Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung make rare appearance together

Hong Kong cinema icons Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung reunited for a rare public appearance at director Johnnie To’s 70th birthday celebration.

(From L) Hong Kong actors Tony Leung, Carina Lau, and Chow Yun Fat. Photo from Lau’s Instagram

According to
The Star
, the event, held at a restaurant in Hong Kong’s Central District, saw Chow and Leung joining Leung’s wife, actress
Carina Lau
, for a memorable photo, which Lau later shared on her Instagram account.

The trio starred together in the 1985 TVB police drama “Police Cadet,” and Chow and Leung last appeared on screen together in the 1992 action thriller “Hard Boiled.”

Other attendees at To’s birthday party included actor Anthony Wong and singer-actress Sammi Cheng.

Lau also shared a picture of herself, Leung, To, and To’s wife Wong Po Ling, reflecting on their long friendship.

Leung
, 63, started his acting career in 1982 and is regarded as one of Asia’s most prominent and internationally acclaimed actors. He is particularly celebrated for his collaborations with Wong Kar-wai, appearing in seven films, including “In the Mood for Love,” which earned him the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Chow, now 70, rose from
humble beginnings
. Before breaking into the Hong Kong entertainment scene with TVB in 1974, he worked a variety of jobs, including shoeshine boy, office assistant, parcel delivery worker, hotel staff, and taxi driver.

He gained recognition through TVB dramas such as “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” and “The Bund.” Over his illustrious career, Chow has earned multiple accolades, including three Hong Kong Film Awards and two Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor.

In 2023, he was named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the 28th Busan International Film Awards, becoming the second Hong Kong actor after Tony Leung to receive this prestigious honor.

Lau, now 60, began her acting career in 1984 and quickly rose to fame in the 1980s with hit drama series. Her successful film roles, including performances in the “Infernal Affairs” sequels and Wong Kar-wai’s “2046,” have further boosted her international recognition. Lau married Leung in 2008.

To began his career at age 17 as a messenger for TVB, later advancing to executive producer and director for TV shows starting in 1973. In 1978, he directed his first theatrical film but continued to work in television.

In 1983, To directed and co-wrote the critically acclaimed ”
The Legend of the Condor Heroes
,” a dramatized TV series based on Jin Yong’s martial arts novel. In May 2011, To served as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival, and his film “Life Without Principle” was selected as Hong Kong’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards.