Stanley Tong(Chinese:Đường quý lễ;pinyin:Táng Jìlǐ;born 7 April 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, stunt choreographer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is known for directing action-adventure films, including several withJackie Chan.
Stanley Tong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 April 1960 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Awards | Hong Kong Film Awards–Best Action Choreography 1996Rumble in the Bronx 1997Police Story 4: First Strike Golden Horse Awards–Best Action Choreography 1997Police Story 4: First Strike |
| Stanley Tong | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | Đường quý lễ | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Đường quý lễ | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Early life
editStanley Tong was born on 7 April 1960, in Hong Kong, and he completed his education in Hong Kong and Canada. Tong studied at theUniversity of Manitoba.[1]
Film career
editEncouraged by his brother-in-law in Hong Kong, who was a filmmaker, Tong started his film career there in 1979 by working behind the scenes in films. In 1991, Tong directed his first film, the self-fundedStone Age Warriors( Ma Vực rồng bay ). The film received critical acclaim from some famous film critics, which attracted the attention ofGolden Harvest.Tong was then invited to join the company as a film director.
Tong is very well known for his action movies. Working closely withJackie Chan,Stanley directed some very popular movies in the 1990s. Their first collaboration,Police Story 3: Super Cop( cảnh sát chuyện xưa 3: Siêu cấp cảnh sát ) (1992), broke box office records in many Asian countries and received a nomination for Best Film at theGolden Horse Awards.Tong's other movies with Jackie Chan, such asRumble in the Bronx( hồng phiên khu ) (1995) andPolice Story 4: First Strike( cảnh sát chuyện xưa 4: Đơn giản nhiệm vụ ) (1996), also created significant box office records, the latter grossing HK$57,518,795, the highest box office return for a local film in Hong Kong until 2001. Also, the release ofRumble in the Bronxin the United States helped Jackie Chan make a name for himself in Hollywood.
Tong customarily attempts stunts himself before asking actors to risk themselves, e.g., Jackie Chan's leap from a parking garage roof to a fire escape inRumble in the Bronxand the finale ofStone Age Warriors.[2]
During his stay in Hollywood, Tong also filmed his only English language non-martial arts filmMr. Magoo(1997), which was a critical and commercial failure, andMartial Law(1998), which was a moderate critical success.
In 2000, Tong returned to Shanghai, in hopes to inspire the future generation of filmmakers in China. After his long absence away from home, Tong directed his first film in his homeland,China Strike Force( lôi đình chiến cảnh ). In 2005, Tong wrote and directed the filmThe Myth( thần thoại ). In the same year, Tong also helped produce Asia's first 3D CGI animated film,DragonBlade: The Legend of Lang.
In recent years, Tong has produced a number of films, including the filmsThe Myth(2005) andCZ12( mười hai cầm tinh ) (2012), as well as the TV seriesFall in Love with You( cố tình yêu ngươi ) (2012) andThe Patriot Yue Fei( tinh trung Nhạc Phi ) (2013).
Apart from filmmaking, Tong has been active with charity work both in USA and China. He also works as a guest lecturer in Chinese institutions to help cultivate the nation's future filmmakers.
Filmography
editFilm
- Stone Age Warriors( Ma Vực rồng bay ) (1991)
- Police Story 3: Super Cop( cảnh sát chuyện xưa 3 - siêu cấp cảnh sát ) (1992)
- Once a Cop( siêu cấp kế hoạch ) (1993)
- Rumble in the Bronx( hồng phiên khu ) (1995)
- Police Story 4: First Strike( cảnh sát chuyện xưa 4 - đơn giản nhiệm vụ ) (1996)
- Mr. Magoo(1997)
- China Strike Force( lôi đình chiến cảnh (2000)
- The Myth( thần thoại ) (2005)
- CZ12( mười hai cầm tinh ) (2012)
- Kung Fu Yoga(2017)[3][4]starringJackie Chan[3][5][6]
- Vanguard(2020)[7][8]
- A Legend(2024)
- Myth 2(2024)
- City Hunter(TBA) starringHuang Xiaoming[9][10]
Television
- Martial Law(1998) (Episodes "Shanghai Express" and "This Shogun for Hire" )
- Ambition( chí khí hùng tâm ) (2002)
- Boy & Girl( trai tài gái sắc ) (2004)
- Water Beauty( xuất thủy phù dung ) (2005)
- The Myth( thần thoại ) (2010) (credited as creative director)
- Fall in Love with You( cố tình yêu ngươi ) (2012)
- The Patriot Yue Fei( tinh trung Nhạc Phi ) (2013)
Entrepreneurship
editIn 2001, Tong formed his own production company, China International Media Group Ltd. Many of his films are partly financed by the company. In addition, the company has invested in a stunt performers’ training program. Both local and foreign lecturers who are well known in the industry have been invited to give lessons for the program, and the best students receive opportunities to play in films invested by Tong’s company.[citation needed]
Other work
editIn 2012, Tong was invited by The 15thShanghai International Film Festival's SIFFORUM as a guest speaker. At the forum titled "Far East Dream Factory - Future for Chinese Film Industry Upgrading," Tong shared his views with other panelists in the industry. In 2011, Tong took the role of Honored Consultant for the Film and TV Association of China Public Security Ministry. The Association is established to produce films and TV series featuring crime stories.[citation needed]
In 2008, Tong appeared as a guest judge on theChina Beijing TV Stationreality televisionseriesThe Disciple,which aired in Mainland China and was produced by, and features, Jackie Chan. The purpose of the program was to find a new star, skilled in acting and martial arts, to become Chan's "successor", the champion being awarded the lead role in a film. It concluded on June 7, 2008, with the series winner being announced inBeijing.[11]
Philanthropy
editStanley Tong has organized many charitable activities and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the charity work. Some of them include:
- "Charity Hero" medal for organizing Hong Kong Yan Chai Hospital fundraising activities
- The President of Fundraising Activities for the Elderly in San Francisco, USA
- The Fundraising Ambassador of the Los Angeles branch of the Eastern China Flood Fundraising Committee
- The Fundraising President of the Hong Kong Disabled Youth Association and the Hong Kong Blind People Association
- Organized fundraising activities for the victims of China's Sichuan earthquake
References
edit- ^"Feb 2022: Chinese director embraces Winnipeg's winter weather".17 February 2022.
- ^"Rumble in the Bronx (1995) - IMDb"– via imdb.
- ^ab"Jackie Chan Planning to Shoot India-China Co-Production 'Kung-Fu Yoga'".The Hollywood Reporter.30 March 2015.
- ^Child, Ben (March 31, 2015)."Jackie Chan to shoot first Chinese-Indian co-production".The Guardian– via theguardian.
- ^"Katrina Kaif Will Co-Star With Jackie Chan In The First Ever Sino-Indian Film".HuffPost India.June 23, 2015.
- ^"Approached for Jackie Chan's 'Kungfu Yoga': Tiger Shroff".Deccan Herald.July 2, 2015.
- ^Standard, The."Lunar New Year release for action movie, 'Vanguard'".The Standard.Retrieved12 January2020.
- ^Frater, Patrick (23 January 2020)."Overseas Releases of Chinese Films to be Cancelled Following Virus Outbreak".Variety.Variety Media, LLC.Retrieved24 January2020.
- ^"Chinese actor buys rights to 'City Hunter'".China Daily.2016-10-13.
- ^"Bắc điều tư tác phẩm truyện tranh 『シティーハンター』 Trung Quốc で thật viết ánh họa hóa へ".Bắc điều tư OFFICIAL WEB SITE.Hojo Tsukasa official website. 2016-10-11.Retrieved2018-03-18.
- ^"Jackie Chan on the Reasons Behind Producing The Disciple".Wu-Jing.org. Archived from the original on 2008-10-10.Retrieved2008-05-08.