Kelly Lai Chen (; born Hsi Chungchien; September 3rd, 1933 – April 3rd, 2018) was a
Hong Kong actor born in
Shanghai. He appeared in more than 40 films in the 1950s and 1960s, and was best known for his portrayals of sensitive young men. He was the older brother of the famous actress
Betty Loh Ti, and the ex-husband of the martial arts actress
Angela Mao.
Early life
In 1933, Lai was born as Hsi Chungchien () into a prominent family from
Pudong,
Shanghai, owner of the Hsi Fuchi (奚福記) Factory. He was the third child among six siblings;
Betty Loh Ti (born Hsi Chung-i) was the youngest.
Their maternal grandfather was the tycoon , who owned Shanghai's
Tianchan Theater. When Lai was four, his father was killed by Japanese bombing during the
Battle of Shanghai; his mother died ten years later.
He and his siblings were brought up by their maternal grandmother.
When the Communists took over Mainland China in 1949, Lai's grandmother brought the children to Hong Kong. He trained in the
Republic of China Air Force cadet school in
Taiwan for half a year, but was forced to quit because of the family history of heart disease.
Career
After returning to Hong Kong, Lai attended the actor training school of Motion Picture & General Investment (MP&GI, later
Cathay Organization of Hong Kong). In 1956, he starred in his first film ''Green Hills and Jade Valleys'' directed by
Yueh Feng. In his second film, ''Golden Lotus'', also by Yueh Feng, he acted alongside the star actress
Lin Dai. The highly successful film launched Lai into stardom.
In the following years, he appeared in more than 40 films,
including
Evan Yang
Evan Yang (November 26, 1920 – March 29, 1978) was a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor and songwriter from Hong Kong.
Early life
On November 26, 1920, Yang was born in Wuhsien city, Jiangsu Province, China. Yang's father was Yang Qian ...
's ''Our Dream Car'' (1959), Chung Kai-man (鍾啓文)'s ''The Education of Love'' (1961), and
Wong Tin-lam's ''Father Takes a Bride'' (1963), starring opposite popular actresses such as
Ge Lan
Grace Chang (born 13 June 1933), known in Chinese as Ko Lan (葛蘭), is a Hong Kong-Chinese actress and singer. She was a popular idol in the 1950s, especially among students and the middle class.
She was a renowned Cathay Organization actress w ...
, Jeannette Lin Cui, and Lucilla You Min. He was known for his portrayals of "gentle, vulnerable, and sensitive" young men.
In 1967, Lai, his sister Betty Loh Ti, and director Yuan Chiufeng founded the "Gold Eagle Film Company," which made a number of commercially unsuccessful martial arts films such as ''Duel at the Supreme Gate'' (1968).
Lai retired from acting in 1971 and focused on producing films. He retired in the early 1990s, but returned to the screen for
Andrew Lau's 1996 film ''
Young and Dangerous 2'' and
Wong Kar-wai's award-winning ''
In the Mood for Love
''In the Mood for Love'' is a 2000 romantic drama film written, produced and directed by Wong Kar-wai. A co-production between Hong Kong and France, it portrays a man ( Tony Leung) and a woman (Maggie Cheung) whose spouses have an affair toget ...
'' (2000),
in which he played
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong former actress. Raised in Hong Kong and Britain, she started her career after placing second in 1983's Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She achieved critical success in the late 1980s and in ...
's boss.
Personal life
In 1974, Lai married martial arts actress
Angela Mao, nicknamed "female
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
". They had a daughter together, and divorced after six years of marriage. Lai raised their daughter.
In his later years, Lai lived alone in Hong Kong, and his daughter often visited him. He died on April 3rd, 2018, aged 84.
References
External links
*
*
Kelly Lai Chenon Hong Kong Cinemagic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lai, Kelly
1933 births
2018 deaths
20th-century Hong Kong male actors
Male actors from Shanghai
Hong Kong film producers
Hong Kong male film actors