Andy Lau Tak-wah was born on 27 September 1961, in Tai Po, (then British) Hong Kong, and is an actor, film producer, and singer, best known for being one of Hong Kong’s most successful actors. He’s starred in over 160 films, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Andy Lau? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $70 million, mostly earned through a successful career in acting. He has also handled a successful singing career while acting, and is the Guinness World Record holder for “Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist”. As he continues his career it is expected that his wealth will increase.
Andy Lau Net Worth $70 million
After matriculating from Ho Lap College, he signed on to an artist training program offered by TVB during 1981. He started to gain attention while being part of the series “The Emissary” and became even more popular after appearing in “The Return of Condor Heroes”. From then, he appeared in more shows, and was called one of TVB’s “Five Tigers” alongside Michael Miu, Felix Wong, Kent Tong, and Tony Leung. During the late 1980s, he would leave TVB due to contractual problems which led to him being blacklisted – TVB reportedly wanted to put him on an exclusive contract, which he declined.
Lau’s film debut came with a small role in “Once Upon a Rainbow” during 1981. He would then appear in “Boat People” before getting his first lead role in “On the Wrong Track” during 1983. Lau was known for his good looks, but he also wanted people to appreciate his acting prowess. After starring in “A Fighter’s Blues” he would get his first Golden Bauhinia Award, and would continue winning awards for his next films, including “Running Out of Time”, and “Internal Affairs III”. He also began appearing in wuxia films catering to Western audiences, such as “House of Flying Daggers” which was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2005, Lau was named as the “No. 1 Box Office Actor of Hong Kong” from 1985 to 2005, having shot 108 films during this period, and beating Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan in terms of box office success. His net worth was rising substantially.
In 1991, Andy started his own film production company entitled Teamwork Motion Pictures Limited; in 2002, it was renamed to Focus Group Holdings Limited. The company is responsible for the award winning “Made in Hong Kong” and “Crazy Stone”. He became responsible for helping many new talents in the industry.
For his music career, Lau released his first album during 1985 entitled “Only Know That I Still Love You”; the album was not a big hit, but he persevered and would eventually become one of Cantopop’s most popular artists, in 1991 – he released the album “Would it Be Possible”, and many songs would become hits. He also received numerous awards throughout the years, having numerous chart-topping songs including “The Tide”, “Secret Admiration” and “Chinese people”. He also sang songs in other languages such as Malay, Taiwanese, and English.
Aside from his numerous personal endeavors, Lau was also featured in the video game “Prototype” as a non-player character or NPC.
For his personal life, it is known that Lau is a Buddhist and practices Chinese calligraphy. He married Carol Chu in 2008, with their relationship being a source of speculation for the previous 24 years; they have a daughter. Andy also does numerous charity works. He established the Andy Lau Charity Foundation which aims to provide education services. He also put together the Artistes 512 Fund Raising Campaign which raised funds for the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. In 2010, he received the “World Outstanding Chinese” award from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
