Hawick Lau
Hong Kong actor and singer (born 1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hawick Lau Hoi-wai (Chinese: 劉愷威; born 13 October 1974) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He was named as one of the "Five Fresh Tigers of TVB" and is best known for his performances in the series A Kindred Spirit (1995), Virtues of Harmony (2001) and My Family (2005).[1]
- Actor
- singer
- producer
Hawick Lau | |
|---|---|
Lau in 2017 | |
| Born | 13 October 1974 |
| Alma mater | Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Agent(s) | Hawick Lau Studio (2019−present) Jay Walk Studio (2015 - 2019) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
|
| Chinese name | |
| Traditional Chinese | 劉愷威 |
| Simplified Chinese | 刘恺威 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Liú Kǎiwēi |
| Jyutping | Lau4 Hoi2 Wai1 |
He then expanded his career into mainland China, acting in several notable series. His notable appearances include Sealed with a Kiss (2011), A Clear Midsummer Night (2013), The Wife's Secret (2014), Lady & Liar (2015) and Chronicle of Life (2016).
Early life
Lau grew up in Hong Kong. He is the son of the Hong Kong actor Lau Dan and his wife Lee Fuk-ying (李馥瑩). Lau studied architecture at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Career
Lau debuted in the 1995 drama A Kindred Spirit. He starred alongside his father Lau Dan, coincidentally portraying father and son. The same year, he signed on with Hong Kong's Sony Music as a singer.[2]
In 1997, he released his first Chinese album LALA I Love You. In 1998, he released his first Cantonese album A Boy's Story.[2]
Lau continued acting in Hong Kong dramas and started to gain fame locally. In 2000, he starred in the youth romance drama Aiming High with Nicholas Tse. He also had a supporting role in the financial thriller At the Threshold of an Era. From 2001 to 2002, he starred in the historical sitcom Virtues of Harmony with his father and later its sequel Virtues of Harmony II in 2003.[3] In January 2005, he starred in modern comedy drama My Family, in his first leading role.[2][4]
TVB named him as one of the 5 Fresh Tigers – a group of promising young actors that the network pushed to become stars.
In 2005, after having a significant amount of success at TVB, he left the company and traveled to mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore, where he participated in some productions. He filmed his first Mainland production The Hui Merchants of Qing (which aired in 2007). He also starred in the Mediacorp production Destiny; following which he participated in the Taiwanese drama Letter 1949.[5]
In April 2006, Lau signed with ATV, the other main television station and production studio in Hong Kong for one year. In November 2006, Lau's first series with ATV, No Turning Back began airing.
In order to fully immerse himself into the Chinese market, Lau insisted on speaking Mandarin Chinese instead of Cantonese for his media appearances. He started to gain attention from the Chinese audiences for his appearance in the 2008 drama Royal Embroidery Workshop, which also starred Li Xiaoran.[6]
In 2009, he starred in the republican drama Niang Qi, which won him the Best Actor Award at the Jiangsu TV Drama Awards.[7]
In 2011, Lau gained mainstream popularity after starring in the romance melodrama Sealed With a Kiss, gaining recognition from his portrayal of Mo Shaoqian, who was likened to the Asian version of Christian Grey.[8] Lau also starred alongside Wallace Chung in drama Under The Bodhi Tree.
In 2012, Lau starred in the romantic comedy film Holding Love alongside Yang Mi. The movie was released on the day of Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, and topped the box office charts.[9] He again worked with Yang in the period epic drama Ru Yi, which gained attention prior to its premiere due to his and Yang's public relationship at that time.[10]
Lau then established his personal studio, and took on the role of a producer for the first time in the contemporary romance drama A Clear Midsummer Night. The drama aired in 2013 and quickly became popular with the audience, becoming the first drama in 2013 to surpass 100 million views.[citation needed] In April, he starred in the television adaptation of the 2012 hit movie Painted Skin: The Resurrection.[11] His performance in the series won him the Best Actor in the Ancient Drama genre at the 13th Huading Awards. He then returned to TVB, filming the Hong Kong-China joint production Master of Destiny, which aired in 2015.[12]
In 2014, he starred opposite Zhao Liying in the romance drama The Wife's Secret.[13]
In 2015, Lau paired up with Tiffany Tang in the period romance drama Lady & Liar, which broke records to become the most viewed republic era period drama online.[14] His character Bai Zhengqing was popular with the audience, and gained him a large number of fans.[15] Following Lady & Liar, Lau then starred in another period drama The Cage of Love, written by famed writer Tong Hua.[16] Lau also Co-starred with Wang Likun in Twice Bloom the Flower that year.
In 2016, Lau starred in period romance drama Chronicle of Life, portraying Kangxi Emperor. The series gained popularity upon its premiere, placing #1 in ratings nationally and topping online views.[17] In April, the second production by Lau's studio, entitled Road to the North premiered on CNTV.[18] He then starred in the television adaptation of Gu Long's novel The Legend of Flying Daggers.[19]
In 2017, Lau starred in the family drama, Full Love[20] and the legal drama Heirs.[21]
In 2018, Lau took the lead role in the fantasy wuxia drama The Legend of Jade Sword.[22]
In October 2019, it was confirmed that Lau's contract with Jaywalk Studio had expired and he did not renew.[23]
In 2020, Lau starred with Chen Duling in The Invisible Life a modern drama about women struggle in work place.
Personal life
Lau announced his relationship with Chinese actress Yang Mi on 8 January 2012 through Weibo. The two had previously co-starred in Ru Yi, Holding Love and A Clear Midsummer Night.
On 8 January 2014, Lau and Yang got married in Bali, Indonesia.[24] On 1 June 2014, Yang gave birth to their daughter nicknamed Little Sticky Rice (小糯米) in Hong Kong.[25]
On 22 December 2018, Hawick Lau and Yang Mi issued a joint-statement announcing their divorce through their agency.[26]
Filmography
Film
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 龙凤斗智蟠龙坊 | Jin Kezhong | ||
| 2003 | Bless the Child | 某年某月某日 | Wong Yong | |
| The Spy Dad | 神勇铁金刚 | Hotel employee | ||
| Honesty | 绝种好男人 | Ah Chong | ||
| 2009 | Irreversi | 回路 | Liu Zhiming | [27] |
| 2012 | Holding Love | HOLD住爱 | Tao Xiaolei | |
| 2013 | Love in Summer | |||
| TBA | 梦瑜伽 | Special appearance[28] | ||
Television series
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1999 | A Kindred Spirit | 真情 | Lee Tian An | |
| 1997 | Mystery Files | 迷離檔案 | Cheung Wai | Episodes 7–9 |
| 1999 | Untraceable Evidence II | 鑑證實錄II | Yeung Chi-lun | |
| 1999–2000 | At the Threshold of an Era | 創世紀 | Yip Wing-chak | |
| 2000 | Aiming High | 撻出愛火花 | Cheung Wing-leung | |
| 2001 | Law Enforcers | 勇探實錄 | Lee Lap-ming | |
| 2001–2002 | Virtues of Harmony | 皆大歡喜 | Yuen Sau | |
| 2004-2005 | Virtues of Harmony II | 皆大歡喜 | Lau Ka-sing | |
| 2004 | Hard Fate | 翡翠戀曲 | Mok Hei-man | |
| Shades of Truth | 水滸無間道 | Ben Fai | ||
| ICAC Investigators 2004 | 廉政行動2004 | Cheung Lap-san | ||
| 2005 | My Family | 甜孫爺爺 | Freeman Man | |
| Destiny | 梦在手里 | Fan Yijie | ||
| 2006 | 灯火阑珊 | Luo Jiahui | ||
| 2006–2007 | Relentless Justice | 义无反顾 | Aaron Yip | |
| 2007 | 换子成龙 | Chen Tianhong | ||
| The Hui Merchants of Qing | 大清徽商 | Chen Yuanliang | ||
| Shun Niang | 顺娘 | Chen Wuqiu | ||
| 2008 | East Hegemon | 江湖往事 | Xiao Tang | |
| Royal Embroidery Workshop | 凤穿牡丹 | Huo Dongqing | ||
| One Thousand Teardrops | 一千滴眼泪 | Jiang Haotian | ||
| 2009 | The Single Mother | 单亲妈妈 | Tai Songping | [29] |
| Letter 1949 | 我在1949，等你 | Lin Xiang | ||
| Niang Qi | 娘妻 | Gao Yaozhong | ||
| 2010 | Happy Mother-in-Law, Pretty Daughter-in-Law | 欢喜婆婆俏媳妇 | Tie Changsheng | [30] |
| Who Knows the Female of the Women | 谁知女人心 | Zhao Anhua | [31] | |
| 重生门 | Lian Chengwen | [32] | ||
| Spell of the Fragrance | 国色天香 | Xiang Haoyu | [33] | |
| 2011 | Under the Bodhi Tree (Linden) | 菩提树下 | Long Wusheng | [citation needed] |
| 大唐女将樊梨花 | Xue Dingshan | [34] | ||
| Sealed With a Kiss | 千山暮雪 | Mo Shaoqian | ||
| Love in the War Time | 烽火儿女情 | Fang Junjie | [35] | |
| 2012 | Ru Yi | 如意 | Tan Mingkai | |
| Sealed With a Kiss Sequel | 千山暮雪续集 | Mo Shaoqian | Mini series[36] | |
| 战火西北狼 | Lieutenant Long Douyun | [37] | ||
| In Love with Power | 山河恋·美人无泪 | Hong Taiji | [38] | |
| 2013 | A Clear Midsummer Night | 盛夏晚晴天 | Qiao Jinfan | also producer |
| Painted Skin 2 | 画皮之真爱无悔 | General Wang Ying | ||
| Bloodbath Island | 喋血孤岛 | Agent Mike | [39] | |
| 2014 | The Four Scholars of Jiangnan | 江南四大才子 | Tang Bohu | [40] |
| The Wife’s Secret | 妻子的秘密 | Li Minglang | ||
| 2015 | Lady & Liar | 千金女賊 | Bai Zhengqing | |
| The Cage of Love | 抓住彩虹的男人 | Jiang Yu | ||
| Master of Destiny | 縱橫天地 | Cho Chi-yuen | ||
| The Double Life of Veronique | 两生花 | Qin Mo (Chen Bin) | [41] | |
| 你的传奇之危机四伏 | Mr Mo | Guest appearance | ||
| You Are My Sisters | 你是我的姐妹 | Shi Tianming | [42] | |
| Hummingbird Attack | 蜂鸟 | Luo Shaoqing | [43] | |
| 2016 | Chronicle of Life | 寂寞空庭春欲晚 | Kangxi | |
| Road to the North | 一念向北 | Lu Xiangbei | also producer | |
| First Love | 柠檬初上 | Zuo Zaijun | [44] | |
| The Legend of Flying Daggers | 飞刀又见飞刀 | Li Huai | ||
| 2017 | Full Love | 周末父母 | Yu Zhiyuan | |
| Heirs | 继承人 | Zheng Hao | ||
| 2018 | The Legend of Jade Sword | 莽荒紀 | Ji Ning | |
| Our Glamorous Time | 你和我的倾城时光 | Li Zhiqian | Special appearance[45] | |
| 2019 | Diplomatic Situation | 外交风云 | Qian Xuesen | Special appearance[46] |
| 2020 | That's life/Invisible life | 這就是生活 | Guan Yīhe | [47] |
| TBA | Deep Sea | 深海 | Tang Baihao | |
Variety and reality show
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Call Me by Fire | 披荊斬棘 | Season 2 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3rd Asia Rainbow TV Awards | Outstanding Leading Actor | A Clear Midsummer Night | Won | [48] |
| 13th Huading Awards | Best Actor (Ancient Drama) | Painted Skin 2 | Won | [49] | |
| 2017 | AATFF Festival Golden Oak Award | Best Actor | Heirs | Won | [50] |