Leon Lai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leon Lai SBS BBS MH
黎明
Lai in 2024
Born	(1966-12-11) 11 December 1966 (age 58) Beijing, China
Alma mater	Kingsway Princeton College
Occupation	Singer actor record company manager businessman
Years active	1985–present
Spouse(s)	Gaile Lok ​ ​ (m. 2008; div. 2012)​
Children	1
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Hong Kong
Genres	Cantopop Mandopop
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Labels	PolyGram (1990–1998) Sony Music (1998–2004) Amusic (2004–present)
Chinese name
Chinese	黎明
Hanyu Pinyin	Lí Míng
Jyutping	Lai4 Ming4
Signature

Leon Lai Ming (born on December 11, 1966) is a famous actor, singer, film director, and businessman from Hong Kong. He is known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. This means he was one of the four most popular male singers in Hong Kong during the 1990s. His Chinese name, "Lai Ming," means "dawn."

Early Life and Education

Leon Lai was born in Beijing, China. His family comes from a group of people called Hakka, originally from Meixian. When he was four years old, he moved with his parents to Hong Kong. At age 15, he went to school in the United Kingdom at Christ College. He returned to Hong Kong in 1984 when he was 18.

Career Highlights

Leon Lai in 2006

Starting Out

Before becoming famous, Leon Lai worked as a salesperson for a mobile phone company. In 1986, he won second place in the New Talent Singing Awards. After this, he received singing lessons from a teacher named Dai Si Zong. He signed a contract with Capital Artists that same year. However, he didn't release any albums for four years. So, his teacher helped him sign with PolyGram, which later became Universal Music.

Music Journey

At Polygram, Leon Lai released his first album, "Leon." His first album quickly became very popular. At first, he mainly sang Cantopop (Hong Kong pop music) and Mandarin songs. Later, with the help of producer Mark Lui, he started making electronic pop songs with exciting music videos.

He won his first music awards in 1990. He also won the "Most Popular Male Singer" award in 1993 and 1995. In 1998, he became the first Hong Kong singer to have a song in the Top 10 K-pop chart in Korea.

In 2002, he was chosen to sing "Charged Up," the theme song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in the Greater China region. Two years later, in 2004, he was the first Hong Kong singer to perform at the first Asia Song Festival in South Korea.

Leon Lai was also an ambassador for the 6th Winter Asian Games in 2007. He sang the theme song and helped carry the torch. He has continued to hold concerts, including his "Leon Lai Talk & Sing 2021 Concert" in Hong Kong.

Singing with Others

Leon Lai has sung many songs by himself, but he has also worked with other artists. Some of his well-known duets include:

• "Love Until the End" with Vivian Chow
• "Really Wish to Be Like This Forever" with Priscilla Chan
• "Song of the Star" with Alan Tam
• "Never Give Up" with Jacky Cheung

Starting His Own Company

In 2004, Leon Lai started his own music company called "A Music" (East Asia Record Production Company Limited) with Peter Lam. The first album from his company was "Dawn," released in September 2004.

In 2007, he returned to the Hong Kong Coliseum for a special concert called Leon 4 in Love Concert. He sang his own hits and songs from the other three Heavenly Kings. He later released an album with the same name.

Acting Career

Leon Lai's handprint at the Avenue of Stars in 2015

After his singing award, Leon Lai started acting in TV shows. In one early show in Taiwan, he had to squat during filming because the lead actress was much shorter than him. He had to do this for all their scenes together. However, his next TVB series, The Breaking Point (1991), became a huge success and made him very famous in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

He has been nominated for and won many acting awards. In 1996, he was nominated for "Best Actor" for the film Comrades: Almost a Love Story. In 1997, he won "Best Original Song" for the film Eighteen Springs.

In 2002, Leon Lai won "Best Actor" at the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan for his role in Three: Going Home. He also played a small role in the popular movie Infernal Affairs III in 2003. In 2004, he starred with Faye Wong in the romantic film Leaving Me, Loving You, which he also helped write.

Leon Lai's wax figure at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

He has acted in many different types of movies. In 2005, he was one of seven warriors in the film Seven Swords. In 2006, he starred in the thriller The Matrimony. In 2008, he played a famous Peking Opera performer in the movie Forever Enthralled. For the first time, he played a beggar in the film Bodyguards and Assassins. Because of his success, a wax figure of Leon Lai was made and displayed at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

Community Work

Leon Lai in 2021

Besides his acting and singing, Leon Lai is very active in charity work. He started doing serious charity work in the 1990s after his father became ill.

His first project with UNICEF was in 1993, helping to get rid of polio in China. He raised a lot of money from his fans and concert ticket sales. In July 1994, he became an International UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, the first person from Hong Kong to receive this honor. Since then, he has been involved in many fundraising events for UNICEF. He has also visited places like Rwanda, China, and Brazil to see UNICEF's work and help raise awareness for children. In 1995, he was named "UNICEF Special Representative to Youth."

In 1997, he was chosen as one of The Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP). This award recognized his hard work and his commitment to helping the community. In 2001, he bought the first donation ticket for a "Children's Education Fund Raising Campaign" to encourage others to donate.

He received the Medal of Honour (M.H.) in 2003 from the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. In 2005, he performed at a music awards ceremony to help raise more money for charity. He also worked with Mark Lui to create a song called "8858" to promote the China Children and Teenagers' Fund. The song's title sounds like "Help Me" in Mandarin.

Personal Life

In 2008, Leon Lai married model Gaile Lok in Las Vegas. They announced their divorce in 2012, saying they had "different philosophies in life."

In 2017, he started a relationship with Chan Wing-yee, who worked as his assistant and later sales manager. She is 19 years younger than him. In April 2018, they had a daughter.

Song Controversy

In 2000, Leon Lai's song "All Day Love" caused some discussion. People said the beginning of the song sounded like the Chinese National Anthem, "March of the Volunteers." Leon Lai was advised not to use the song for business purposes.

Discography

Filmography

Movies

Television Series

Concerts

At Hong Kong Coliseum:

At Central Harbourfront Event Space, Central Harbourfront:

Awards and Nominations

In July 2019, Leon Lai received the Silver Bauhinia Star, a high honor from the Hong Kong Government. This award recognized his support for public campaigns, like promoting the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Annuity Plan in 2018.

Here are some of the awards and nominations Leon Lai has received for his music:

See also

In Spanish: Leon Lai para niños