The Five Tiger Generals of TVB (無綫五虎將), more commonly referred to as simply the Five Tigers (五虎), were a group of five of the most popular young leading male actors of 1980s Hong Kong television. The group consisted of Michael Miu 苗僑偉 ("Big Tiger"), Kent Tong 湯鎮業 ("Second Tiger"), Felix Wong 黃日華 ("Third Tiger"), Andy Lau 劉德華 ("Fourth Tiger"), and Tony Leung Chiu-wai 梁朝偉 ("Small Tiger"). The group was formed to collectively promote the popularity of the five members, as well as to promote the company's various drama and entertainment productions. Five Tiger Generals was a name given to them by the media. The term is a popular appellation in Chinese culture, meaning a ruler's five best military generals.
Five Tiger Generals
Five Tiger Generals, 1983. Top (L-R): Lau, Wong Bottom (L-R): Miu, Leung, Tong
While all 5 members were once trainees of TVB's then all-year Artiste Training Academy, they joined the school at different times—Kent Tong joined in 1978, Michael Miu and Felix Wong in 1979, Andy Lau in 1980, and Tony Leung in 1981. Tong was the first to debut with his first role as the supporting character Wu Wang-yuen in the 1980 drama This Land is Mine. Wong's first role was in the 1981 The Misadventure of Zoo. The other 3 members had debut roles while still trainees at the school: Miu's debut role was the 1980 drama The Adventurer's, Lau's first role was in the sitcomHong Kong '81, and Leung had his first major role in the 1982 Soldier of Fortune, which also starred Wong and Tong.
It did not take long for the Five Tigers to become popular. According to Wong during a 2009 interview for the talk show Be My Guest, TVB's first generation of leading actors at the time, which included Adam Cheng and Chow Yun-fat, were leaving the company, and TVB was in need of rounding up a new generation of popular idols; thus, the members of the Five Tigers quickly rose to fame due to many performing opportunities. Wong said that as soon as he graduated from acting school, he was offered a major supporting role.[1] Wong was then offered a leading role in his second drama, The Lonely Hunter (1981), which shot him to instant fame in Hong Kong.
Formation
In September 1983, amidst a ratings competition with Korean and Japanese variety shows, TVB created the show All Star Challenge, which featured almost an entire lineup of the most popular actors and singers of Hong Kong at the time. The five most popular young male idols at the station—Miu, Tong, Wong, Lau, and Leung—were grouped together to perform a variety of stage performances at the show, such as singing and dancing. Their appearances brought in a lot of media attention, and their performances were a selling point for the show.[2] The media then branded them as TVB's Five Tiger Generals, and the term quickly caught on to the public. Since their formation, the five of them consistently made public appearances together as a group; they even expressed that they would like to release an album together under their name. In 1991, the group starred in the action thriller The Tigers, a film adaptation of the 1984 television drama Rise and Fall of a Stand-In. It is the only film to star all five members.
On 27 June 2010, during a press conference for a training academy in Panyu, Guangzhou, Tong revealed that the five members are planning for another reunion project. The collaboration between Miu and Wong in the 2010 drama Gun Metal Grey created a heated discussion about a possible reunion of all members in the future. "The Five Tiger Generals will definitely reunite again. The five of us really hope for that day to come; in fact, we are currently planning one right now."[3]
^"Be My Guest: Episode 133". TVB (in Chinese). 2009-07-25.
^"Chapter 2: Television Stars, TVB's Five Tiger Generals". Big5.china.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2010-09-25.[permanent dead link]
^"Kent Tong to film comeback: Five Tiger Generals will definitely reunite". 163 (in Chinese). 2010-06-27. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
External links
TVB.com
January 02, 2023
five, tiger, generals, 無綫五虎將, more, commonly, referred, simply, five, tigers, 五虎, were, group, five, most, popular, young, leading, male, actors, 1980s, hong, kong, television, group, consisted, michael, 苗僑偉, tiger, kent, tong, 湯鎮業, second, tiger, felix, wong,. The Five Tiger Generals of TVB 無綫五虎將 more commonly referred to as simply the Five Tigers 五虎 were a group of five of the most popular young leading male actors of 1980s Hong Kong television The group consisted of Michael Miu 苗僑偉 Big Tiger Kent Tong 湯鎮業 Second Tiger Felix Wong 黃日華 Third Tiger Andy Lau 劉德華 Fourth Tiger and Tony Leung Chiu wai 梁朝偉 Small Tiger The group was formed to collectively promote the popularity of the five members as well as to promote the company s various drama and entertainment productions Five Tiger Generals was a name given to them by the media The term is a popular appellation in Chinese culture meaning a ruler s five best military generals Five Tiger GeneralsFive Tiger Generals 1983 Top L R Lau WongBottom L R Miu Leung TongBackground informationAlso known asFive TigersOriginHong KongYears active1980sMembersMichael MiuKent TongFelix WongAndy LauTony LeungFive Tiger Generals of TVBTraditional Chinese無綫五虎將Simplified Chinese无线五虎将Literal meaningWireless Five Tiger GeneralsTranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinWuxian Wǔ Hǔ JiangYue CantoneseJyutpingMou4 Sin3 Ng5 Fu2 Zoeng3 Contents 1 Background 1 1 Formation 2 Legacy and reunion 3 Collaborations 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksBackground EditWhile all 5 members were once trainees of TVB s then all year Artiste Training Academy they joined the school at different times Kent Tong joined in 1978 Michael Miu and Felix Wong in 1979 Andy Lau in 1980 and Tony Leung in 1981 Tong was the first to debut with his first role as the supporting character Wu Wang yuen in the 1980 drama This Land is Mine Wong s first role was in the 1981 The Misadventure of Zoo The other 3 members had debut roles while still trainees at the school Miu s debut role was the 1980 drama The Adventurer s Lau s first role was in the sitcom Hong Kong 81 and Leung had his first major role in the 1982 Soldier of Fortune which also starred Wong and Tong It did not take long for the Five Tigers to become popular According to Wong during a 2009 interview for the talk show Be My Guest TVB s first generation of leading actors at the time which included Adam Cheng and Chow Yun fat were leaving the company and TVB was in need of rounding up a new generation of popular idols thus the members of the Five Tigers quickly rose to fame due to many performing opportunities Wong said that as soon as he graduated from acting school he was offered a major supporting role 1 Wong was then offered a leading role in his second drama The Lonely Hunter 1981 which shot him to instant fame in Hong Kong Formation Edit In September 1983 amidst a ratings competition with Korean and Japanese variety shows TVB created the show All Star Challenge which featured almost an entire lineup of the most popular actors and singers of Hong Kong at the time The five most popular young male idols at the station Miu Tong Wong Lau and Leung were grouped together to perform a variety of stage performances at the show such as singing and dancing Their appearances brought in a lot of media attention and their performances were a selling point for the show 2 The media then branded them as TVB s Five Tiger Generals and the term quickly caught on to the public Since their formation the five of them consistently made public appearances together as a group they even expressed that they would like to release an album together under their name In 1991 the group starred in the action thriller The Tigers a film adaptation of the 1984 television drama Rise and Fall of a Stand In It is the only film to star all five members Legacy and reunion EditThe popularity of the Five Tigers led TVB to continue with similar group projects even after the members of the Five Tigers left TVB However none of them were that successful Many television dramas that featured the members of the Five Tigers notably The Legend of the Condor Heroes 1983 The Return of the Condor Heroes 1983 Police Cadet 1984 The Duke of Mount Deer 1984 and Looking Back in Anger 1989 were branded as classics by many in Asia On 27 June 2010 during a press conference for a training academy in Panyu Guangzhou Tong revealed that the five members are planning for another reunion project The collaboration between Miu and Wong in the 2010 drama Gun Metal Grey created a heated discussion about a possible reunion of all members in the future The Five Tiger Generals will definitely reunite again The five of us really hope for that day to come in fact we are currently planning one right now 3 Collaborations EditFilmYear Film Miu Tong Wong Lau Leung Notes1982 Demi Gods and Semi Devils N NOnce Upon a Rainbow N N1983 Mad Mad 83 N N N1985 Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars N N1986 Lucky Stars Go Places N N1987 Eastern Condors N N1988 The Dragon Family N N NLai Shi China s Last Eunuch N NThe Crazy Companies II N N1989 Little Cop N NCity Cops N NProud and Confident N NNews Attack N N1990 The Fortune Code N NDays of Being Wild N N1991 Don t Fool Me N NThe Tigers N N N N N Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor Tong The Banquet N N1992 Handsome Siblings N NThe Days of Being Dumb N N1993 Hero Beyond The Boundary Of Time N NLord of East China Sea N NLord of East China Sea II N NCome Fly the Dragon N N N1994 Drunken Master II N N2002 Infernal Affairs N N Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor Leung Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor Leung Golden Bauhinia Awards for Best Actor Leung Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song Lau with Leung Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor Lau Nominated Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor Lau Golden Chicken N N2003 Infernal Affairs III N N Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor Lau Golden Chicken 2 N N2004 Jiang Hu N NLove Is a Many Stupid Thing N N2006 My Mother Is a Belly Dancer N N2005 Wait til You re Older N N Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor Lau 2007 Brothers N N N N Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song Lau with Eason Chan 2011 I Love Hong Kong N N2013 7 Assassins N N2017 Shock Wave N N Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor Lau Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film Lau Chasing the Dragon N N N Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film Lau 2019 The White Storm 2 Drug Lords N NTBD Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong N NTelevision dramasYear Title Miu Tong Wong Lau Leung Notes1981 The Adventurer s N NDouble Fantasies N NCome Rain Come Shine N N NThe Lonely Hunter N NThe Young Heroes of Shaolin N N N1982 A Kid Troupe N NDemi Gods and Semi Devils N NThe Legend of Master So N NThe Wild Bunch N NSoldier of Fortune N N NThe Emissary N N1983 The Legend of the Condor Heroes N NThe Return of the Condor Heroes N N1984 The Duke of Mount Deer N NThe Foundation N N NRise And Fall Of A Stand in N NThe Return of Wong Fei Hung N NSummer Kisses Winter Tears N N1985 Sword Stained with Royal Blood N NTough Fight N NThe Yang s Saga N N N N N1987 The Grand Canal N NTwo Most Honorable Knights N N2010 Gun Metal Grey N N Nominated TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor Top 15 Miu Nominated TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor Top 5 Wong See also Edit5 Tigers Michael Miu Kent Tong Felix Wong Andy Lau Tony Leung Chiu Wai 5 Beauties Yammie Lam Idy Chan Margie Tsang Jamie Chik Kitty Lai 5 Fresh Tigers Louis Koo Leo Ku Carlo Ng Hawick Lau Keith Ho 5 Fresh Beauties Gigi Fu Jojo Cho Wallis Pang Eileen Yeow Joyce ChanReferences Edit Be My Guest Episode 133 TVB in Chinese 2009 07 25 Chapter 2 Television Stars TVB s Five Tiger Generals Big5 china com in Chinese Retrieved 2010 09 25 permanent dead link Kent Tong to film comeback Five Tiger Generals will definitely reunite 163 in Chinese 2010 06 27 Retrieved 2010 10 09 External links EditTVB com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Five Tiger Generals of TVB amp oldid 1103849098, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
