Andy Lau (born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer, and film producer who has appeared in over 160 films and 28 television series since his debut in 1981. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s.
Career Summary
Lau made his film acting debut in a supporting role in the 1981 film Once Upon a Rainbow and his television acting debut in the 1981 RTHK series Til We Meet Again. In 1982, he played a major role in Ann Hui's Boat People, earning a Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer nomination. He left TVB in 1985 to focus on his film career. In 1991, he established his own production company, Teamwork Motion Pictures (later renamed Focus Group Holdings Limited in 2004).
Lau has won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor three times (for Running Out of Time, Running on Karma, and A Simple Life), the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor twice (for Infernal Affairs III and A Simple Life), and the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor (for Protégé). He received the "No.1 Box Office Actor 1985–2005" award in Hong Kong, with a box office total of HK$1.7 billion across 108 films in that period.
Selected Notable Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Boat People | To Minh | Nominated for HKFA Best New Performer |
| 1983 | On the Wrong Track | Paul Chan | First leading film role |
| 1988 | As Tears Go By | Wah | First HKFA Best Actor nomination |
| 1989 | God of Gamblers | Michael "Dagger" Chan | Top-grossing film of the year |
| 1990 | A Moment of Romance | Wah Dee | Signature role |
| 1991 | Lee Rock / Lee Rock II | Lee Rock | Based on real-life corrupt officer Lui Lok |
| 1999 | Running Out of Time | Cheung Wah | Won first HKFA Best Actor |
| 2002 | Infernal Affairs | Lau Kin-ming | HK$55M at HK box office; highest-grossing in HK |
| 2003 | Infernal Affairs III | Lau Kin-ming | Won Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor |
| 2003 | Running on Karma | Big | Won second HKFA Best Actor |
| 2004 | House of Flying Daggers | Captain Leo | Premiered at Cannes |
| 2007 | Protégé | Lam Kwan | Won HKFA Best Supporting Actor |
| 2011 | A Simple Life | Roger Leung | Won third HKFA Best Actor and second Golden Horse |
| 2016 | The Great Wall | Strategist Wang | First Hollywood film |
| 2020 | Shock Wave 2 | Poon Sing-fung | US$226.4M worldwide; highest-grossing film globally |
| 2023 | The Wandering Earth 2 | Tu Hengyu | |
| 2023 | The Movie Emperor | Dany Lau | Premiered at TIFF; Lau received Special Tribute award |
| 2024 | High Forces | Gao Haojun | |
| 2025 | A Gilded Game | Todd Cheung |
Complete Film List (1982–2025)
Lau has acted in 188 films as of the most recent count. His filmography spans multiple genres including action, crime thriller, wuxia, drama, comedy, and romance. He has also served as producer on numerous films, including Made in Hong Kong (1997), which won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film.
1980s
Once Upon a Rainbow (1982), Boat People (1982), On the Wrong Track (1983), The Home at Hong Kong (1983), Everlasting Love (1984), Shanghai 13 (1984), The Unwritten Law (1985), Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985), The Magic Crystal (1986), Lucky Stars Go Places (1986), Rich and Famous (1987), Sworn Brothers (1987), Tragic Hero (1987), As Tears Go By (1988), The Crazy Companies (1988), The Crazy Companies II (1988), The Dragon Family (1988), In the Blood (1988), Lai Shi, China's Last Eunuch (1988), The Romancing Star II (1988), Three Against the World (1988), The Truth (1988), Walk on Fire (1988), Bloody Brotherhood (1989), Casino Raiders (1989), China White (1989), City Kids 1989 (1989), Crocodile Hunter (1989), The First Time Is the Last Time (1989), God of Gamblers (1989), Little Cop (1989), Long Arm of the Law Part 3 (1989), News Attack (1989), Perfect Match (1989), Proud and Confident (1989), The Romancing Star III (1989), Runaway Blues (1989), Stars and Roses (1989), The Truth - Final Episode (1989)
1990s
Days of Being Wild (1990), Dragon in Jail (1990), The Fortune Code (1990), Gangland Odyssey (1990), God of Gamblers II (1990), A Home Too Far (1990), Island of Fire (1990), Kawashima Yoshiko (1990), Kung Fu VS Acrobatic (1990), A Moment of Romance (1990), No Risk, No Gain (1990), Return Engagement (1990), The Banquet (1991), Casino Raiders II (1991), Dances with Dragon (1991), Don't Fool Me (1991), Hong Kong Godfather (1991), The Last Blood (1991), Lee Rock (1991), Lee Rock II (1991), Saviour of the Soul (1991), The Tigers (1991), Tricky Brains (1991), Zodiac Killers (1991), Casino Tycoon (1992), Casino Tycoon 2 (1992), Gameboy Kids (1992), Gun n' Rose (1992), Handsome Siblings (1992), Moon Warriors (1992), The Prince of Temple Street (1992), Saviour of the Soul II (1992), The Sting (1992), What a Hero! (1992), Days of Tomorrow (1993), Future Cops (1993), Come Fly the Dragon (1993), Perfect Exchange (1993), Drunken Master II (1994), Drunken Master III (1994), A Taste of Killing and Romance (1994), The Three Swordsmen (1994), Tian Di (1994), The Adventurers (1995), Full Throttle (1995), Pocahontas (1995, voice), What a Wonderful World (1996), A Moment of Romance III (1996), Shanghai Grand (1996), Thanks for Your Love (1996), Armageddon (1997), Cause We Are So Young (1997), Made in Hong Kong (1997, producer only), Island of Greed (1997), A True Mob Story (1998), The Conman (1998), The Longest Summer (1998, producer only), Fascination Amour (1999), Prince Charming (1999), The Conmen in Vegas (1999), Century of the Dragon (1999), Running Out of Time (1999)
2000s
The Duel (2000), Needing You... (2000), A Fighter's Blues (2000), Love on a Diet (2001), Fulltime Killer (2001), Dance of a Dream (2001), Fat Choi Spirit (2002), The Wesley's Mysterious File (2002), Infernal Affairs (2002), Golden Chicken (2002), Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002, voice), Love Under the Sun (2003, also director), Cat and Mouse (2003), Give Them a Chance (2003), Running on Karma (2003), Infernal Affairs III (2003), Golden Chicken 2 (2003), Magic Kitchen (2004), Jiang Hu (2004), McDull, Prince de la Bun (2004, voice), House of Flying Daggers (2004), Yesterday Once More (2004), A World Without Thieves (2004), Wait 'Til You're Older (2005), The Shoe Fairy (2005, voice), All About Love (2005), I'll Call You (2006), My Mother is a Belly Dancer (2006), A Battle of Wits (2006), Rain Dogs (2006, executive producer), Crazy Stone (2006, executive producer), Protégé (2007), Brothers (2007), The Warlords (2007), Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (2008), Look for a Star (2009), The Founding of a Republic (2009)
2010s
Future X-Cops (2010), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010), Gallants (2010, executive producer), Shaolin (2011), What Women Want (2011), The Founding of a Party (2011), A Simple Life (2011), Cold War (2012), Switch (2013), Blind Detective (2013), Singing When We're Young (2013, producer), Firestorm (2013), Golden Chicken 3 (2014), From Vegas to Macau II (2015), Lost and Love (2015), Saving Mr. Wu (2015), Our Times (2015), The Bodyguard (2016), From Vegas to Macau III (2016), Mission Milano (2016), The Great Wall (2016), Railroad Tigers (2016), Shock Wave (2017), The Adventurers (2017), Chasing the Dragon (2017), The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019), Fagara (2019)
2020s
Find Your Voice (2020), Shock Wave 2 (2020), Detective Chinatown 3 (2021), Endgame (2021), The Wandering Earth 2 (2023), Red Line (2023), The Movie Emperor (2023), Moscow Mission (2023), I Did It My Way (2023), The Goldfinger (2023), Peg O' My Heart (2024), Crisis Negotiators (2024), High Forces (2024), Cesium Fallout (2024), A Gilded Game (2025), The Lychee Road (2025)
Upcoming
Made In Yiwu, Hong Kong Land, Angels of the Pandemic, Raging Havoc, Sacred Seven, Shock Wave 3 (all TBA)
Television Series (28 total)
Notable TV series include The Emissary (1982), The Return of the Condor Heroes (1983, as Yeung Kuo), The Duke of Mount Deer (1984, as Emperor Hong-hei), and The Yang's Saga (1985). His final television acting role was in 1992, with a cameo in The Thief of Time. In 2018, he served as producer on The Trading Floor.
