Li Ziqi
Lee Chi Kay, is a Hong Kong character actor and former contracted artist at TVB.
Biography
Lee Chi Kay was born in mid-1950s into a middle-class family as the only child. He is the grandson of the late Cantonese opera martial arts actor Leung Yuen-hang (Lee Ngan Chau). Both his parents were educators and raised him strictly. He graduated primary school in 1968 and was initially placed in Clementi Secondary School[1]. He attended Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College (Form 5) and St. Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School (Form 6), and after graduating in 1975, pursued a communications degree at the University of Windsor in Canada, completing his degree in two years. He returned to Hong Kong in 1977 and worked in sales at a private company.
In 1980, he joined the Hong Kong government as an investigator in the Operations Department of the ICAC. Passionate about acting, he auditioned for a role in the Hollywood film Harry's Hong Kong and was cast as a Chinese police officer. As public servants were prohibited from taking part-time jobs, he resigned from ICAC by compensating one month's salary.
In 1986, he participated in the first "Mr. TV" contest by Asia Television while working as an insurance agent and formally entered showbiz. He later immigrated to Toronto in 1988 and worked in auto and real estate sales. Still drawn to acting, he returned to Hong Kong in 1990 and joined TVB through the help of talent manager Chan Koon Ming. His first TVB drama was Teapot Family.
Over the next two decades, Lee performed in numerous TV series and films, including Love in a Time of Turmoil and Raid on the Police Station. In 2003, he temporarily left TVB due to a salary cut and reduction in appearances, rejoining ATV briefly before returning to TVB in 2006. He also ran businesses selling wine and frozen meat. As of 2017, after his contract ended, he emigrated to Vancouver but continued to perform occasionally.
Due to his Western appearance, he frequently played police officers, especially senior-ranking ones, as well as businessmen, villains, and fortune tellers, such as his iconic role as Buk Yat Buk in Drunken Kung Fu Court and The Gentle Crackdown II.
Anecdotes
- He was once frightened by a horse on an ATV set, leading to a lifelong fear of horseback riding.
- He considers the late actor Wong Wai as his mentor. Lacking formal acting training, he learned by writing autobiographies for his characters to better understand them.
- His most memorable role was Cloud Crane in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, during which he worked long hours while sleep-deprived.
- In 2002, while filming a breakup scene in The Wondrous Dad, actress Angela Tong accused him of inappropriate touching, which she clarified in 2007 was a misunderstanding.[2]
- He was rumored to be dating actress Ching Li in 2002, which she denied.[3]
- His hobby is fishing, often going with actors such as Ghost Tsuka and Tsang Wai Ming.
- In 2016, netizens compared his looks to the actor Tyson.
- He has maintained a signature mustache since returning to Hong Kong after graduation.
- He once unsuccessfully applied to the Hong Kong Customs and Royal Police before being hired by ICAC.
Radio programs
- 2016, Feb 22–26: RTHK Radio 2, SeeSaw
References
※ Radio interviews:
- Lee (surname)
- Canadian people of Chinese descent
- Canadian male actors of Chinese descent
- Hong Kong emigrants to Canada
- Alumni of Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College
- Alumni of St. Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School
- University of Windsor alumni
- Hong Kong male television actors
- Hong Kong male film actors
- Former ATV male actors
- TVB male actors