Wong He (born 27 July 1967), sometimes credited as Wong Hei, is a Hong Kong actor, singer, and presenter. He is best known for his firefighter roles in TVB's Burning Flame trilogy. As a former police officer, Wong has acted primarily in law enforcement roles during his career at TVB, which gave rise to rumours that his stage name is based on the Cantonese term "皇氣" (lit. "royal air"), a slang term for the Royal Hong Kong Police. Wong is a practising Buddhist, having converted in 2000.[1]
Wong He | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kwong Ngai-yee (鄺毅怡) 27 July 1967 Hong Kong |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer, presenter |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Awards | Astro Wah Lai Toi Drama Awards My Favourite Shot 2005 Net DeceptionTVB Anniversary Awards – My Favourite Television Character 2002 Burning Flame II |
| Musical career | |
| Also known as | Wong Hei |
| Origin | Hong Kong |
| Genres | Cantopop |
| Instrument | Singing |
| Labels | Avex Trax |
Early life and police career
editBorn in Hong Kong as Kwong Ngai-yee (鄺毅怡), Wong He grew up in Lam Tin where he attended SKH Kei Hau Secondary School. He has an elder sister and a younger brother. He served in the Royal Hong Kong Police as an airport officer and a Police Tactical Unit member before entering the entertainment industry.
On 24 July 1989, in a case of attempted murder on police officers, Wong charged into a burning building on Nathan Road and saved three of his colleagues from the fire. This incident was remembered as one of the top ten heroic acts within the Hong Kong Police Force in 2010.[2]
Entertainment career
editWong began his entertainment career in 1992 as a radio host for Commercial Radio Hong Kong and later as a host for ATV. It was during his radio days that he picked the stage name "Wong He" for himself, named after a waiter in the novel To Live.
In 1996, Wong joined TVB and starred his first TV series Nothing to Declare. He became popularly known for his role as Yau Chi Dak ("OK Dak") in the successful TVB drama, Food of Love. In 1997, Wong received his first nomination for Best Actor at the TVB Anniversary Awards for his performance in Deadly Protection. Later that year, Wong starred in TVB comedy A Tough Side of a Lady.
In 1998, Wong scored his breakthrough role when he played a firefighter in the classic hit TVB series Burning Flame. He was nominated as one of the top five finalists for Best Actor at the 1999 TVB Anniversary Awards. Burning Flame made Wong a household name and led to the reprisal of his firefighter role in the 2002 sequel Burning Flame II. Wong won My Favourite Television Character Award for his role as Kei Tak Tin in Burning Flame II at the 2002 TVB Anniversary Awards.
In 2000, Wong launched an "au naturel" pictorial book, "Access Wong He," the proceeds of which were all donated to the relief fund for Taiwan's 1999 Jiji earthquake. Wong has also made a number of film appearances in Hong Kong. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the fifth Golden Bauhinia Awards for The Boss Up There. In addition, he has starred in several TV series in Singapore, Taiwan, and Mainland China.
As a popular TVB actor, Wong signed a recording contract with Avex Trax. In 2001, Wong released his debut EP, Xi Xin Chang Ge (喜新唱歌), featuring "Love is the Sea," the ending theme song from A Matter of Customs. With the success of his debut EP, Wong released his debut album I Believe...Wong He in February 2002. In September of the same year, Wong released another album Call Me in the Morning. In addition, he sang the theme songs for several of his TV series, Doomed to Oblivion, Net Deception, Shades of Truth, and Twilight Investigation.
In 2004, Wong played a computer hacker in TVB's Net Deception, which was released overseas in 2004 and in Hong Kong in 2006. He won the My Favourite Shot Award for his role in Net Deception at the 2005 Astro Wah Lai Toi Drama Awards in Malaysia. Later in the same year, Wong starred opposite Chilam Cheung in Shades of Truth.
Wong had lead roles in TVB series C.I.B. Files (2006) and Fathers and Sons (2007). In 2008, he appeared in The Gem of Life.
In 2009, Wong reprised his role as a firefighter in Burning Flame III. In 2010, Wong paired up with Linda Chung in mystery comedy Twilight Investigation and received praises for their performances.[3]
In early 2016, Wong's face was blurred out in a state-run mainland television program (the CCTV adaptation of Korea's Infinite Challenge) following revelations that he had used social media to call attention to a new book that suggested former mainland leader Zhou Enlai might have been gay.[4] Wong had previously generated controversy about saying "you China Telecom" during a visit to the mainland in 2015.[5][6]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Nothing to Declare | Cheung Hou Fai | TVB | |
| Food of Love | Yau Chi Dak | TVB | ||
| 1997 | Deadly Protection | Chan Fu Gwai | TVB | Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor (Top 8) |
| A Tough Side of a Lady | Ho Ko Sing | TVB | ||
| 1998 | Burning Flame | Lok Tin Yau | TVB | Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor (Top 5) Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite On-Screen Partners (Dramas) (Top 5) |
| 1999 | Side Beat | Chou Sai Fan | TVB | |
| Sensitive New Age Guy | Zhao Zheng Nan | Singapore MediaCorp | ||
| 2000 | A Matter of Customs | Lam Chi Kong | TVB | Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Television Character Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite On-Screen Partners (Dramas) with Jessica Hsuan |
| 2001 | A Step into the Past | Drummer (cameo) | TVB | (Episode 6) |
| Jiao Feng | Xu Jiang Hai | Mainland China | ||
| 2002 | Burning Flame II | Kei Tak Tin (Peter) | TVB | Won – TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Television Character Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite On-Screen Partners (Dramas) with Maggie Cheung Ho-Yee |
| Doomed to Oblivion | Cheng Ban Kiu | TVB | ||
| Wind and Cloud | Chun Seung (Frost) | Taiwan CTV | ||
| 2003 | Romancing Hong Kong | Yu Zhen Bang | Mainland China | |
| 2004 | Net Deception | Yiu Sing Tin (Eros) | TVB | Won – Astro Wah Lai Toi Drama Awards for My Favourite Shot |
| Shades of Truth | Lam Chi-Chung (TC) | TVB | Nominated – TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor | |
| 2005 | Beauty Girls | Zhuang Jia Ying | Mainland China | |
| 2006 | Powder Leads a Race | Chen Hao | Mainland China | |
| 2006 | C.I.B. Files | Chung Jing (Mark) | TVB | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor (Top 20) Nominated – TVB Award for My Favourite Male Character (Top 20) |
| 2007-2008 | Best Selling Secrets | Ng Gung-Gan (Kilo) | TVB | |
| 2007 | Fathers and Sons | Ko Ching | TVB | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor (Top 20) Nominated – TVB Award for My Favourite Male Character (Top 24) |
| 2008-2009 | The Gem of Life | Shek Tai Wor | TVB | |
| 2009 | Burning Flame III | Chung Yau Sing | TVB | Nominated – TVB Award for Best Actor (Top 15) Nominated – TVB Award for My Favourite Male Character (Top 15) |
| 2010 | Some Day | Gau Man-fu | TVB | |
| Twilight Investigation | Kei On-kui (Encore) | TVB | ||
| 2015 | Elite Brigade III | RTHK | Airing on 3 October 2015[7] |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Touches of Love | ||
| 1995 | Mack the Knife | Tiger | aka Dr. Mack |
| Passion 1995 | Lung | ||
| Husbands and Wives | |||
| 1996 | The Killer Has No Return | Dung Jan Wa | |
| Stooge, My Love | Biscuit | ||
| 1997 | Mad Stylist | Dee | |
| Love is Not a Game, But a Joke | DJ of Sex Chatline | ||
| 1999 | The Accident | Wong Man-Lok | |
| The Boss Up There | Dog | ||
| 2000 | Legend of 2 Dragons | ||
| Sworn Revenge | Ching Fai | ||
| Undercover Blues | Charles | ||
| 2001 | The Bird of Prey | To Ping | TV-movie (TVB) |
| Zhan You | |||
| 2002 | Twilight Zone Cops: Models Angel | Chiu Zhong Han | |
| Love in Garden Street | Ronald | ||
| Memento | Officer Chow | ||
| 2003 | The Final Shot | Fai | TV-movie (TVB) |
| Sai Kung Story | Ming | ||
| The Story of Soccer Bet | aka Football Gambling | ||
| The Dark Side of My Mind | Kent | ||
| 2004 | My Baby Shot Me Down | Wong Wai Tim | |
| Men in a Blue Mood | Pat | aka Men in the Blue Mood | |
| 2010 | Close to You | ||
| Color Me Love | |||
| 2012 | Laugh and Cry Forbidden | ||
| Love 789 |
Discography
editAlbums
edit- 2001 Xi Xin Chang Ge (喜新唱歌) (EP)
- 2002 I Believe...Wong Hei
- 2002 Call Me in the Morning
Television theme songs
edit- 2000 '"Love is the Sea" (戀愛是個海) A Matter of Customs ending theme song
- 2002 "Hardly Confused" (難得糊塗) Doomed to Oblivion opening theme song
- 2002 "Scanty with Words" (沉默寡言) Doomed to Oblivion ending theme song
- 2004 "Gray Terror" (灰色恐怖) Net Deception opening theme song
- 2004 "Worth" (價值) Net Deception ending theme song
- 2004 "No Half Space" (沒有半分空間) Shades of Truth theme song
- 2010 "Mind Eater" (食腦) Twilight Investigation theme song
Awards and nominations
edit- 1997: Next TV Awards- Most Promising New Actor
- 1997: Next TV Awards- Top 10 Artists (Ranked #9)
- 1997: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama for Deadly Protection
- 1998: Next TV Awards- Top 10 Artists (Ranked #10)
- 1999: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite Leading Actor of the Year for Burning Flame
- 1999: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite On-Screen Partners (Dramas) for Burning Flame
- 2000: Golden Bauhinia Awards- Nominated Best Supporting Actor for The Boss Up There
- 2000: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite Leading Actor of the Year for A Matter of Customs
- 2000: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite Television Character for A Matter of Customs
- 2000: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite On-Screen Partners (Dramas) for A Matter of Customs
- 2001: Next TV Awards- Top 10 Artists (Ranked #8)
- 2002: TVB Anniversary Awards- My Favourite Television Character for Burning Flame II
- 2002: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite Leading Actor of the Year for Burning Flame II
- 2002: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite On-Screen Partners (Dramas) for Burning Flame II
- 2003: Hong Kong 3 Weekly Magazine Popularity Awards- Popular Male Artist Award
- 2005: Malaysia Astro Wah Lai Toi Drama Awards- My Favourite Shot for Net Deception
- 2005: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role for Shades of Truth
- 2006: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated Best Actor for C.I.B. Files
- 2006: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite Male Character for C.I.B. Files
- 2007: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated Best Actor for Fathers and Sons
- 2007: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite Male Character for Fathers and Sons
- 2009: Hong Kong Next Magazine Awards- Top 10 Healthy Artists
- 2009: Singapore i-Weekly Magazine Awards- Top 10 Most Loved Hong Kong Actors (Ranked #8)
- 2009: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated Best Actor for Burning Flame III
- 2009: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated My Favourite Male Character for Burning Flame III
- 2009: TVB Anniversary Awards- Nominated TVB.com Popular Artist
References
edit- ^ 组图：娱乐圈明星信佛知多少. QQ News (in Chinese). 27 February 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ "香港警隊羅列十大英雄王喜榜上有名". sina.com.hk. 31 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
- ^ 《囧探》接5大讚個案. TVB Channel (in Chinese). 29 December 2010.
- ^ Hong Kong star’s face blurred out on Chinese state TV show after he shared news report suggesting former premier Zhou Enlai was gay South China Morning Post 11 January 2016
- ^ CCTV whacks Wong He for Facebook comment repeating report Zhou Enlai was gay Apple Daily 12 January 2016
- ^ "一句「你們中國電信」王喜首都機場被訓斥 - 香港經濟日報 - 中國頻道 - 即時中國". china.hket.com (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "港台消防處聯合製作《火速救兵III》 演員與真實消防員齊齊展現團隊精神". RTHK. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
External links
edit- Hei Wong at IMDb
- Wong Hei at the Hong Kong Movie Database
- Wong Hei at LoveHKFilm