Hong Kong Film Awards.
  13. ^ "港視17劇大曬冷 TVB強陣迎戰" [HKTV goes all in, TVB welcomes the challenge with a strong defense]. Ming Pao (in Chinese). 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  14. ^ Lo, Wei (28 December 2011). "Youth tempted by drugs just need a dose of love". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  15. ^ Goh, Lilian (10 August 2006). "The ultimate sacrifice". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Veteran Hong Kong actor Liu Kai-chi dead at 66". South China Morning Post. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  17. ^ "廖啟智病逝|無綫重播《律政強人》悼念智叔 (19:22) - 20210329 - SHOWBIZ". 明報OL網 (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  18. ^ "廖啟智電影遺作之一《女人街,再見了》 8 月 5 日上映". thestandnews.com 2021-07-16
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