Profile of Jacky Cheung on Famous Like Me

Not to be confused with Jackie Chan, a similarly named martial arts actor and director.

Jacky Cheung (張學友) (born July 10, 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and film star from the late 1980s to the present. Dubbed "the God of Songs" by the Cantopop industry (歌神), Cheung is regarded by many as one of the finest male singers to have come out of Hong Kong, known for his rich baritone voice and wide range.

He was the national singing champion in 1984, with the song 'Fatherland' ousting more than ten thousand other contestants. He was signed by then Polygram Records, now Universal Music Group. Although encouraged by a bright start, he was not able to break into the Cantopop mainstream, then dominated by Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam, Anita Mui and Danny Chan. Cheung suffered a nosedive in his career after a best-selling first album. His subsequent sales record dipped and some of his later albums managed less than ten thousand in sales.

Then, in 1991, with the song '每天爱你多一些' (Loving You More Everyday), his career took a massive upturn. The album became one of the most successful in Hong Kong history and turned Cheung into a superstar, paving the way for contemporaries Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok to take Cantopop to an even greater heights. Since then his career has grown from strength to strength, and Cheung has managed to garner thousands of fans overseas.

Among his most famous songs are 'Amour', '只想一生跟你走' (Only Thinking of Going Through Life With You) and the everlasting '吻别' (Goodbye Kiss) which confirms his status as one of the 'Four Heavenly Kings' of Cantopop. "Goodbye Kiss", a Mandarin number, was also one of the best-selling albums of all time, achieving more sales in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia such as not attained before, with an astounding 3 million copies sold in 1993 alone.

His work on the classic "Snow, Wolf, Lake" musical (1997) was also warmly received. This musical was a joint effort with fellow singer Sandy Lam and they achieved 43 full-house performances at the famed Hong Kong Coliseum. Not long ago, in November 2004, Jacky teamed up with Leslie Cheung's former manager Florence Chan Suk-Fan to work on the revised Mandarin version of "Snow, Wolf, Lake" where the estimated cost production was HK$100 million and which premiered on December 24, 2004.

In Cantopop, artists are often classified into the idol class (偶像級) vs. the skilled class (實力級). Jacky, along with veterans such as Hacken Lee and Chris Wong, is among of the skilled singers.

Cheung acted in many films, although singing has always been his priority. He received the Best Supporting Actor Golden Horse Award for his work in Swordsman (1990).

He is married to May Lo with a daughter. Recently, Cheung was reported to be contemplating retirement from showbiz and to immigrate. On March 8, 2005, a second daughter was added to his family.

Cheung was named spokesperson for Hong Kong Disneyland in 2004. As the theme park's spokesperson, Cheung will take part in a number of large-scale marketing events organized by The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, beginning by hosting a TV program, "Magical World of Disneyland".

Filmography

• Bood Brothers (2004)
• Golden Chicken 2 (2003)
• Dragon Loaded 2003 (2003)
• Dragon Heat (2000)
• Anna Magdalena (1998)
• The Private Eye Blues (1995)
• High Risk (1995)
• King of Destruction (1994)
• To Live and Die in Tsimshatsui (1994)
• Ashes of Time (1994)
• Future Cops (1993)
• Enigma of Love (1993)
• The Eagle Shooting Heroes (1993)
• Flying Dagger (1993)
• Legend of Prince (1993)
• Boys Are Easy (1993)
• Best of the Best (1992)
• Deadly Dream Woman (1992)
• Hot Hot and Pom Pom (1992)
• The Days of Being Dumb (1992)
• The Wicked City (1992)
• Slickers vs. Killers (1991)
• The Banquet (1991)
• With or Without You (1991)
• Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
• Chinese Legend (1991)
• Bullet for Hire (1991)
• The Raid (1991)
• A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991)
• Days of Being Wild (1991)
• Point of Return (1990)
• Will of Iron (1990)
• Best Friend of the Cops (1990)
• Off Track (1990)
• Chase from Beyond (1990)
• Bullet in the Head (1990)
• A Chinese Ghost Story Part II (1990)
• Curry and Pepper (1990)
• Swordsman (1990)
• Black Dragon (1989)
• Little Cop (1989)
• Seven Warriors (1989)
• Vampire Buster (1989)
• The Eight Happiness (1988)
• The Haunted Cop Shop of Horrors 2 (1988)
• Mother Vs. Mother (1988)
• Couples, Couples, Couples (1988)
• Tiger Cage (1988)
• As Tears Go By (1988)
• Faithfully Yours (1988)
• The Haunted Cop Shop of Horrors (1987)
• Devoted to You (1986)
• Soul (1986)
• Spirit and Me (1986)

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