Chow Yun-Fat

When asked what if it never comes true, he replied "I would just have to laugh about it...". He lives in New York and London with his dog Honey. He once admitted to a Hong Kong reporter that his ultimate goal is to win an Oscar as an actor. Cumming is known to date both men and women, and described himself as "a frolicky pansexual sex symbol for the new millennium." He is also an activist for gay rights organizations and AIDS charities including Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Chow is still waiting for the type of success he once enjoyed in Asia. His first novel "Tommy's Tale" (ISBN 0141003766) was published in 2002 and he was one half of Victor and Barry with Forbes Masson, a comedy act revolving around two members of a Glasgow amateur theatre group. Ironically, he receded to a supporting role in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and it became a winner at both the box office and the Oscars. In 2001 Cumming co-wrote and co-directed the ensemble film The Anniversary Party with friend Jennifer Jason Leigh, which they both starred in as a Hollywood couple.

His next film Anna and the King (1999) did better, but the success was mostly credited to actress Jodie Foster. His other stage roles have included Otto in the 2001 Broadway production of Design for Living by Noel Coward, the title role in the 1993 English Touring Theatre production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and "The Madman" in the 1990 Royal National Theatre production of Accidental Death of An Anarchist by Dario Fo. His first two films Replacement Killers (1998) and The Corruptor (1999) were box-office sleepers. Perhaps one of Cumming's most acclaimed performances was as the charismatic Emcee in the 1998 Broadway revival of the popular stage musical Cabaret, for which he won a Tony as well as other awards that year. Being the hottest screen commodity in Asia, Chow was called upon by Hollywood in an attempt to duplicate his success on an international scale. He has often been utilised as a character actor —he was the hedonistic Lord Rochester in Plunkett and Macleane (1997) as well as the evil scientist Fegan Floop in Spy Kids and its sequels, directed by Robert Rodriguez. He is best known for playing honorable tough guys, whether cops or criminals. In 1991, he played the lead in a BBC Christmas special, Bernard and the Genie opposite Lenny Henry, and went on to star in the Scottish sitcom, The High Life, for which he also wrote the theme music, playing airline steward "Sebastian Flight".

His later films include The Killer (1989), An Autumn's Tale (秋天的童話, 1988) and Hard Boiled (1992). After graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1985, Cumming appeared in a six part series on British Television called Shadow of the Stone with Shirley Henderson in 1986. Taking the opportunity, Chow quit TV entirely and dedicated himself to making more 'gun fu' movies. Alan Cumming (born January 27, 1965 in Perthshire, Scotland), is an actor of stage and screen, possibly best known for his performance in the film X2 as Nightcrawler. Success finally came when he teamed up with an then-relatively-unknown director John Woo in the 1986 low-budget action movie A Better Tomorrow, which swept the box offices throughout Asia and established both Chow and Woo as mega stars. Son of the Mask (2005). However, his occasional ventures onto the big screens with low-budget movies were disastrous. Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003).

Although Chow continued his TV success, his ultimate goal was to become a big screen actor. X2 (Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner) (2003). It didn't take long for Chow to become a household name in Hong Kong following his role in the hit series The Bund (上海灘) in 1980. Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams (2002). His life started to change as his application was accepted as an actor-trainee by the local television station, TVB. Spy Kids (2001). Raised on the tiny offshore island of Lamma, Chow spent his childhood in poverty. Eyes Wide Shut (1999).

Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發, Jau1 Yeun6 Faat3, Pinyin: Zhōu Rùnfā) (born May 18, 1955 on Lamma Island, Hong Kong) is among a handful of internationally recognized screen actors that Hong Kong has ever produced, along with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Plunkett and Macleane (1999). Bulletproof Monk (2003). Titus (Saturninus) (1999). Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). Anna and the King (1999). Emma (1996).

The Corruptor (1999). GoldenEye (1995). Replacement Killers (1998). Second Best (1994). Hard Boiled (1992). Micky Love (1993). An Autumn's Tale (1988). Prague (1992).

All About Ah-Long (1989). Bernard and the Genie (1991). The Killer (1989). Bean (1989). A Better Tomorrow (1986). Mr. The Conquest of the South Pole (1988).