1. One of the most influential cultural icons in the Chinese world, Cheung was known for his debonair demeanor, flamboyant screen characters, and avant-garde, androgynous stage presence.
57 Facts About Leslie Cheung
1. 2.
Leslie Cheung announced his "retirement" from music in 1989 and emigrated to Canada the following year, but returned to Hong Kong in 1994.
3.
Leslie Cheung won the Best Actor at the 1991 Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Days of Being Wild, and became world-renowned for his performances in Farewell My Concubine and Happy Together.
4.
On 1 April 2003, Leslie Cheung, suffering from clinical depression, committed suicide by jumping off the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Hong Kong.
5.
Leslie Cheung was born in Kowloon, British Hong Kong, the youngest of 10 children in a middle-class Hakka family.
6.
Leslie Cheung's father, Cheung Wut-hoi, was a well-known tailor who specialised in suits, whose customers included Western celebrities such as film director Alfred Hitchcock and actors Marlon Brando and Cary Grant.
7.
Leslie Cheung told many interviewers that he had an unhappy childhood, feeling emotionally estranged from his father and siblings, and frequently witnessing arguments and fights in the household.
8.
Leslie Cheung felt "depressed sometimes" and longed for affection from his parents who were absent most of the time in his childhood.
9.
When Leslie Cheung's father married another woman, his emotional life further deteriorated.
10.
Leslie Cheung was brought up by his grandmother, whom he was very close to.
11.
Leslie Cheung attended Rosaryhill School for secondary education in Hong Kong and, at age 12, enrolled at an independent boys boarding school Eccles Hall School Quideham near Norwich in England.
12.
Leslie Cheung discovered a newfound interest in Western films and immersed himself in music, studying the original soundtrack of Romeo and Juliet.
13.
Leslie Cheung recalled that there were "racial problems" when he was in England, but he managed to make friends.
14.
Leslie Cheung attended the University of Leeds, where he studied textile management.
15.
Only Leslie Cheung remained until the final round of the Hong Kong division, where he finished as the first runner-up with a rendition of "American Pie".
16.
Leslie Cheung signed with Polydor Records with hopes of releasing music albums.
17.
Leslie Cheung signed with Capital Artists, a record label closely associated with the then-dominant television network TVB, in 1982.
18.
Leslie Cheung's first hit single, "The Wind Blows On", is a cover version of Momoe Yamaguchi's Japanese single "The Other Side of Goodbye".
19.
Leslie Cheung's second album with Capital, Craziness, is a compilation of songs he recorded for TVB dramas.
20.
Leslie Cheung continued his movie crossover with roles mostly in teenage films, and earned his first major recognition for starring in Nomad.
21.
Leslie Cheung released the hit single "Monica", a cover of the single by Japanese singer Koji Kikkawa.
22.
Leslie Cheung's 1984 self-titled album, which included "Monica", was his first to be certified platinum by the IFPI Hong Kong and sold over 200,000 copies.
23.
Leslie Cheung starred in the TVB drama Once Upon an Ordinary Girl and the film Behind the Yellow Line.
24.
The album included songs Leslie Cheung recorded for TVB dramas, propelling his image as a romantic male lead.
25.
Leslie Cheung then starred opposite his real life friend Anita Mui in Rouge, which consolidated the pair's reputation as the top Hong Kong entertainers.
26.
Leslie Cheung embarked on a 23-date tour at the Hong Kong Coliseum in mid-1988, sponsored by Pepsi.
27.
Leslie Cheung held several shows catering to the Chinese community in North America, visiting Atlantic City, Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver.
28.
Leslie Cheung won Most Popular Male Artist twice, at the 1988 and 1989 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards.
29.
Leslie Cheung won the Best Actor at the 1991 Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Wong Kar-Wai's Days of Being Wild.
30.
Leslie Cheung gained international acclaim for his role as a cross-dressing Peking opera actor in Farewell My Concubine, which became the first Chinese film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
31.
In 2001, Leslie Cheung directed the music video for his song "Bewildered" with the help of William Chang, the production designer of The Days of Being Wild.
32.
The video, featuring intimacy between Japanese ballet dancer Nishijima Kazuhiro and Leslie Cheung, was banned by Hong Kong's public broadcaster TVB for promoting homosexuality; Leslie Cheung refused to edit the scenes out.
33.
Leslie Cheung was consecutively nominated for Best Actor at Cannes for Chen Kaige's Temptress Moon and Wong Kar-wai's Happy Together.
34.
Leslie Cheung was a supporter of several charities concerning children's welfare.
35.
Leslie Cheung was a patron of the Children's Cancer Foundation, a charity that cares for young children with cancer and their families.
36.
Leslie Cheung donated HK$1 million in 1996 and launched five sets of RED cards to help raise funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation.
37.
Leslie Cheung was the first Cantopop star to launch a charity fundraising at a concert.
38.
In 1999, at a party to raise relief funds in the aftermath of the Taiwan earthquake, Leslie Cheung participated in a fried rice tasting event.
39.
Leslie Cheung donated HK$250,000 for a bowl of rice; this was matched by fan donations, bringing the total to HK$500,000.
40.
Leslie Cheung was known for his very good fashion sense and he was the first to donate three well-loved, carefully selected pieces to the auction.
41.
Leslie Cheung donated his beloved badminton racket to IDclub Taiwan, to be auctioned to raise money for the children's cancer fund.
42.
In 2003, Leslie Cheung donated HK$100,000 to the Seedling protection fund, who were holding a large-scale charity night on 12 March.
43.
Leslie Cheung told his party guests to give him cash instead of presents, then he donated all of the money that he received to the fund.
44.
In 1977, during the filming of the RTV series Love Story, the then 20-year-old Leslie Cheung met and fell in love with his 17-year-old co-star, Teresa Mo, and they began dating after finishing the series.
45.
In 1979, Leslie Cheung proposed to Mo, but his sudden proposal startled her and she began to distance herself from him.
46.
Leslie Cheung later went into a brief relationship with actress Shirley Yim, the younger sister of Michelle Yim, but they broke up in 1980, due to their incompatibility for each other's lifestyles.
47.
In 1984, at the house of Albert Yeung, Leslie Cheung met Cindy Yeung, the youngest daughter of Albert Yeung who had recently returned from Boston.
48.
Yeung was a fan of Leslie Cheung and was seven years younger than him.
49.
Leslie Cheung felt that if he had not been in show business, he could have already been married with children, like most of his friends.
50.
Leslie Cheung leapt from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, located in the Central district of Hong Kong Island.
51.
Leslie Cheung left a suicide note saying that he had been suffering from depression.
52.
The news of Leslie Cheung's death shocked the Chinese community worldwide.
53.
Leslie Cheung revealed that Cheung had previously attempted suicide in November 2002.
54.
Taiwanese writer Li Ao said in a 2003 TV program that Leslie Cheung died by suicide due to AIDS, but the accuracy of this statement has been questioned.
55.
Leslie Cheung mentioned that reporters were frequently found outside her brother's home, hampering his ability to visit his doctor.
56.
Many memorial events were held over the years since Leslie Cheung's death, including the memorial concerts in 2003,2008,2013, and 2023 organized by Leslie Cheung's agent Florence Chan.
57.
In 2013, Leslie Cheung became the first contemporary celebrity to be included in the Cihai.