Ricky Hui

Ricky Hui Koon-Ying (Chinese: 許冠英, Jyutping: heoi2 gun3 jing1; pinyin: Xǔ Guànyīng] is a Hong Kong movie star in the 1970s to 1990s. He frequently acts with his brothers Michael and Sam. He and his brothers made several comedy blockbusters in the 1970s and 1980s.

Biography

Ricky Hui Koon Ying was born August 3 1946 in Panyu, Guangdong Province, China. He has four siblings, Samuel, Michael, Stanley and Judy. The Hui family migrated from mainland China to Hong Kong in 1950 and settled in the then poor area of Diamond Hill. His father worked hard and undertook any work available to be able to support his family. In the Hui family Arts played a very significant role. Ricky's father played the violin and his mother loved Cantonese opera so it is not surprising that the Hui children all had a love for music and acting, and finally almost all of them ended up in the entertainment industry.

Films

Ricky worked as a correspondent for the French Press Agency in Hong Kong. He also frequently appeared in Shaw Brothers films between 1972 and 1976, such as "The Lizard" (1972), "The 14 Amazons" (1972), "The Sugar Daddies" (1973), "The Generation Gap" (1973), "Rivals of Kung Fu" (1974), "Hong Kong" 73 (1974) etc. For him the big break came when he joined his brothers on screen.

The first time was in "The Last Message" (1975) with a short appearance as a waiter. The dialogue between him and Sam's character is hilarious. Ricky got a slightly bigger role in "The Private Eyes" (1976) and with that film a new era of the Hong Kong Cinema started. The brothers together made the best comedies the Hong Kong film industry has ever seen. Their films were packed with visual gags and the unique Cantonese humor. Although Ricky had only a small role in "The Private Eyes", it remained one of the all time favorites among fans. According to Michael Hui, Ricky had only brief appearance in this film because at that time he had a contract with Shaw Brothers. I think that contract ended around 1976, because the last Shaw Brothers film he appeared in was "Challenge of the Masters" that year. The following year found Ricky at Golden Harvest with a leading role in John Woo's "Money Crazy". In 1979 "Games Gamblers Play" was released for the Japanese market. For this edition Michael shot a new scene, a fight between Ricky and Sam on the beach, and replaced the original Sammo Hung vs Sam Hui fight with it. The next Hui brothers production where Ricky teamed up with his brothers again was "The Contract" in 1978, followed by "Security Unlimited" (1981), one of the biggest success of the brothers, full of gags and their trademark Cantonese humor. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Ricky played leading roles in John Woo films like "From Riches To Rags" (1979), "To Hell with the Devil" (1982) or "Plain Jane To The Rescue" (1982).

Michael became a producer in 1987 and Ricky appeared in his films: "Chicken and Duck Talk" (1988), "Front Page" (1990), "The Magic Touch" (1992). In 1985 Sammo Hung produced one of the biggest cult films "Mr. Vampire" where Ricky Hui played Man Choi, a memorable role on the side of the unforgettable Ching-ying Lam.

Ricky was most active in his film career in the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1990s he appeared in only one film, in "First Love Unlimited" (1997). The last films Ricky Hui appeared in are "Super Model" and "Forever Yours", both from 2004.

Music

Ricky is not only an actor but a very good singer, too. He has released seven albums, most of them on vinyl in the 1970s and 1980s. There are three Ricky albums on vinyl: 發錢寒 (1977), 夏之戀 (1978), 錢作怪 (1980). In 1993 '93 急流? was released, which featured new songs by Sam Hui and guest vocals from Michael Hui. The second album in 1993 was 一生渴望 (Lifelong Desire) a 2-CD set that featured one CD of hits from the 1970s and 1980s, and brand-new Mandarin recordings of songs from '93 急流?. It also paved the way for Ricky's 2 shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum (produced by Sam Hui). The third CD was released in 2001, called The Classical Songs of Universal. It is the re-released version of the album from 1980 with a few extra songs. The latest, Greatest Hits album (2CDs), 十足斤兩, was released ony July 26 2006.

Ricky not only sings but also wrote some songs for his brother Sam: On Sam Hui's debut Cantonese album, Ricky wrote 3 complete songs (music and lyrics): Track 3 (甜蜜伴侶), track 4 (無情夜冷風), and track 11 (夜雨聲). On Sam's 2nd Cantonese album, Ricky contributed 2 songs: track 5 (情人離別去), track 10 (歡樂桃源), and track 11 (故苑懷舊). On Sam's 3rd Cantonese album, Ricky has one contribution: track 12 (流水恨). He also wrote a song that can only be heard on his own debut album in 1977: 月影.

In 2000 Ricky had a stage play called Ha Luk Hei Ban. In the same year he appeared in five episodes of the ATV series "Heung Gong Yat Ka Chun". In 2001 a DVD was released of a variety show about the development of Hong Kong entertainment, called Laughing Kaleidoscope which featured Ricky among various artists on stage. In the same year he participated with three songs in the La Fai Palace Jubilee concert. In 2003 Ricky appeared in a concert commemorating the 8th anniversary of the death of Teresa Teng Lai-Kwun and also celebrating her 50th birthday. Ricky participated with three songs in Sing Along Golden Hits Encore Concert in 2004 among other stars. He appeared in the Rosanne in Starry Night Concert in March, 2006.

Ricky is also a returning guest on Sam Hui's concerts singing a few songs on his own or duets with brother. He often participates in TV Game Shows as well.

On July 30 2006 Ricky appeared on concert in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Jockey Club Auditorium.

Filmography

External links

*imdb name|id=0401204|name=Ricky Hui
* [http://www.rickyhui.net Ricky Hui] an Appreciation Site from Hungary
* [http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/people.asp?id=56 Ricky Hui] at Hong Kong Cinemagic
* [http://rickyhui.jconserv.net/ Ricky Hui Forum]