---
name: "Leslie Cheung"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/leslie-cheung"
fi1m_id: "leslie-cheung"
imdb_id: "nm0002000"
tmdb_id: 69637
wikidata_id: "Q313596"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "12 September 1956"
died: "1 April 2003"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 84
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-26T01:25:45.179331+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Leslie Cheung

## Identity

Leslie Cheung

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/leslie-cheung
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** leslie-cheung
- **IMDb ID:** nm0002000
- **TMDB ID:** 69637
- **Wikidata ID:** Q313596
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cheung, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313596, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002000/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/69637

Actor. Born 12 September 1956 in Hong Kong, British Crown Colony. Died 1 April 2003.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 12 September 1956, Hong Kong, British Crown Colony
- **Died:** 1 April 2003
- **Active:** 1987–1997
- **Also known as:** Zhāng Guóróng, Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing	, Cheung Kwok-Wing, 張國榮, 张国荣, Kwok-wing Cheung, Lesile K.W. Cheung, Guorong Zhang, 장국영, Trương Quốc Vinh, 张发宗, เลสลี่ จาง
- **Average Fi1m score:** 84, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 82 (1), 1990s 86 (2)
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 3 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 2, Action 1, Fantasy 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $30m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cheung, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313596, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002000/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/69637

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Happy Together*](https://film.one/film/happy-together.md) (86)
- **Apple TV:** [*Farewell My Concubine*](https://film.one/film/farewell-my-concubine.md) (85)
- **AMC+:** [*A Chinese Ghost Story*](https://film.one/film/a-chinese-ghost-story.md) (82)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Leslie Cheung

> Leslie Cheung makes difficult people attractive enough that we understand why others stay. We value the emotional precision of his acting, especially in *Happy Together*, where affection survives plenty of reasons to leave.

In *Happy Together* (1997), Leslie Cheung makes Ho Po-wing appealing even when his behaviour is wearing. Tony Leung Chiu-wai gives Lai a weariness we can understand, yet Cheung keeps us interested in the man causing so much of it. We are never required to decide that Ho deserves our approval before the relationship can matter. This is Cheung at his most persuasive: allowing affection to remain credible when patience is running short.

His film career gathered pace with John Woo's *A Better Tomorrow* (1986) and the fantasy *A Chinese Ghost Story* (1987). He worked with Wong Kar-wai on *Days of Being Wild* (1990), and *Farewell My Concubine* (1993) brought international recognition. Wong and Chen Kaige are recurring collaborators in work concerned with identity and relationships. His ease with gender ambiguity is part of that appeal, especially in *Farewell My Concubine*. But the small changes of expression that make intense feeling seem natural are as important to understanding his acting as the kinds of parts he took.

The advantage is clearest in the work Cheung shares with Leung. In *Happy Together*, Leung's unhappiness does not reduce Ho to the person preventing Lai from being happy; Cheung makes the attachment between them substantial enough to resist that easy reading. We were moved by the affection they sustain, because neither actor pretends it makes living together comfortable. Wong gets something valuable from the pairing: we can care about both men without being asked to excuse everything either of them does.

There is a limit to what those performances can repair. The fractured storytelling in *Happy Together* begins to repeat itself, and even these actors cannot prevent the familiar difficulties from becoming wearing. They do, however, keep the men interesting, which is why we recommend the film despite that repetition. Start here for Cheung, but save it for an evening when a painful romance is welcome.

## Biography

Leslie Cheung was a Hong Kong singer and actor. Born Cheung Fat-chung on 12 September 1956 in Kowloon, he studied in England before returning to Hong Kong. He gained early attention through a 1977 singing contest and released his first album the following year.

Cheung appeared in 56 films over a 26-year career. He is known for roles including Sung Tse-kit in *A Better Tomorrow* (1986), Yuddy in *Days of Being Wild* (1990), Ling Choi-san in *A Chinese Ghost Story* (1987), Ouyang Feng in *Ashes of Time* (1994), Ho Po-wing in *Happy Together* (1997) and Cheng Dieyi in *Farewell My Concubine* (1993). He won Best Actor at the 1991 Hong Kong Film Awards for *Days of Being Wild*.

Cheung died by suicide on 1 April 2003 in Hong Kong, aged 46.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, scmp.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Happy Together* (1997), Fi1m 86, as Ho Po-wing — [page](https://film.one/film/happy-together.md)
- *Farewell My Concubine* (1993), Fi1m 85, as Cheng Dieyi / Xiao Douzi — [page](https://film.one/film/farewell-my-concubine.md)
- *A Chinese Ghost Story* (1987), Fi1m 82, as Ling Choi-san — [page](https://film.one/film/a-chinese-ghost-story.md)

## Complete filmography (89)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *In Memory Of Leslie Cheung* (2023), series, Actor
- *Ashes of Time Redux* (2008), as 欧阳锋
- *Inner Senses* (2002), as Jim Law
- *熱 : 情演唱會演唱會 Karaoke* (2001), Actor
- *Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing Passion Tour 2000* (2000), Actor
- *From Ashes to Ashes* (2000), as Lawrence · Writer, Director, Story
- *Okinawa Rendez-vous* (2000), as Jimmy Tong, Theme Song Performance
- *Double Tap* (2000), as Rick Y.H.Pang
- *The Kid* (1999), as Wing / Daniel, Theme Song Performance
- *Left Right Love Destiny* (1999), as 阿Sam · Director, Writer
- *Moonlight Express* (1999), as Tatsuya Misawa / Shek Karbo
- *A Time to Remember* (1998), as Jin
- *Anna Magdalena* (1998), as Editor
- *Ninth Happiness* (1998), as Ma Lun Cheung / Tok Choi
- *Happy Together* (1997), as Ho Po-wing — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/happy-together.md)
- *張國榮跨越97演唱會* (1997), Actor
- *Viva Erotica* (1996), as Sing
- *Who's the Woman, Who's the Man?* (1996), as Sam Koo Gai Ming, Theme Song Performance · Assistant Director
- *Shanghai Grand* (1996), as Hui Man Keung
- *Temptress Moon* (1996), as Yu Zhongliang
- *Tri-Star* (1996), as Chung Kwok Keung
- *The Phantom Lover* (1995), as Song Danping, Theme Song Performance · Producer, Assistant Director
- *The Chinese Feast* (1995), as Chiu Kong Sun
- *Ashes of Time* (1994), as Ouyang Feng / Western Venom
- *Long and Winding Road* (1994), as Lam Chiu-Wing
- *He's a Woman, She's a Man* (1994), as Sam Koo Gai Ming · Writer, Theme Song Performance
- *It's a Wonderful Life* (1994), as Roberto
- *The Bride with White Hair 2* (1993), as Cho Yi Hang
- *The Bride with White Hair* (1993), as Cho Yi Hang, Theme Song Performance
- *The Eagle Shooting Heroes* (1993), as Huang Yaoshi
- *All's Well End's Well, Too* (1993), as David Copper Feel
- *Farewell My Concubine* (1993), as Cheng Dieyi / Xiao Douzi, Theme Song Performance — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/farewell-my-concubine.md)
- *Girls Without Tomorrow* (1992), as Songs
- *Arrest the Restless* (1992), as Teddy
- *All's Well, Ends Well* (1992), as Shang So
- *The Banquet* (1991), as Little B-head
- *Once a Thief* (1991), as James / Jim, Theme Song Performance
- *Days of Being Wild* (1990), as Yuddy
- *A Chinese Ghost Story II* (1990), as Ling Choi-san
- *Sunset in Paris* (1989), as Leslie
- *Leslie Cheung Special '89* (1989), series, as Leslie
- *Leslie Cheung: Final Encounter of the Legend* (1989), as 自己
- *Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit* (1989), as Brother Thief, Theme Song Performance
- *Fatal Love* (1988), as Chi Ken Wing, Theme Song Performance
- *張國榮’88演唱會* (1988), as 自己
- *The Other ½ & the Other ½* (1988), as Songs
- *A Better Tomorrow II* (1987), as Sung Chi Kit, Theme Song Performance
- *Rouge* (1987), as Chan Chen-Pang
- *A Chinese Ghost Story* (1987), as Ling Choi-san, Theme Song Performance — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/a-chinese-ghost-story.md)
- *張國榮86濃情演唱會* (1986), Actor
- *A Better Tomorrow* (1986), as Sung Chi Kit, Theme Song Performance
- *Last Song in Paris* (1986), as Louie
- *For Your Heart Only* (1985), as Piggy Chan, Theme Song Performance
- *Crazy Romance* (1985), as Leslie Cheung
- *Leslie Cheung: Surprise* (1985), Writer, Director
- *The Fallen Family* (1985), series, as 方浩天
- *Merry Christmas* (1984), as John
- *Double Decker* (1984), as Eddie
- *Behind the Yellow Line* (1984), as Paul Chan, Theme Song Performance
- *Double Trouble* (1984), as Songs
- *Once Upon An Oridinary Girl* (1984), series, Actor
- *The Intellectual Trio* (1984), as Inspector Chan Wing
- *Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing World Tour Bangkok 1983* (1983), Actor
- *Little Dragon Maiden* (1983), as Yang Guo / Yang Kang
- *First Time* (1983), Actor
- *On the Wrong Track* (1983), as Songs
- *The Drummer* (1983), as Theme Song Performance
- *Nomad* (1982), as Louis, Theme Song Performance
- *Energetic-21* (1982), as Ben Leung Man Bun
- *凹凸神探‎* (1982), series, Actor
- *Teenage Dreamers* (1982), as Jackson Chen
- *Agency 24* (1981), series, Actor
- *Tai Chi Master (II)* (1981), series, Actor
- *On Trial* (1981), as Wing
- *Pairing* (1981), series, as 大官
- *珠海枭雄* (1981), series, as 六少
- *岛的故事之大屿山沙之城* (1981), Actor
- *Dynasty (II)* (1980), series, Actor
- *Encore* (1980), as Gigo
- *Make a Wish* (1980), series, Actor
- *Dynasty* (1980), series, Actor
- *Heritage: The Young Concubine* (1980), Actor
- *Gone with the wind* (1980), series, Actor
- *The Spirit of the Sword* (1978), series, as 方宝玉
- *Hong Kong Tragedy* (1978), series, Actor
- *Dog Bites Dog Bone* (1978), Actor
- *Crocodile Tears* (1978), series, Actor
- *Teenagers* (1978), Actor
- *Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber* (1978), as Jia Baoyu

## Gallery

- ![Leslie Cheung](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-1bb8a97fa8a2.jpg) Leslie Cheung — skinnylawyer from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Leslie_Cheung_at_Madame_Tussaud%27s_Hong_Kong_-_Flickr_-_skinnylawyer.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![A timepiece of Hong Kong (2005)](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-1b88becd314b.jpg) A timepiece of Hong Kong (2005) — TheHCII, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/20051108_HK_Timepiece_C.jpg/1280px-20051108_HK_Timepiece_C.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Books, Shek Tong Tsui Public Library, Hong Kong (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-7884985f58eb.jpg) Books, Shek Tong Tsui Public Library, Hong Kong (2013) — Winagmarco Rriechsong, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/HK_STT_Shek_Tong_Tsui_Public_Library_%E5%BC%B5%E5%9C%8B%E6%A6%AE_Leslie_Cheung_reference_book_back_Dec-2013.JPG/1280px-HK_STT_Shek_Tong_Tsui_Public_Library_%E5%BC%B5%E5%9C%8B%E6%A6%AE_Leslie_Cheung_reference_book_back_Dec-2013.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Leslie Cheung](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-1d9dfa0d75a0.jpg) Leslie Cheung — Image via TMDB
- ![Leslie Cheung](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-71348a3fbdc0.jpg) Leslie Cheung — Image via TMDB
- ![Leslie Cheung](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-1a5354ac3814.jpg) Leslie Cheung — Image via TMDB
- ![Leslie Cheung](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-33451d0cd84f.jpg) Leslie Cheung — Image via TMDB
- ![Leslie Cheung](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-a62a20b1b221.jpg) Leslie Cheung — Image via TMDB
- ![Leslie Cheung](https://film.one/media/person/83309/gallery-4d18f60516fb.jpg) Leslie Cheung — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/leslie-cheung