Sean Lau
Sean Lau Ching-wan | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1964 Hong Kong |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for | C'est la vie, mon chéri, My Name Is Fame, Mad Detective, Overheard franchise, Life Without Principle, Detective vs Sleuths, Papa |
Sean Lau Ching-wan (born 16 February 1964) stands out as a distinguished actor from Hong Kong, celebrated for his extensive contributions to both cinema and television. He earned acclaim through lead performances in films including C'est la vie, mon chéri (1993), My Name Is Fame (2006), Mad Detective (2007), the Overheard franchise spanning 2009 to 2014, and Life Without Principle (2011). Lau’s more recent noteworthy portrayal in Detective vs Sleuths (2022) garnered him the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. In 2025, his role in Papa (2024) brought him several prestigious honors, such as the Hong Kong Film Award, Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award, and Asian Film Award.
Career
Born in Hong Kong in 1964, Lau embarked on his acting journey by enrolling in the TVB acting classes in 1983. He made his television debut the following year with the drama Draw Out the Rainbow. Despite not conforming to traditional leading man appearances, he rose to prominence starring opposite Adam Cheng in the highly popular stock market-themed drama The Greed of Man (1992). His spouse, Amy Kwok, who was crowned Miss Hong Kong in 1991 and formerly worked as a TV actress, appeared alongside him in this series. Additionally, Lau featured in two productions with ATV during 1991 and 2000.
Lau’s film career began in 1986, and he received critical praise for portraying characters such as a struggling musician in C'est la vie, mon chéri (1993) and roles in various police thrillers including Big Bullet (1996), Full Alert (1997), The Longest Nite (1998), Running Out of Time (1999) along with its sequel (2001), and Mad Detective (2007).
Renowned for his adaptability, Lau affiliated himself with Milkyway Image during the mid-1990s, aligning with one of the influential production companies shaping Hong Kong cinema.
Personal life
Lau is married to Amy Kwok Oi Ming, who held the title of Miss Hong Kong 1991 and pursued a career as a television actress before their marriage.
Film
| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Silent Love | 聽不到的說話 | Kelly Mak | |
| 1988 | Set Me Free! | 我要逃亡 | ||
| 1988 | Police Story 2 | 警察故事續集 | CID in restaurant | |
| 1989 | Live Hard | 鐵膽雄風 | Fai / Chief | |
| 1989 | My Dear Son | 我要富貴 | Maddy | |
| 1991 | The Roar of the Vietnamese | 越青 | Fan Wan-tin | |
| 1992 | Angel Hunter | 女校風雲之邪教入侵 | Jack Chow Man-kit | |
| 1992 | The Shootout | 危險情人 | Liu | |
| 1993 | 'C'est la vie, mon chéri | 新不了情 | Kit | |
| 1993 | 'Executioners' | 現代豪俠傳 | Tak | |
| 1993 | 'The Gods Must Be Crazy IV' | 香港也瘋狂 / 非洲先生 | John | |
| 1994 | 'Bomb Disposal Officer: Baby Bomb' | 拆彈專家寶貝炸彈 | Peter Chan | |
| 1994 | 'I Wanna Be Your Man!!!' | 神探磨轆 / 聰明笨探 | Liu Che-mo | |
| 1994 | 'The Most Wanted' | 龍虎新風雲 | Black Cat / Ho Chi-yung | |
| 1995 | 'Loving You' | 無味神探 | Lau Chun-hoi | |
| 1996 | 'Big Bullet' | 衝鋒隊─怒火街頭 / EU衝鋒隊 | Sergeant Bill Chu | |
| 1997 | 'Full Alert' | 高度戒備 | Inspector Pao | |
| 1998 | 'The Longest Nite' | 暗花 / 暗花之殺人條件 | Tony | |
| 1999 | 'Running Out of Time' | 暗戰 | Inspector Ho Sheung-sang | |
| 2001 | 'Running Out of Time 2' | 暗戰2 | Inspector Ho Sheung-sang | |
| 2007 | 'Mad Detective' | 神探 | Chan Kwai-bun | |
| 2019 | 'Integrity' | 廉政風雲 煙幕 | Chan King-Chi | |
| 2020 | 'Shock Wave 2' | 拆彈專家2 | Tung Cheuk-man | |
| 2022 | 'Detective vs Sleuths' | 神探大戰 | Lee Jun | |
| 2022 | 'Warriors of Future' | 明日戰記 | Johnson Cheng |
Television series
| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Woman on the Beat | 警花出更 | TVB Jade | Bit part | |
| Hong Kong '83 | 香港八三 | TVB Jade | Bit part | ||
| The Man in the Middle | 夾心人 | TVB Jade |
| ||
| 1984 | The Fearless Duo | 天師執位 | TVB Jade | Bit part | |
| The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung | 楚留香之蝙蝠傳奇 | TVB Jade | Bit part | ||
| Rainbow Round My Shoulder | 畫出彩虹 | Law Ka-kan | TVB Jade | ||
| Police Cadet '84 | 新紮師兄 | Ngai-fung / Fit Lo | TVB Jade | ||
| Qiu Jin: A Woman to Remember | 秋瑾 | Yeung Hok-ling | TVB Jade | ||
| It's a Long Way Home | 家有嬌妻 | Dang Hin-coeng | TVB Jade | ||
| The Smiling, Proud Wanderer | 笑傲江湖 | Mai Wai-ji | TVB Jade | ||
| The Duke of Mount Deer | 鹿鼎記 | Wan Yau-fong | TVB Jade |
Dubbing
Lau has lent his voice to numerous films for their Hong Kong releases. His dubbing credits include Buzz Lightyear in all three installments of the Toy Story series (1999, 2010, 2019), Marlin in both Finding Nemo (2003) and its sequel Finding Dory (2016), Garfield across multiple films released between 2004 and 2009, and Bruce Wayne/Batman in the animated feature The Lego Batman Movie (2017). Other voice performances include characters in productions like Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002) and The Lost Bladesman (2011).
Host
2016||35th Hong Kong Film Awards||Served as master of ceremonies| Year | Event | Notes |
|---|
Awards and nominations
Throughout his career, Lau has been honored with numerous prestigious awards. He has won Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards multiple times—in 1997, 2001, 2011, and 2014—as well as receiving Golden Bauhinia Awards for Best Actor in both 1999 and 2007. The Hong Kong Film Awards recognized him with Best Actor for his performance in My Name Is Fame (2007). Additionally, he claimed the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor in 2012 with his role in Life Without Principle. His consistent accolades highlight his prominent position within Hong Kong’s film industry.
rowspan="2"|1994||rowspan="2"|14th Hong Kong Film Awards||rowspan="2"|Best Actor||Thou Shalt Not Swear||Nominated 1996||16th Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||Big Bullet||Nominated rowspan="2"|1997||17th Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||rowspan="2"|Full Alert||Nominated 1998||18th Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||The Longest Nite||Nominated rowspan="4"|1999||19th Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||rowspan="3"|The Victim||Nominated rowspan="2" |Golden Bauhinia Awards||Best Actor||Nominated 2001||Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards||Best Actor||La Brassiere||Won 2003||23rd Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||Lost in Time||Nominated rowspan="2"|2006||26th Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||rowspan="2"|My Name Is Fame||Won 2007||27th Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||Mad Detective||Nominated 2009||29th Hong Kong Film Awards||Best Actor||Overheard||Nominated rowspan="2"|2011||rowspan="2"|31st Hong Kong Film Awards||rowspan="2"|Best Actor||Life Without Principle||Nominated &&&Overheard 2&&Nominated\\\ - row span= "2"|||2012|||49th Golden Horse Awards|||Best Actor|||Life Without Principle|||Won |-|||55th Asia Pacific Film Festival|||Best Actor|||Life Without Principle|||Nominated |-|||2014|||51st Golden Horse Awards|||Best Actor|||The White Storm|||Nominated |- row span= "3"|||2015|||21st Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards|||Best Actor|||Overheard 3|||Won |-|||34th Hong Kong Film Awards|||Best Actor|||Overheard 3|||Won |-|||34th Hong Kong Film Awards|||Best Actor|||Insanity|||Nominated |- row span= "2"|||2023|||29th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards|||Best Actor|||Detective vs Sleuths|||Nominated |-|||41st Hong Kong Film Awards|||Best Actor|||Detective vs Sleuths|||Won |- row span= "3"|||2025|||31st Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards|||Best Actor|||Papa|||Won |-|||18th Asian Film Awards|||Best Actor|||Papa|||Won |-|||43rd Hong Kong Film Awards|||Best Actor|||Papa|||Won |-}External links
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C'est la vie, mon chéri | Nominated | |||
| Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actor | Won | ||
| 36th Golden Horse Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Where a Good Man Goes | Won | ||
| Golden Bauhinia Awards | Best Actor | Won |