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He was born in Auckland, New Zealand and spent his early childhood there. His family moved to the small rural town of Timaru in New Zealand's South Island when he was 11. During high school, he began playing in rock-and-roll bands, but never aspired to a career as an actor. He had a passion for rugby and his dream was to play for the All Blacks, New Zealand's world-famous rugby team. At 17, Smith moved to Christchurch and worked at various jobs before enrolling in Canterbury University at the age of 20. He married his childhood sweetheart, Sue, and stumbled into acting literally by accident when he suffered a concussion playing college rugby in 1987. He was forced to sit on the sidelines for nearly three weeks and during that period, Sue saw a casting call ad for the touring company of Are You Lonesome Tonight, the musical tribute to Elvis Presley, and signed Kevin up for an audition. He landed the part of one of the bodyguards and was understudy to the lead. He played in a number of alternative rock bands in New Zealand, including being one of the lead singers of The Wide Lapels, a local band which inspired rave reviews and a devoted following for its camp renderings of the worst songs of the '70s -- songs like Take a Letter, Maria, Tell Laura I Love Her and Billy, Don't be a Hero -- which qualify for the group's repertoire on the basis of having bad lyrics that don't get better with time. Kevin and his wife Sue resided in Auckland. They had three sons together: Oscar, Tyrone and Willard.

Kathy Chow was born on 6 December 1966 in Hong Kong. She was an actress and producer, known for Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre (2019), Fight Back to School III (1993) and Operation Bangkok (2021). She was married to Ray Lui. She died on 11 December 2023 in Beijing, China.

Norman Chu was born on 6 May 1955 in Hong Kong. He was an actor and director, known for Duel to the Death (1983), The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) and The Dragon Family (1988). He died in September 2024 in Beijing, China.

Yu Li was born on 20 December 1976 in Xian, China. She was an actress, known for Profound Love in Heavy Rain (2001) and Qia Tong Xue Shao Nian (2002). She died on 14 March 2009 in Beijing, China.

Ruocheng Ying was born on 21 June 1929 in Beijing, China. He was an actor, known for The Last Emperor (1987), Wei cheng (1990) and Little Buddha (1993). He was married to Wu Shiliang. He died on 27 December 2003 in Beijing, China.

Jing Bai was born on 4 June 1983 in Diaobingshan, Liaoning, China. She was an actress, known for Kung Fu Wing Chun (2010), Tie ren (2009) and Three Kingdoms (2008). She was married to Chenghai Zhou. She died on 28 February 2012 in Beijing, China.

Tony Fish was born on 15 May 1975 in Taichung, Taiwan. He was an actor, known for Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), My Queen (2009) and Woody Sambo (2008). He died on 20 July 2012 in Beijing, China.

Born in Beijing in 1915, Li had a miserable childhood - she was a child maid, an adopted daughter, learned Beijing Opera, was admitted to an orphanage. She moved to Shanghai in 1927 and joined a troupe to learn singing and dancing. She became a movie actress in 1931 and appeared in six films by director Sun Yu, among others. What made her unique among her counterparts was her sporty, modern and vibrant appearance. After Japanese army occupied Shanghai, she traveled between Chung King and Hong Kong to make films. She went to the USA in 1946 to study English, music, make-up and was even attached to Hollywood to learn acting. She returned to China in 1947. After China was liberated, Beijing Film Studio signed her as an actress. In 1955, she was enrolled in the newly established Beijing Film Academy and became a professor of the Academy after she graduated.

Wong Siu, Western name, Kelvin Wong, is a Hong Kong film & television actor who has appeared in a vast amount of movies and now TV series since as early as the 1980s. Often playing evil, villainous roles, he established himself as an evil 'character' actor and therefore was often typecast in this type of role. Despite some acting work outside of this character style, he has always been recognized in this way by HK Film fans, though unfortunately never gaining A-List status due to his repeated supporting roles as villains in the majority of his films.

However, having starred in films alongside such prolific Hong Kong stars as Jet Li, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui and others, he has indeed collected very respectable credentials over the years. Furthermore, despite the perception that perhaps he has "typecast" at times, Kelvin has been renowned for delivering some of the most powerful performances among HK villains.

Furthermore, consistently acclaimed performances in films such as "Casino Raiders II" and the Award-Winning "Moon Warriors" have earned him deserved praise and although currently busy working in Taiwanese television, hopefully we will soon see the return of this underrated actor into Hong Kong cinema.

Austin Wai was born on 13 August 1957 in Shandong, China. He was an actor, known for The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), Kill Zone (2005) and Yi dai xiao xiong cao cao (1999). He was married to Ban Ban. He died on 4 October 2012 in Beijing, China.

Hongsheng Jia was born on 19 March 1967 in Siping, Jilin, China. He was an actor, known for Zuotian (2001), Black Snow (1992) and Xia Ri De Qi Dai (1988). He died on 5 July 2010 in Beijing, China.

Norodom Sihanouk born October 31, 1922 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was a director, writer and composer, Prince Norodom Sihanouk was appointed the King of Cambodia in 1941, when he was merely nineteen years. He remained the ruler of the nation for fourteen years, from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 to 2004, interspersed with brief but frequent spells as Prime Minister. Sihanouk was enthusiastic about the trends and glamour of the western world. He introduced "The Twist" in Cambodia in 1960 and became a record producer of Cambodian pop and rock'n roll music. These new cultural expressions upset some groups. Sihanouk banished this opposition to his pop concept from the capital Phnom Penh. Part of the resistance eventually created the movement Khmer Rouge. In 1965 Norodom Sihanouk expanded his modern idea of Cambodia to include film. He wrote, directed, produced and appeared in documentaries and feature films for five years. He resumed filming in North Korea in 1988. Sihanouk's last film, "Le Cid Khmer", was released in Cambodia 2005. Over the years, Prince/King/Prime Minister Norodom Sihanouk resided in, apart from Cambodia, in the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He died of a heart attack on October 15, 2012, in Beijing, China.

Ping He was born in 1957 in Shanxi, China. He was a director and producer, known for Ri guang xia gu (1995), Wheat (2009) and The Promised Land (2015). He died on 10 January 2023 in Beijing, China.

Chi Ma was born on 24 April 1924 in Sichuan Province, Republic of China. He was an actor, known for One-Armed Boxer (1972), Du jiao long (1968) and Zong heng tian xia (1972). He died on 14 February 1998 in Beijing, China.

Yingjun Zhao was born on 28 July 1977 in Fushun, Liaoning Province, China. He was an actor and composer, known for Lost in Hong Kong (2015), Chongqing Hot Pot (2016) and Hui dao ming tian (2022). He died on 3 February 2021 in Beijing, China.

Born to a family Li in Shandong province of China, Chiang Ching became a stage and film actress (stage name as Lanping) in Shanghai in left-wing groups and film companies in the 1930s. Her careers with the left-wing / pro-communist groups paved her way to become wife to Mao Tse-tung, leader of the Communist Party and subesequently as a political figure in the new People's Republic, where she was known as Chiang Ch'ing/Jiang Qing.

Yuan Ling was born in 1917 in Jilin, China. She was an actress, known for An Adventure in Time (1991), A Sweet Life (1979) and Hei san jiao (1977). She died on 20 January 2012 in Beijing, China.

Shi Wei-Jian was born on 9 March 1935 in Huai'an, Jiangsu, China. He was an actor, known for Legend of Tianyun Mountain (1980), Tai ping shi ming (2001) and Sun zhong shan yang cheng meng nan ji (1986). He died on 12 May 2024 in Beijing, China.

Rujun Teng was born in 1946 in Hebei, China. He was an actor, known for Postmen in the Mountains (1999), A Love of Blueness (2001) and Mei li de bai yin na (2002). He died on 13 September 2023 in Beijing, China.

Tian-Ming Wu was born on 19 October 1939 in Shaanxi Province, China. He was a director and producer, known for Song of the Phoenix (2013), The King of Masks (1995) and The Old Well (1987). He died on 4 March 2014 in Beijing, China.

Jiexi Wang was born on 12 December 1989 in Changsha, Hunan, China. She was an actress, known for Dead Sign (2013) and Ma mi (2013). She died on 9 August 2015 in Beijing, China.

Larry Kramer was born on 22 December 1950 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a writer, known for Rocky II (1979), The Runner Stumbles (1979) and Wonderful New York (1962). He was married to Emily Liu. He died on 31 October 2010 in Beijing, China.

Fazeng Li was born in 1941 in Hebei, China. He was an actor, known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Zhuge Liang (1985) and Jue zhan zhi hou (1989). He died on 6 December 2023 in Beijing, China.

Although little is known of his personal life, Cao Xueqin (or Ts'ao Hsueh-ch'in) is considered to be China's greatest novelist, and Hong Lou Meng ("A Dream of Red Mansions" sometimes "The Story of the Stone") is regarded as the greatest novel in the Chinese language. As with the family portrayed in the novel, Cao's own family fell from eminence and wealth, and was forced to flee from south to north China, to live out its days in poverty. While making a living selling his paintings, Cao spent about ten years writing his novel at his modest home in a village near what is now Beijing. The novel was not published until 1791, nearly three decades after his death, and some scholars believe the last 40 of its 120 chapters were completed by someone else, although this is in dispute. What is not questioned however, is the book's status as a masterpiece.

Jie Yang was born on 7 April 1929 in China. She was a director and producer, known for Journey to the West (1986) and Journey to the West 2000 (2000). She was married to Wang Chongqiu. She died on 15 April 2017 in Beijing, China.