Veteran Actor Lee Sau-yin, 74, Shares Rare Family Photo, Reflects on 47-Year Marriage and Career
SingTao · 1 SOURCES1 day ago7 MIN
Summary
Veteran Hong Kong actor Lee Sau-yin (李修賢), 74, has spent over half a century in the entertainment industry. In a recent interview on veteran media personality Wang Man-ling's YouTube channel "Flash: Man's Lens," Lee shared rarely-seen family photographs and opened up about his personal life. He discussed discovering Andy Lau (張家輝), reflected on his 47-year marriage to former flight attendant Lee Yuet-wa (李月華), and expressed lingering grief over the 1983 car accident that killed his close friend Fu Sing (傅聲). Now enjoying life with his daughter, Australian son-in-law, and three mixed-race grandchildren, Lee expressed profound contentment with his current circumstances.
Key Points
- Lee Sau-yin, now 74, revealed that Andy Lau came to audition for the film "A Better Tomorrow" after serving four years as a full-time police officer following training at the Junior Police School .
- Lee Sau-yin advised Andy Lau to join ATV instead of TVB, saying, "If you enter TVB now, you're not competitive enough. Go to ATV, use what you've learned to gradually make your name" .
- Lee Sau-yin and Fu Sing were so close that when Fu Sing's family refused financial support during his early Shaw Brothers days, Lee worked part-time installing aluminum windows to cover their meals together .
- After being rejected by Shaw Brothers executive Fang Yat-hua for a 500-dollar loan, the two young actors stormed the studio parking lot, jumping on car rooftops until management agreed to lend them money .
- The 1983 fatal accident occurred when Wang Yu was driving and attempted to overtake another vehicle, causing the crash that killed Fu Sing and left Wang Yu facing charges .
- Lee Sau-yin married former air hostess Lee Yuet-wa, a Malaysian-Chinese Hong Kong native educated in English, 47 years ago, and credits their different native languages for reducing arguments .
- Their daughter married an Australian teacher and has three mixed-race children, who visit every weekend and search the house stairs for gifts from their grandparents .
- Regarding mentor Zhang Che, Lee Sau-yin admitted the director never gave him a leading role despite training him for only seven days before signing him to a seven-year contract .
Why It Matters
Lee Sau-yin's candid reflections offer a rare window into Hong Kong cinema's golden era, preserving oral history from a living legend who trained under master director Zhang Che at Shaw Brothers. His story of mentoring Andy Lau illustrates how career guidance from industry veterans shaped Hong Kong's film stars, while his dignified approach to unfilled promises from his mentor—expressing gratitude rather than grievance—provides a model for navigating disappointments in the entertainment industry .
Lee Sau-yin's candid reflections offer a rare window into Hong Kong cinema's golden era, preserving oral history from a living legend who trained under master director Zhang Che at Shaw Brothers. His story of mentoring Andy Lau illustrates how career guidance from industry veterans shaped Hong Kong's film stars, while his dignified approach to unfilled promises from his mentor—expressing gratitude rather than grievance—provides a model for navigating disappointments in the entertainment industry .