Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Chinese: 梁朝偉; pinyin: Liáng Cháowěi, born 27 June 1962) is a Hong Kong actor and singer.

[2] Leung is known for his collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai, with whom he has worked in seven films, including Chungking Express (1994), Happy Together (1997), In the Mood for Love (2000), 2046 (2004), and The Grandmaster (2013).

Leung also starred in the Academy Award-nominated film Hero (2002), the cult classic Hard Boiled (1992),[3] and box office hits Infernal Affairs (2002)[4] and Red Cliff (2008).

[11][12] The 2002 book East Asian Film Stars describes Leung as "undoubtedly one of the most successful and widely-acclaimed Hong Kong actors of his generation, with a broad and diverse filmography.

A mischievous boy in his early years, Leung changed after his father, a chronic gambler, left the family when he was eight; he and his younger sister were brought up by their mother.

[18] He has said that his childhood experiences paved the way for his acting career, which allows him to openly express his feelings:You don't know what happened, just one day your pop disappears.

[23] Due to his boyish looks, TVB initially cast him as the host of a children's programme, 430 Space Shuttle, but soon moved him to drama roles, beginning with Soldier of Fortune (1982).

He was quickly promoted to leading man status in primetime series, including The Duke of Mount Deer (1984) and New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre (1986).

In the 1980s, he was named one of "TVB's Five Tigers" (their five popular young leading actors), along with Andy Lau, Felix Wong, Michael Miu and Kent Tong.

[29][30][31][32] He first garnered international attention in Hou Hsiao-hsien's 1989 film A City of Sadness,[33] which won the Venice Golden Lion.

He had won two HKFA Best Supporting Actor awards in quick succession but was struggling to establish himself as a leading man on the big screen.

[36][37][38] Leung has also said that until Days of Being Wild (1990), he had lost interest in acting and considered quitting, but working with Wong Kar-wai and seeing his scene in the final film changed his mind.

[48][49] His roles include the lonely policeman in Chungking Express (1994), a gay Chinese expatriate living in Argentina in Happy Together (1997), and a self-controlled victim of adultery in In the Mood for Love (2000), for which he won the Best Actor award at Cannes.

[51] In addition to his works with Wong, Leung has starred in three Venice Golden Lion winning films: A City of Sadness (1989), Cyclo (1995) and Lust, Caution (2007),[52] cementing his reputation in the arthouse cinema world.

[59] Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt are admirers of his work,[60] and The Times has called Leung Asia's answer to Clark Gable.

He has also worked with the creators of Infernal Affairs (Andrew Lau, Alan Mak, Felix Chong) on three other films: Confession of Pain (2006), The Silent War (2012), and The Goldfinger (2023).

[79][80] Producer Kevin Feige announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con that Leung will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villain in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, marking his Hollywood debut.

During the promotion of the film Hero, some commentators in Hong Kong alleged that Leung expressed the view that the Tiananmen Square demonstration crackdown was necessary to maintain stability.

[93] In 2023, Leung starred in the World War II spy thriller Hidden Blade, directed by Er Cheng,[94] and the crime drama The Goldfinger, along with Andy Lau.

In 1986, during one of their breakups, Leung briefly dated Kitty Lai, his co-star at the time in New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre, before getting back together with Tsang.

[101] They began their romantic relationship in 1989 after working together on a Hong Kong production of Run For Your Wife[35] and dated for 19 years before marrying in Bhutan in 2008.

They had known each other since The Clones in 1984, and also co-starred together in Duke of Mount Deer (1984), Police Cadet (1984, 1985, 1988), The Yangs' Saga (1985), Days of Being Wild (1991), He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father (1993), Ashes of Time (1994), and 2046 (2005).

Wong Kar-wai said, "Originally, there were plans for Days of Being Wild I and II, and the sequence featuring Leung was meant to be the opening scene of the second movie.