
Leslie Cheung
Department: Acting
Biography
Cheung Kwok-Wing (Chinese: 張國榮, English name: Leslie, September 12, 1956 – April 1, 2003) was a Hong Kong Canadian singer and actor. Born in Hong Kong, Leslie Cheung moved to the United Kingdom in 1971, settling in Leeds, where he enrolled at university to study fashion design. After completing his studies, he returned to Hong Kong and, in 1977, took part in an amateur singing competition—the ATV Asian Music Contest—where he won second prize. The following year, he released his first album, I Like Dreaming. He soon began appearing on television and quickly landed his first film role in Erotic Dreams of the Red Chamber (1978), an erotic production that Cheung himself later described as a “shameful disaster.” Throughout a 26-year career from 1977 until his death, Cheung released over 40 music albums and acted in 56 films. He was one of the most prominent pioneers that shaped the identity of Cantopop during the 1980s. His studio albums Summer Romance (1987) and Most Beloved (1995) each sold over 300,000 copies and are among the best-selling albums of all time in the territory. In addition to music, Cheung achieved pan-Asian fame with such films as A Better Tomorrow (1986) and A Chinese Ghost Story (1987). He won the Best Actor at the 1991 Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Days of Being Wild (1990). His venture into acting in the 1990s was recognized for his portrayal of queer characters in the then-conservative film industry, he was one of the few Hong Kong actors willing to take on gay roles—such as in Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together—or to play a cross-dressing opera performer in Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1993. Leslie Cheung died by suicide on April 1, 2003, at the age of 46, by jumping from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. In the note he left behind, he stated that he had been suffering from depression.
Known For

Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit
1989

All's Well, End's Well '97
1997

A Chinese Ghost Story
1987

A Better Tomorrow
1986

The Bride with White Hair 2
1993

A Chinese Ghost Story II
1990

Ashes of Time
1994

All's Well, End's Well
1992

Okinawa Rendez-vous
2000

Moonlight Express
1999

Little Dragon Maiden
1983

Once a Thief
1991

Temptress Moon
1996

Days of Being Wild
1990

A Better Tomorrow II
1987

Happy Together
1997

The Bride with White Hair
1993

Rouge
1987

Farewell My Concubine
1993

The Eagle Shooting Heroes
1993

Shanghai Grand
1996

The Chinese Feast
1995

Inner Senses
2002

TME Live「想你 張國榮」線上音樂會
2021

Over the Rainbow, Under the Skirt
1994

Tri-Star
1996

Double Tap
2000

He's a Woman, She's a Man
1994

Viva Erotica
1996

Who's the Woman, Who's the Man?
1996

Nomad
1982

Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema
1998

Leslie Cheung: Surprise
1985

Sunset in Paris
1989

Teenagers
1978

Heritage: The Young Concubine
1980

Merry Christmas
1984

A Time to Remember
1998

Behind the Yellow Line
1984

The Kid
1999

The Phantom Lover
1995

Fatal Love
1988

All's Well End's Well, Too
1993

For Your Heart Only
1985

熱 : 情演唱會演唱會 Karaoke
2001

張國榮跨越97演唱會
1997

Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The Making of 'Happy Together'
1999

The Intellectual Trio
1984

Long and Winding Road
1994

The Drummer
1983

Double Decker
1984

It's a Wonderful Life
1994

From Ashes to Ashes
2000

Teenage Dreamers
1982

Crazy Romance
1985

Energetic-21
1982

Arrest the Restless
1992

Ninth Happiness
1998

On Trial
1981

Encore
1980

Last Song in Paris
1986

First Time
1983

Left Right Love Destiny
1999

The Banquet
1991

Anna Magdalena
1998

Dog Bites Dog Bone
1978

Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing Passion Tour 2000
2000

Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber
1978

Leslie Cheung: Final Encounter of the Legend
1989

張國榮’88演唱會
1988

張國榮86濃情演唱會
1986

Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing World Tour Bangkok 1983
1983

岛的故事之大屿山沙之城
1981

Ashes of Time Redux
2008

Dynasty
1980

Leslie Cheung Special '89
1989

Hong Kong Tragedy
1978

Agency 24
1981

The Fallen Family
1985

Crocodile Tears
1978

In Memory Of Leslie Cheung
2023

Pairing
1981

Make a Wish
1980

珠海枭雄
1981

Tai Chi Master (II)
1981

凹凸神探
1982

The Spirit of the Sword
1978

Gone with the wind
1980

Dynasty (II)
1980

Once Upon An Oridinary Girl
1984

Celebrity Talk Show
1989

星空下的傾情
1997

梅艷芳特輯之夢裡風情
1988