Hong Kong’s ‘star factory’: without TVB’s artist training course, would Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Stephen Chow and other Canto-pop and film idols have launched their showbiz careers?
Hong Kong has produced a surprising number of Asia’s biggest film stars, considering that the city has a population of less than eight million. Many of these beloved and award-winning A-listers started their careers in television – mostly with Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) – and entered showbiz after taking the channel’s artist training course.
It is no exaggeration to describe this acting boot camp as a “star factory”, at least during the 1970s and 1980s – although most of its graduates became much bigger stars after parting ways with the TV station and moving into film.
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The first training course began in 1971 in collaboration with Shaw Brothers Pictures, with TVB running it on their own starting from 1978. The course content was comprehensive: besides acting, it also covered dancing, martial arts, screenwriting theory, hair and make-up, photography and more, though the exact topics and course durations varied from year to year.
The all-star graduate list is jaw-dropping, with internationally renowned actors such as Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Stephen Chow Sing-chi all having taken TVB’s course at a time when they had little or no prior acting experience.
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Others completing the course included actor/singers Andy Lau Tak-wah and Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, actors Ng Man-tat, Simon Yam Tat-wah, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Sean Lau Ching-wan, and actress Carina Lau Ka-ling, to name a few. Martial artist Donnie Yen Ji-dan was also part of the class of 1988.
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The course’s teachers were stalwarts of the local entertainment industry with the very first taught by directing and acting veteran Chung King-Fai, and directors Lau Fong-gong and Jimmy Cheng Yau-kwok.
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Some of the biggest Hong Kong directors trained at TVB as actors before they moved to working behind the camera. The late Ringo Lam Ling-tung was in the class of 1974, together with Chow Yun-fat. The two later collaborated on films including City on Fire and Prison on Fire from 1987, with the pair awarded best director and best actor at the 7th Hong Kong Film Awards for their work on the former.
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Then there was the period from 1978 to 1981, when five young guns graduated and were christened the “Five Tiger Generals” by TVB co-founder Sir Run Run Shaw. The group included Michael Miu Kiu-wai, Kent Tong Chun-yip, Felix Wong Yat-wah, Andy Lau and Tony Leung.
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In addition to bagging leading roles in drama series, they often appeared in variety shows together, singing and dancing in uniform, as well as being interviewed together. The tactic worked well and the five young men all became heartthrobs.
TVB tried to use the same formula – promoting its actors in groups – in later years, but none surpassed the popularity of the Five Tigers.
- Other grads include Carina Lau, Aaron Kwok and the ‘Five Tiger Generals’: Lau, Leung, Michael Miu Kiu-wai, Kent Tong Chun-yip and Felix Wong Yat-wah
- Director Ringo Lam was a classmate of actor Chow Yun-fat, while fellow directors Johnnie To and Stanley Kwan graduated in the next two years