Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow Sing-chi is a Hong Kong filmmaker and former actor widely recognized for developing the "mo lei tau" slapstick comedy style, which became a major element of Chinese popular culture. He initially built his reputation on television through variety programming and drama series before entering the film industry. During the 1990s, Chow established himself as one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful actors before transitioning into screenwriting, directing, and producing.

Chow was born in Hong Kong on June 22, 1962, to a mother from Guangzhou and an immigrant father from Ningbo. After his parents divorced when he was seven years old, Chow and his two sisters were raised by their mother. Inspired at age nine by Bruce Lee's performance in The Big Boss, Chow developed an interest in martial arts cinema. After completing secondary school at San Marino Secondary School, he enrolled in TVB's artist training program in 1982. He first gained public attention hosting the TVB children's show 430 Space Shuttle, a role he maintained for five years.

Chow's feature film career expanded after actor and producer Danny Lee cast him in the 1988 crime drama Final Justice, which won Chow the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor. Following his television success in the 1989 wuxia series The Final Combat, Chow starred in the 1990 parody All for the Winner. The film broke Hong Kong box-office records and inaugurated a period of tremendous commercial dominance. He solidified his leading-man status with consecutive hits such as God of Gamblers II, Tricky Brains, and Fight Back to School (1991), the latter of which set new local earnings records.

In the mid-1990s, Chow began co-directing and writing his projects, including From Beijing with Love (1994). He formed his own production outfit, Choi Sing Company, and partnered with Xi'an Film Studios to make the two-part fantasy adaptation A Chinese Odyssey (1995). Though both parts initially underperformed at the box office, the films steadily grew in popularity and eventually became iconic classics in Mainland China, significantly influencing early Chinese internet culture.

Chow achieved broad international acclaim with Shaolin Soccer (2001), which earned him Best Actor and Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards. He followed this success with Kung Fu Hustle (2004), securing global distribution and winning Best Director at the Golden Horse Awards. Following his final acting role in CJ7 (2008), Chow focused entirely on directing and producing. His subsequent directorial works include Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013), The Mermaid (2016)—which set major box-office records in China—and The New King of Comedy (2019). Outside of creative production, Chow became an executive director and major shareholder of Bingo Group in 2010.