Hawick Lau
Hawick Lau | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hawick Lau Hoi-wai October 13, 1974 Hong Kong |
| Other names | 劉愷威 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Known for | TVB's "Five Fresh Tigers", roles in A Kindred Spirit, Virtues of Harmony, My Family, Sealed with a Kiss, A Clear Midsummer Night, The Wife's Secret, Lady & Liar, Chronicle of Life |
| Notable work | A Kindred Spirit, Virtues of Harmony, My Family, Sealed with a Kiss, A Clear Midsummer Night, The Wife's Secret, Lady & Liar, Chronicle of Life |
Hawick Lau Hoi-wai (; born 13 October 1974) is a prominent actor and singer from Hong Kong, known for being one of TVB's celebrated "Five Fresh Tigers." He first rose to fame through television series such as A Kindred Spirit (1995), Virtues of Harmony (2001), and My Family (2005). Expanding his career into mainland China, Lau took leading roles in popular dramas including Sealed with a Kiss (2011), A Clear Midsummer Night (2013), The Wife's Secret (2014), Lady & Liar (2015), and Chronicle of Life (2016).
Early life
Born in Hong Kong, Lau is the son of actor Lau Dan and Lee Fuk-ying. He pursued architectural studies at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.
Career
Lau began his acting journey in the 1995 drama A Kindred Spirit, sharing the screen with his father. That same year, he signed with Hong Kong's Sony Music as a recording artist, releasing his debut Mandarin album LALA I Love You in 1997, followed by his first Cantonese album A Boy's Story in 1998.
He gained recognition locally through roles in Hong Kong dramas such as the youth romance Aiming High (2000) and the historical sitcom series Virtues of Harmony (2001–2003). In 2005, Lau secured his first lead role in the contemporary comedy My Family. During this period, TVB highlighted him as one of their emerging "Five Fresh Tigers."
Following his success at TVB, Lau expanded his presence to markets including mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore. His initial mainland Chinese project was The Hui Merchants of Qing, broadcast in 2007. He also featured in Singapore’s Mediacorp production Destiny and Taiwan’s drama Letter 1949. In 2006, Lau signed a one-year contract with Hong Kong’s ATV and starred in the series No Turning Back.
To better establish himself within the Chinese entertainment industry, Lau adopted Mandarin for his public appearances. His performance in the 2008 drama Royal Embroidery Workshop enhanced his visibility on the mainland. In 2009, he earned the Best Actor award at the Jiangsu TV Drama Awards for his role in the republican-era drama Niang Qi.
Lau achieved widespread popularity with the 2011 romantic melodrama Sealed With a Kiss, where his performance drew considerable acclaim. He also appeared alongside Wallace Chung in Under The Bodhi Tree.
In 2012, he starred opposite Yang Mi in the romantic comedy film Holding Love, which dominated box office sales during Chinese Valentine’s Day. Continuing collaborations with Yang Mi led to his role in the period drama Ru Yi. Subsequently, Lau founded his own studio and produced the modern romance series A Clear Midsummer Night (2013), which surpassed 100 million online views. That year, he also starred in the adaptation of Painted Skin: The Resurrection, receiving Best Actor in Ancient Drama at the Huading Awards. He returned to TVB for the Hong Kong-China co-production Master of Destiny (2015).
In 2014, Lau played a leading role opposite Zhao Liying in the romantic drama The Wife's Secret. The following year, he co-starred with Tiffany Tang in the period piece Lady & Liar, which set records for online viewership among republican-era dramas. His portrayal of Bai Zhengqing attracted a strong fan following. Additionally, Lau led Tong Hua’s period drama The Cage of Love and shared screen time with Wang Likun in Twice Bloom the Flower.
In 2016, Lau took on the role of Kangxi Emperor in the period romance drama Chronicle of Life, which achieved top national ratings and online viewership figures. His studio produced its second project, Road to the North, which premiered on CNTV. That year he also starred in Gu Long’s adaptation titled The Legend of Flying Daggers.
Continuing with lead roles, Lau appeared in family drama Full Love and legal drama Heirs during 2017. In 2018, he led the fantasy wuxia series The Legend of Jade Sword.
Lau’s contract with Jaywalk Studio expired in October 2019 and was not renewed.
In 2020, he featured alongside Chen Duling in the contemporary workplace drama The Invisible Life, which explores challenges faced by women pursuing their careers.
Personal life
On 8 January 2012, Lau publicly confirmed his romantic involvement with Chinese actress Yang Mi through a post on Weibo. The two had previously worked together in the productions Ru Yi, Holding Love, and A Clear Midsummer Night.
Their wedding took place on 8 January 2014 in Bali, Indonesia. Later that year, on 1 June 2014, Yang gave birth to their daughter, affectionately called Little Sticky Rice (), in Hong Kong.
On 22 December 2018, both Lau and Yang released a joint announcement via their agency declaring their divorce while committing to jointly raise their daughter.
Film
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 龙凤斗智蟠龙坊 | Jin Kezhong | ||
| 2003 | Bless the Child | 某年某月某日 | Wong Yong | |
| The Spy Dad | 神勇铁金刚 | Hotel employee | ||
| Honesty | 绝种好男人 | Ah Chong | ||
| 2009 | Irreversi | 回路 | Liu Zhiming | |
| 2012 | Holding Love | HOLD住爱 | Tao Xiaolei | |
| 2013 | Love in Summer | |||
| TBA | 梦瑜伽 | Special appearance |
Television series
Variety and Reality Programs
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1999 | A Kindred Spirit | 真情 | Lee Tian An | |
| 1997 | Mystery Files | 迷離檔案 | Cheung Wai | Episodes 7–9 |
| 1999–2000 | At the Threshold of an Era | 創世紀 | Yip Wing-chak | |
| 2000–2002 | Virtues of Harmony / Virtues of Harmony II | 皆大歡喜 | Yuen Sau / Lau Ka-sing | |
| 2004–2005 | Hard Fate / Shades of Truth / ICAC Investigators 2004 | 翡翠戀曲 / 水滸無間道 / 廉政行動2004 | Mok Hei-man / Ben Fai / Cheung Lap-san | |
| 2005–2007 | My Family / Destiny / Relentless Justice | 甜孫爺爺 / 梦在手里 / 义无反顾 | Freeman Man / Fan Yijie / Aaron Yip | |
| 2006–2007 | 灯火阑珊 / 换子成龙 / 大清徽商 / 顺娘 | |||
| 2008–2009 | 江湖往事 / 凤穿牡丹 / 一千滴眼泪 / 单亲妈妈 / 我在1949，等你 / 娘妻 |
Xiao Tang / Huo Dongqing / Jiang Haotian / Tai Songping / Lin Xiang / Gao Yaozhong | | ||
| 2010–2011 | 欢喜婆婆俏媳妇 / 谁知女人心 / 重生门 / 国色天香 / 菩提树下 / 大唐女将樊梨花 /
千山暮雪 || Tie Changsheng / Zhao Anhua / Lian Chengwen / Xiang Haoyu / Long Wusheng / Xue Dingshan / Mo Shaoqian | | |||
| 2011–2013 | 烽火儿女情 / 如意 /
续集 / 战火西北狼 / 山河恋·美人无泪 / 盛夏晚晴天 / 画皮之真爱无悔 / 喋血孤岛 || Fang Junjie / Tan Mingkai / Mo Shaoqian / Lieutenant Long Douyun / Hong Taiji / Qiao Jinfan / General Wang Ying / Agent Mike | | |||
| 2014–2015 | 江南四大才子 /
妻子的秘密 / 千金女賊 / 抓住彩虹的男人 / 縱橫天地 / 两生花 / 你的传奇之危机四伏 / 你是我的姐妹 / 蜂鸟 || Tang Yin / Li Minglang / Bai Zhengqing / Jiang Yu / Cho Chi-yuen / Qin Mo (Chen Bin) / Mr Mo (guest) / Shi Tianming / Luo Shaoqing | | |||
| 2016–2017 | 寂寞空庭春欲晚 /
一念向北 / 柠檬初上 / 飞刀又见飞刀 / 周末父母 / 继承人 || Kangxi / Lu Xiang (also producer) / Zuo Zaijun / Li Huai / Yu Zhiyuan / Zheng Hao | | |||
| 2018–2020+ | zh-tw:莽荒紀 /
Our Glamorous Time / 外交风云 / 這就是生活 / 深海 || Ji Ning / Li Zhiqian (special appearance)/ Qian Xuesen (special appearance)/ Guan Yīhe/ Tang Baihao | |
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Call Me by Fire | 披荊斬棘 | Second season |
Honors and Recognitions
| Year | Award | Category | Work Nominated | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3rd Asia Rainbow TV Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor | A Clear Midsummer Night | Template:Won |
| 13th Huading Awards | Best Actor (Period Drama) | Painted Skin 2 | Template:Won | |
| 2017 | AATFF Festival Golden Oak Award | Best Actor | Heirs | Template:Won |
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1974 births
- Living people
- Hong Kong male film actors
- Hong Kong male singers
- Hong Kong male television actors
- Toronto Metropolitan University alumni
- TVB actors
- Hong Kong people of Shandong descent
- 20th-century Hong Kong male actors
- 21st-century Hong Kong male actors
- Jay Walk Studio