Andy Lau Tak-wah was born on 27 September 1961, in Tai Po, (then British) Hong Kong, and is an actor, film producer, and singer, best known for being one of Hong Kong’s most successful actors. He’s starred in over 160 films, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Andy Lau? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $70 million, mostly earned through a successful career in acting. He has also handled a successful singing career while acting, and is the Guinness World Record holder for “Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist”. As he continues his career it is expected that his wealth will increase.
Andy Lau Net Worth $70 million
After matriculating from Ho Lap College, he signed on to an artist training program offered by TVB during 1981. He started to gain attention while being part of the series “The Emissary” and became even more popular after appearing in “The Return of Condor Heroes”. From then, he appeared in more shows, and was called one of TVB’s “Five Tigers” alongside Michael Miu, Felix Wong, Kent Tong, and Tony Leung. During the late 1980s, he would leave TVB due to contractual problems which led to him being blacklisted – TVB reportedly wanted to put him on an exclusive contract, which he declined.
Lau’s film debut came with a small role in “Once Upon a Rainbow” during 1981. He would then appear in “Boat People” before getting his first lead role in “On the Wrong Track” during 1983. Lau was known for his good looks, but he also wanted people to appreciate his acting prowess. After starring in “A Fighter’s Blues” he would get his first Golden Bauhinia Award, and would continue winning awards for his next films, including “Running Out of Time”, and “Internal Affairs III”. He also began appearing in wuxia films catering to Western audiences, such as “House of Flying Daggers” which was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2005, Lau was named as the “No. 1 Box Office Actor of Hong Kong” from 1985 to 2005, having shot 108 films during this period, and beating Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan in terms of box office success. His net worth was rising substantially.
In 1991, Andy started his own film production company entitled Teamwork Motion Pictures Limited; in 2002, it was renamed to Focus Group Holdings Limited. The company is responsible for the award winning “Made in Hong Kong” and “Crazy Stone”. He became responsible for helping many new talents in the industry.
For his music career, Lau released his first album during 1985 entitled “Only Know That I Still Love You”; the album was not a big hit, but he persevered and would eventually become one of Cantopop’s most popular artists, in 1991 – he released the album “Would it Be Possible”, and many songs would become hits. He also received numerous awards throughout the years, having numerous chart-topping songs including “The Tide”, “Secret Admiration” and “Chinese people”. He also sang songs in other languages such as Malay, Taiwanese, and English.
Aside from his numerous personal endeavors, Lau was also featured in the video game “Prototype” as a non-player character or NPC.
For his personal life, it is known that Lau is a Buddhist and practices Chinese calligraphy. He married Carol Chu in 2008, with their relationship being a source of speculation for the previous 24 years; they have a daughter. Andy also does numerous charity works. He established the Andy Lau Charity Foundation which aims to provide education services. He also put together the Artistes 512 Fund Raising Campaign which raised funds for the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. In 2010, he received the “World Outstanding Chinese” award from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
Full Name
Andy Lau
Net Worth
$70 Million
Date Of Birth
September 27, 1961
Place Of Birth
Tai Po, Hong Kong
Height
1.75 m
Profession
Actor
Education
Ho Lap College
Nationality
Hong Kong
Spouse
Carol Chu
Children
Hanna Lau
Parents
Lau Lai
Siblings
Lau Takshing
IMDB
Awards
Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor, Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film, Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song, Asian Films People's Choice Award for Favorite Actor, Asian Film Awards - Nielsen Box Office Star of Asia Award
Nominations
Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer, Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor, Asian Film Award for Best Actor, International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV China
Movies
The Great Wall, A Simple Life, Shaolin, Firestorm, God of Gamblers, Running Out of Time, House of Flying Daggers, The Duel, A World Without Thieves, The Warlords, Lost and Love, Infernal Affairs, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, As Tears Go By, Love on a Diet, Infernal Affairs III...
TV Shows
The Legend of Master So, The Emissary, The Old Miao Myth, The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Duke of Mount Deer, The Other Side of the Horizon, The Return of Wong Fei Hung, The Yang's Saga, Take Care Your Highness, Heir to the Throne Is..., The Last Performance, The Shell Game II
"The first time I met him, he just showed me his Rolex. He says 'Look at it' then I look at it. Then he told me 'Work hard, and you are going to have it!" (on meeting his idol, 'Chow Yun-Fat', for the first time)
2
"In any movie you showed your handsome face, maybe stood there in a smart pose, and that's it, that was enough. The hard part was already done." (on his previous acting roles)
3
Sing more and you get better, Fight more and you get better ... But acting is hard.
4
In Hong Kong the camera is always moving. Yimou Zhang will put the camera on you and leave it there. And if you're good, you're good. And if you're not, well ... [on the difference between working on Hong Kong productions and a Zhang Yimou production]
5
"I want to have a form that fits the times, so I just keep on changing
and that makes people feel I'm a hardworking guy trying to do my
best." (on his new approach to acting)
6
"Wong Kar Wai is a very intense character, very personable, and I believe in general he does not like and he would not want his actors to show their true looks and their true personality on screen." (on working with Kar-Wai Wong).
7
"I think Fruit Chan is an interesting director because he could offer a purely commercial attraction with artistic subjects and personalities." (on director, Fruit Chan).
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Fact
1
Lau was awarded the Asian Filmmaker of the Year in the 2006 Pusan International Film Festival in Busan (formerly Pusan), Korea. He received the award after initiating a project Focus First Cuts to finance films from fledging Asian directors. One of the 6 films, the black comedy Feng kuang de shi tou (2006) (aka Crazy Stone), has gone on to become to date the second top-grossing film in China this year.
2
Is skilled in the Chinese calligraphy.
3
Awarded honorary fellow member by the Hongkong Academy of Performing Arts (HKAPA). Past recipients of the honor include Yun-Fat Chow, John Woo and 'Anthony Wong (IX)'.
4
Awarded "No. 1 Box-office Actor 1985-2005" of Hong Kong, yielding a total box office of HKD 1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in the past 20 years.
5
(As of 2003) Since 1992 he has appeared in concert 179 times.
6
Has the most awards won by a male Cantonese pop artist, as of April 2000 he had 292 awards.
