Leslie Cheung
Known for
Born in Hong Kong in 1956, Leslie Cheung became one of Cantopop's defining stars before turning into an icon of Hong Kong cinema. He gave a magnetic performance in Wong Kar-wai's Days of Being Wild (1990) and delivered the role of a lifetime as the Peking opera singer Cheng Dieyi in Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine (1993), a film honored with the Palme d'Or at Cannes. His pairing with Tony Leung in Happy Together (1997) remains a landmark of queer cinema, and his work in A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) and A Better Tomorrow (1986) shaped an era. His death in 2003 turned him into a lasting cultural symbol across the Chinese-speaking world.
Leslie Cheung
56 Movies
4 Series
Born in Hong Kong in 1956, Leslie Cheung became one of Cantopop's defining stars before turning into an icon of Hong Kong cinema. He gave a magnetic performance in Wong Kar-wai's Days of Being Wild (1990) and delivered the role of a lifetime as the Peking opera singer Cheng Dieyi in Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine (1993), a film honored with the Palme d'Or at Cannes. His pairing with Tony Leung in Happy Together (1997) remains a landmark of queer cinema, and his work in A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) and A Better Tomorrow (1986) shaped an era. His death in 2003 turned him into a lasting cultural symbol across the Chinese-speaking world.
Movies
Plays Ling Choi-san
A Chinese Ghost Story
1987
Plays Cheng Dieyi / Xiao Douzi
Farewell My Concubine
1993
Plays Sung Chi Kit
A Better Tomorrow
1986
Plays Sing
Viva Erotica
1996
Plays Yuddy
Days of Being Wild
1990
Plays James / Jim
Once a Thief
1991
Plays Ho Po-wing
Happy Together
1997
Plays Sung Chi Kit
A Better Tomorrow II
1987
Plays Shang So
All's Well, Ends Well
1992
Plays Ling Choi-san
A Chinese Ghost Story II
1990
Plays Ouyang Feng / Western Venom
Ashes of Time
1994
Plays Chan Chen-Pang
Rouge
1987
Plays Huang Yaoshi
The Eagle Shooting Heroes
1993
Plays Little B-head
The Banquet
1991
Plays Cho Yi Hang
The Bride with White Hair
1993
Plays Chiu Kong Sun
The Chinese Feast
1995
Plays Yu Zhongliang
Temptress Moon
1996
Plays Tatsuya Misawa / Shek Karbo
Moonlight Express
1999
Plays Louis
Nomad
1982
Plays Paul Chan
Behind the Yellow Line
1984
Plays Hui Man Keung
Shanghai Grand
1996
Plays David Copper Feel
All's Well End's Well, Too
1993
Plays Editor
Anna Magdalena
1998
Plays Yang Guo / Yang Kang
Little Dragon Maiden
1983
Plays Jim Law
Inner Senses
2002
Plays Cho Yi Hang
The Bride with White Hair 2
1993
Plays Rick Y.H.Pang
Double Tap
2000
Plays Jia Baoyu
Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber
1978
Plays Brother Thief
Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit
1989
Writer
Plays Sam Koo Gai Ming
He's a Woman, She's a Man
1994
Plays Chi Ken Wing
Fatal Love
1988
Producer
Plays Song Danping
The Phantom Lover
1995
Plays Jimmy Tong
Okinawa Rendez-vous
2000
Plays Roberto
It's a Wonderful Life
1994
Plays Piggy Chan
For Your Heart Only
1985
Plays Sam Koo Gai Ming
Who's the Woman, Who's the Man?
1996
Plays Leslie Cheung
Crazy Romance
1985
Plays Inspector Chan Wing
The Intellectual Trio
1984
Plays John
Merry Christmas
1984
Plays Ma Lun Cheung / Tok Choi
Ninth Happiness
1998
Plays Chung Kwok Keung
Tri-Star
1996
Plays Wing
On Trial
1981
Plays Lam Chiu-Wing
Long and Winding Road
1994
Plays Jin
A Time to Remember
1998
Plays Jackson Chen
Teenage Dreamers
1982
Plays Gigo
Encore
1980
Plays Wing / Daniel
The Kid
1999
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Inner Senses
Full Filmography
Inner Senses
Jim Law
2002
Film
From Ashes to Ashes
Lawrence
2000
Film
Okinawa Rendez-vous
Jimmy Tong
2000
Film
Double Tap
Rick Y.H.Pang
2000
Film
The Kid
Wing / Daniel
1999
Film
Left Right Love Destiny
阿Sam
1999
Film
Moonlight Express
Tatsuya Misawa / Shek Karbo
1999
Film
A Time to Remember
Jin
1998
Film
Anna Magdalena
Editor
1998
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Leslie Cheung still alive?
Leslie Cheung passed away on April 1, 2003 at age 46.
What are the most famous roles of Leslie Cheung?
Leslie Cheung is best known for roles in Happy Together, Farewell My Concubine, A Better Tomorrow.
How many movies has Leslie Cheung been in?
Over a 25-year career (since 1978), Leslie Cheung has appeared in 56 movies and 4 TV shows.
What was Leslie Cheung's first movie?
The career of Leslie Cheung began with Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber (1978).
What is Leslie Cheung's most recent movie or series?
Leslie Cheung's most recent release is Inner Senses, which premiered on March 28, 2002.
What TV shows has Leslie Cheung appeared in?
On television, Leslie Cheung has appeared in Celebrity Talk Show, Crocodile Tears, Dynasty, Leslie Cheung Special '89.
Leslie Cheung
1956-09-12 · Hong Kong, British Crown Colony
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.