Michael Fitzgerald Wong Wong Man-tak (; born 16 April 1965) is a

Chinese-American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from m ...

actor based in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. He is fluent in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, but not in

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

, which is reflected in many of the characters he has portrayed. His most notable

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

is the 1998 film ''

Beast Cops ''Beast Cops'' () is a 1998 Hong Kong action film directed by Gordon Chan (who produced with John Ching, and writer with Chan Hing-ka) and Dante Lam. The film stars Michael Wong and Anthony Wong. The film was released on 9 April 1998. Plot Tu ...

'' which won a

Hong Kong Film Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, act ...

with Wong in the lead role. As of 2004, he has appeared in over fifty films in twenty-one years, often in very minor roles.

Early life

Michael Wong was born and raised in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

, the son of restaurateur, William Wong, and an American artist of Dutch and French descent, Connie Van Yserloo. His brothers,

Russell Wong Russell Wong (; born March 1, 1963) is an American actor of film and television. He was one of the first actors of Chinese descent to hold a leading role in a primetime American television series, portraying Jian-Wa with Chi Muoi Lo portraying W ...

and Declan Wong, would also become actors in the Hong Kong film industry. After finishing high school, he left to go to Hong Kong to try his luck in acting. There were a number of significant factors against Wong's eventual success in the Hong Kong film industry including an inability to speak

Cantonese Chinese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

, no formal training in acting and no background in martial arts. He also lacked an entry into the tightly knit in the Hong Kong film industry.

Career

His debut was in 1985's '' City Hero'', then in 1986 he was cast in his first major role, ''

Legacy of Rage ''Legacy of Rage'' () is a 1986 Hong Kong action film directed by Ronny Yu. The film stars Brandon Lee in his feature film debut, Michael Wong, Regina Kent and also features a cameo appearance by Bolo Yeung, who appeared in Brandon's father B ...

'' alongside

Brandon Lee Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was an American actor and martial artist. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the dark fantasy film ''The ...

. His next significant film was ''Royal Warriors'' a.k.a. ''In the Line of Duty'', which established his dominant image for the first part of his career as a naive but tough outsider. He made his English language movie debut in

James Hong James Hong (; born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. He has worked in numerous productions in American media since the 1950s, portraying a variety of roles. With more than 650 film and television credits as of 20 ...

's '' The Vineyard'' in 1989. ''

Final Option The ''Oregon Files'' is a series of novels written by author Clive Cussler and several co-authors. Craig Dirgo was a co-writer for the first two titles, Jack Du Brul was a co-writer for the next seven titles, Boyd Morrison took over as co-write ...

'', released in 1994, would make Wong a major star in the Chinese film industry. Playing the role of a police officer, Stone Wong, he established a tougher image. In 1995, he starred alongside

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

in ''

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

.'' In 1996, he reappeared as Stone Wong in the prequel ''First Option'' for which he would be nominated for both an Hong Kong Film Award and a Golden Horse Award. Also that year, Wong starred in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

TV production '' Once A Thief'' directed by

John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...

. His starring role in ''Beast Cops'', which won a 1998 Best Film prize at the Hong Kong film awards, further consolidated his position. Also that year he acted with

Shannon Lee Shannon Emery Lee Keasler (born April 19, 1969) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the only living child of martial artist Bruce Lee and retired martial arts teacher Linda Lee Cadwell, the granddaughter of Cantonese opera singer L ...

in ''Enter the Eagles'', and played the role of a detective in the

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...

film, ''Knock Off''. In 2000, Wong made his debut as a director in ''Miles Apart'', which he also produced and starred in. He has continued to work in the Hong Kong film industry, though more often as a supporting player rather than a leading man, in productions such as

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

Skiptrace Skiptrace (also skip tracing, or debtor and fugitive recovery) is the process of locating a person's whereabouts. A skip tracer is someone who performs this task, which may be the person's primary occupation. The term "skip" (as a noun) refers t ...

and Triple Threat. In the 2002 movie ''New Option,'' he reprised the role of Stone Wong. In 2006, Wong re-entered the music scene by performing "big band" music accompanied by a 10 piece band with the likes of " Come Fly with Me".

Personal life

Wong married Hong Kong supermodel Janet Ma in 1992 and they had two daughters, Kayla Wong and Irisa Shannon Wong, and one son, Kadin Miles Wong.

Filmography

* ''

Flying Tiger 3 ''Flying Tiger 3'' () is a crime action drama web television series produced by Shaw Brothers Studio. It is the third installment of the ''Flying Tiger'' franchise. Produced by Viriginia Lok, the series stars Michael Miu, Bosco Wong, Ron Ng, Che ...

'' (2021) * ''

Flying Tiger 2 ''Flying Tiger 2'' ( Chinese: 飛虎之雷霆極戰) is a 2019 Hong Kong action crime drama television series jointly produced by Shaw Brothers Studios and Youku. It stars Michael Miu, Bosco Wong, Kenneth Ma, Ron Ng, Lawrence Ng, Joel Chan, Yo ...

'' (2020) * '' Triple Threat'' (2019) * ''

Flying Tiger The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

'' (2018) * '' Secret Treasure'' (2017) * ''

'' (2016) * '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'' (2014) * ''

Z Storm ''Z Storm'' () is a 2014 Hong Kong crime film, crime thriller film directed by David Lam (film director), David Lam, and starring Louis Koo, Gordon Lam and Dada Chan. The plot revolves around Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption ...

'' (2014) * ''

Delete My Love ''Delete My Love'' () is a 2014 Hong Kong romantic comedy film directed and written by Patrick Kong and starring Wong Cho-lam, Ivana Wong and Michael Hui. Plot So Po-wing or So Boring as everyone calls him doesn't have much going for him, car ...

'' (2014) * ''

From Vegas to Macau ''From Vegas to Macau'' (), also known as ''The Man From Macau'' (), is a Hong Kong-Chinese crime comedy film directed by Wong Jing. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Nicholas Tse, Chapman To and Jing Tian. The film was released during 2014 Chinese Ne ...

'' (2014) * ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

(2013) * '' SDU: Sex Duties Unit'' (2013) * '' 7 Assassins'' (2013) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Nightfall'' (2012) * '' Dear Enemy'' (亲密敌人, 2011) * ''

Triple Tap ''Triple Tap'' () is a 2010 Hong Kong action film directed by Derek Yee and starring Louis Koo and Daniel Wu. This film is a sequel to Yee's 2004 film ''One Nite in Mongkok'', which starred Wu in a different role, and the Yee-produced 2000 film ' ...

'' (2010) * ''

The Blood Bond ''The Blood Bond'' (also known as ''Shadowguard'') is a 2010 action thriller film directed by Michael Biehn, with additional material by Antony Szeto. It was produced by Bey Logan and stars Michael Biehn, Simon Yam and Phoenix Chou. ''The Blood Bo ...

'' (2010) * '' Overheard'' (2009) * ''

Drive of Life ''The Drive of Life'' () is a 2007 grand production drama by TVB and CCTV as a joint production. It was specially filmed to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong back to China from Britain during the period of 1997-2007. Th ...

'' (TVB Drama 2007) * ''The Counting House'' (2006) * ''PTU File: Death Trap'' (2005) * ''

Seven Swords ''Seven Swords'' is a 2005 ''wuxia'' film produced and directed by Tsui Hark, starring Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung, Sun Honglei, Lu Yi and Kim So-yeon. An international co-production between Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Nether ...

'' (2005) * ''

House of Fury ''House of Fury'' () is a 2005 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film written and directed by Stephen Fung, who also co-stars in the film, and executive produced by Jackie Chan. The film stars Anthony Wong, Michael Wong and Gillian Chung. The film ...

'' (2005) * ''

Magic Kitchen ''Magic Kitchen'' is a 2004 Hong Kong romantic comedy film directed by Lee Chi-ngai and starring Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng and Jerry Yan. The film was adapted from the novel of the same title by Hong Kong novelist Lam Wing-sum. Plot Yau became the ...

'' (2004) * ''Women from Mars'' (2002) * '' Partners'' (2002) * ''The New Option'' (2002) * ''

Calmi Couri Appassionati ''Calmi Cuori Appassionati'' ( aka ''Reisei to Jōnetsu no Aida''; lit. "Between Calmness and Passion") is a 2001 Japanese movie directed by Isamu Nakae, starring Yutaka Takenouchi and Kelly Chen. It is a love story about two students who met at ...

'' (冷靜與熱情之間, 2001) * '' There is a Secret in my Soup'' (2001) * '' Violent Cop'' (2000) * '' At the Threshold of an Era'' (TVB Drama 1999) * ''

Knock Off Counterfeit consumer goods (or counterfeit and fraudulent, suspect items - CFSI) are goods, often of inferior quality, made or sold under another's brand name without the brand owner's authorization. Sellers of such goods may infringe on eith ...

'' (1998) * ''

Enter the Eagles ''Enter the Eagles'' (also known in the United States as ''And Now You're Dead'') is a 1998 Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Corey Yuen, and starring Michael Wong, Anita Yuen, Jordan Chan, Shannon Lee, Benny Urquidez and Jordan And ...

'' (1998) * ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'' (1996) * ''

First Option ''First Option'' is a 1996 Hong Kong action film directed by Gordon Chan, who wrote with Chan Hing-ka. The film stars Michael Wong and Gigi Leung. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 14 September 1996. It was entered into the 20t ...

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

City Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1985 to 1991 and collected into 35 ''tankōbon'' volumes by its publisher Shueisha. The manga was adapted int ...

'' (1993) * '' Tiger Cage 3'' (1991) * '' The Vineyard'' (1989) * '' In the Line of Duty 4: Witness'' (1989) * ''

'' (1986) * '' City Hero'' (1985)

References

External links

Hong Kong Film Michael Wong directory
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Michael 1965 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Male actors from New York (state) American expatriates in Hong Kong American male film actors American male television actors American people of Dutch descent American people of French descent Actors from Troy, New York American male actors of Chinese descent American born Hong Kong artists