Richard Ng


Richard Ng Yiu-hon, also known as Richard Woo, was a Hong Kong-British actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s.

Film and television career

Ng appeared in 80 films. He was twice nominated for the Best Actor Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards, for his roles in Winners and Sinners and Beyond the Sunset. He worked alongside some of the biggest names in Hong Kong action cinema including Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Andy Lau, and Jet Li.

1970s, 80s, and 90s

Ng's first role was in the 1976 Michael Hui comedy film The Private Eyes. It was the first of many films Ng would appear in with Sammo Hung throughout the next 30 years.
In 1979, Ng made his only film as director, Murder Most Foul. He also starred in the film and co-wrote it with Wong Jing.
In 1983, he appeared as "Exhaust Pipe" in Hung's film Winners and Sinners, a template to the Lucky Stars series. He would go on to appear in all of the subsequent Lucky Stars films throughout the 1980s, in fundamentally the same role, though his character name in the later films was "Sandy".
Ng came to the fore in all 4 of the Pom Pom series, alongside fellow Lucky Star, John Shum. The Pom Pom films were something of a spinoff from the Lucky Stars series, though more comedy than action-orientated. Sammo Hung worked as producer on the first three, and as action director on the first two, and all four films were released by Hung's production companies, Bo Ho Films and D&B Films. The first film, Pom Pom!, featured cameos from Sammo Hung, Charlie Chin and Stanley Fung as their characters from Winners and Sinners. Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, who had also appeared in the Lucky Stars films also made cameo appearances. In the series, Ng plays "Ng Ah Chow", whilst Shum plays "Beethoven", a pair of inept and lovelorn cops. The first three Pom Pom films fared well at the domestic box office, taking between HK $17 and HK $20 million each, a sum comparable to contemporaries such as the original Lucky Stars trilogy, Chan's Project A and Hung and Biao's Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain.
Ng became an established actor, and was given supporting roles in a number of popular Hong Kong action comedies including Wheels on Meals, Millionaire's Express and Jackie Chan's Miracles.
Throughout the 1990s he appeared in at least 8 further films with Sammo Hung, including Once Upon a Time in China and America.

2000s: British TV, Father & Son Films and Singaporean Sitcoms and Dramas

As of 1997, Ng moved from Hong Kong to London, England and was said to be semi-retired. However, he was clearly still very active, having made several appearances on British television since that time, and he also continued to work on Hong Kong films.
Since it started in 2002, Ng appeared in several episodes of the ongoing BBC Scotland soap, River City. His character was "Johnny Wu", the owner of the "Wok My World" takeaway.
In 2003 he appeared in the second Tomb Raider film, The Cradle of Life.
In 2004, he appeared in a deleted scene in an episode of Black Books. He also appeared in the commercial for the video game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.
Ng also appeared in an episode of The Bill in 2005, and an episode of the Nickelodeon UK series, Genie in the House in 2006.
In 2009, he played in Red Dwarf: Back to Earth as Swallow the Nose Maker, a maker of prosthetics.
Ng could be seen on British television, playing a shopkeeper in an advertisement for RAC, alongside Lennox Lewis, and in another advertisement for satellite television, dressed as an eskimo. He also played the emperor of China in a Channel 4 docu-drama, The Great Wall of China. It was first shown on 1 October 2007 at 9pm. In 2008, he appeared as Sifu Chien, the Shaolin master of Hong Kong policeman, Terry Phoo in the pilot episode of the BBC Three program, Phoo Action.
In 2000, Ng appeared alongside his son, Carl Ng, in the film Love at First Sight a.k.a. Sausalito. The two have since appeared together several more times, including in Dante Lam's Jiang hu: The Triad Zone, Lemon Crush, Sammo Hung's Legend of the Dragon and the Jingle Ma film Happy Birthday.
Ng and son would also appear together in three forthcoming films. The first of these is Magazine Gap Road, which is completed and due for release in 2007. This would be followed by Bodyguard: A New Beginning, and in 2008, Jessica Caught on Tape.
Ng would also make appearances as a supporting character in the Singaporean sitcom known as Under One Roof only in Seasons 5 and 6 and also star in the dramas known as Brothers 4 and Silver Lining.
Ng had a cameo appearance in the 2016 film Skiptrace.

Personal life and death

Ng was educated in London, England whilst moving from Hong Kong to London in 1997.
Ng was married to his wife, Susan, a British woman who was a stylist for Vidal Sassoon in London and New York. She ran Hair by Susan, where she worked as Bruce Lee's hair stylist in the 1970s. Together, they had four children: live event producer Alex Ng; Zoe Ng, a professional dancer; Louise Ng who is a professional photographer; and actor Carl Ng.
Ng died at the age of 83. He had been suffering health problems for years. In 2019 he disclosed he had to undergo dialysis treatments daily due to kidney problems. In 2021 he told media that he had undergone surgery for a cardiac embolism. According to Hong Kong media outlet HK01, which was first to report his death, doctors advised Ng's family members to visit him in hospital on 9 April to say their last goodbyes.

Filmography

  • Golden Needles - Lin To's man
  • The Private Eyes - Police Officer
  • The Pilferer's Progress - Dragon Ng
  • Murder Most Foul
  • Itchy Fingers - Tiny
  • Carry On Pickpocket - Wu
  • It Takes Two
  • The Return of the Condor Heroes - Luk Koon Ying
  • Winners and Sinners - Exhaust Pipe
  • Wheels on Meals - Brilliant Patient
  • Heaven Can Help - Chan Siu-Ming
  • Pom Pom - Chau / Walker
  • The Return of Pom Pom - Chau
  • My Lucky Stars - Sandy
  • Mr. Boo Meets Pom Pom - Chau
  • Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars - Sandy
  • Yes, Madam - Old Master's Roommate
  • The S.I.B. Files
  • Lucky Stars Go Places - Sandy
  • Pom Pom Strikes Back - Chau
  • From Here to Prosperity
  • Millionaire's Express - Han
  • The Wrong Couples
  • Mr. Vampire 3 - Mao Ming
  • Mr. Handsome - Dr. Richard Chow
  • My Cousin, the Ghost - Cousin Ng Dut Dai
  • Magnificent Warriors - Paulina Wong
  • The Haunted Island - East Bay Station Commander
  • Mistaken Identity - Cheung Kan-Sing
  • Gaston en Leo in Hong Kong - Agent 008
  • King of Stanley Market
  • Golden Swallow - Hsiang Yu
  • Yes, Madam 2 - Neddy the Ninja
  • Keep on Dancing
  • Faithfully Yours - Ying's Father
  • Miracles a.k.a. Mr. Canton and Lady Rose - Captain Ho
  • Run, Don't Walk - Ng Shing-Choi
  • Beyond the Sunset - Wong
  • Excuse Me, Please! - Cock
  • Unfaithfully Yours
  • Return of the Lucky Stars - Tai-Shan
  • Mr. Sunshine
  • Demon Intruder - Cab Driver
  • Family Honour - Ming's Husband
  • Red Dust - Yu
  • License to Steal - No. 1
  • Till Death Shall We Start
  • Slickers vs. Killers - Chow
  • Ghost Punting - Da Shan-Di
  • The Gambling Ghost - Roadblock Cop
  • Son on the Run
  • The Banquet - Siu-Chi's Father
  • Handsome Siblings
  • Banana Spirit - Tang
  • Saviour of the Soul II - Devil King
  • Boys Are Easy - Ching Sing
  • Kung Fu Cult Master - King of Green Bat: Wai Yat Siu
  • Future Cops - Uncle Richard Yu/Green Wolf/Blanka
  • Perfect Couples
  • Mack the Knife 流氓醫生 - Professor Bao
  • Don't Give a Damn - Old Bluffer on Bus
  • Once in a Lifetime
  • Heaven Can't Wait - Taoist
  • Whatever Will Be, Will Be - Wing's Dad
  • How to Meet the Lucky Stars - Dee
  • Ah Kam - Detective
  • Once Upon a Time in China and America - Han
  • Hong Kong Night Club - Yu Ten-sen
  • Under One Roof - Bobby Chow
  • Sausalito
  • Jiang hu: The Triad Zone
  • The Monkey King - Communist Official
  • Beijing Rocks - Wu De-hui
  • Lemon Crush
  • My Wife Is 18
  • My Dream Girl - Cheung Tin
  • Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life - buyer
  • Brothers 4 - Chung Fu
  • Legend of the Dragon
  • Mr. 3 Minutes - Chung Gai-cheung
  • Happy Birthday - Xiao Mi's Dad
  • Phoo Action - Sifu Chien
  • Red Dwarf: Back to Earth - The Nose Maker
  • Here Comes Fortune
  • Silver Lining - Peter Gan
  • Flirting Scholar 2
  • Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
  • Perfect Wedding
  • Men Suddenly in Love
  • The Fortune Buddies
  • Supercapitalist - Donald Chang
  • Rigor Mortis - Uncle Tung
  • Little Big Master
  • Lost in Hong Kong
  • Skiptrace
  • 100 Days Of Love
  • Vampire Cleanup Department
  • 20:16
  • Bio Raiders
  • Crazy This Year
  • Hotel Soul Good
  • Dearest Anita
  • A Lifetime Treasure
  • The Invincible Dragon
  • Walk with Me
  • Go Back to China
  • All's Well End's Well 2020 - cameo
  • Where the Wind Blows - filmed in 2017