# Andy Lau filmography
The **Andy Lau filmography** covers the screen work of Andy Lau Tak-wah (劉德華), a Hong Kong actor, producer and singer whose film career began in 1982 and spans comedies, police and triad films, gambling pictures, historical epics and Mainland co-productions. Databases count his output differently depending on what is included: Douban lists 309 works across all roles[1](https://movie.douban.com/celebrity/1054424/movies?format=text&sortby=time&start=175), the Chinese site 1905.com lists 191 credits[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/star/211/), and the Taiwanese database MovieCool counts 177 films, 22 television dramas and 30 behind-the-camera jobs[3](https://www.moviecool.asia/person/ywy6knwp19sc). English-language profiles commonly describe him as having starred in more than 160 films[4](https://sprint-testing.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/hong-kong-andy-lau-movies-every-cinephile-should-watch).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961, Hong Kong; native of Xinhui, Guangdong[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf) |
| Film debut | *Once Upon a Rainbow* (1982), after graduating from TVB's performing artist training program in 1981[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf) |
| Breakthrough role | Ann Hui's *Boat People* (1982), which earned him early praise[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf) |
| Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Actor for *Running Out of Time* (1999), *Running on Karma* (2003) and *A Simple Life* (2012)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf) |
| Golden Horse Awards | Two Best Actor awards[3](https://www.moviecool.asia/person/ywy6knwp19sc) |
| Production companies | Teamwork Motion Pictures Limited (1991, with David Lai, Daniel Yu and Chan Pui-wah); later Focus Films, backer of the 'Focus: First Cuts' project (2005)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf) |
| Signature genre films | *As Tears Go By* (1988), *A Moment of Romance* (1990), *God of Gamblers* (1989), *Infernal Affairs* (2002)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau) |
## Training and early work, 1981–1985
Lau graduated from Television Broadcasts Limited's (TVB) performing artist training program in 1981 and made his film debut the following year with *Once Upon a Rainbow* (1982)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). In the same year he earned praise for his performance in Ann Hui's *Boat People*, and he simultaneously became a prominent television actor[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). Rotten Tomatoes notes that he gained early fame on Hong Kong television as one of the "Five Tigers" group of actors[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau).
Through the first half of the 1980s he worked in both media, appearing in *Home at Hong Kong* (1983), *Everlasting Love* (1984) and *The Unwritten Law* (1985), performances that the Hong Kong Film Archive credits with putting him on the map in the film industry[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf).
## Genre work in the late 1980s and early 1990s
**A star across genres.** From 1987 to 1991 Lau worked through the standard genres of the Hong Kong industry at its production peak: the comedies *The Crazy Companies 2* (1988) and *Don't Fool Me* (1991); the cops-and-robbers films *Proud and Confident* (1989) and *Long Arm of the Law, Part III* (1989); the gambling films *Casino Raiders* (1989), *God of Gamblers* (1989) and *God of Gamblers 2* (1990); and the gangster films *Sworn Brothers* (1987) and *Rich and Famous* (1987)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf).
Two [Wong Kar-wai](https://www.edgepedia.org/wong-kar-wai)-adjacent titles defined his screen persona in this period. In *[As Tears Go By](https://www.edgepedia.org/as-tears-go-by-1988-film)* (1988), Wong Kar-wai's debut, and *A Moment of Romance* (1990), Lau played the young heroic gangster and brought romantic elements into mob films[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). The lovehkfilm review of *A Moment of Romance* notes that its famous bike-riding ending has been parodied in countless Hong Kong films, and that Lau was nominated for Best Song at the Hong Kong Film Awards for the title theme he performed[7](https://lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/moment_of_romance.htm).
When "big timer" biopics became prevalent, Lau was cast in *Lee Rock* (1991) and *Lee Rock II* (1991), which marked the first time he played a single character from youth to old age[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf).
## Work as a producer
In 1991 Lau established Teamwork Motion Pictures Limited with David Lai, Daniel Yu and Chan Pui-wah; the company's productions include *[Saviour of the Soul](https://www.edgepedia.org/saviour-of-the-soul)* (1991), *Days of Tomorrow* (1993) and *A Fighter's Blues* (2000)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). As a producer he supported new directors, providing financial assistance that allowed Fruit Chan to direct *Made in Hong Kong* (1997)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). In 2005 he launched the 'Focus: First Cuts' project, which funded six young Asian directors; the scheme's releases include the critically acclaimed *Crazy Stone* (2006)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). MovieCool counts him as the founder of Teamwork and of the Image (映藝) group, with more than 20 Chinese-language films produced as an investor[3](https://www.moviecool.asia/person/ywy6knwp19sc).
## From idol to actor: the awards run
During the mid-1990s Lau made fewer film appearances[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). The turning point came with [Johnnie To](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnnie-to)'s crime thriller *Running Out of Time* (1999), which won him Best Actor at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards; from there, the Film Archive writes, he broke free of his idol image and began probing the inner psyche of his characters[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). He won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor twice more, for *[Running on Karma](https://www.edgepedia.org/running-on-karma)* (2003) and *[A Simple Life](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-simple-life)* (2012)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf), and holds two Golden Horse Best Actor awards alongside the three Hong Kong awards[3](https://www.moviecool.asia/person/ywy6knwp19sc) • [4](https://sprint-testing.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/hong-kong-andy-lau-movies-every-cinephile-should-watch).
The 2002 police-triad film *Infernal Affairs*, in which Lau played a triad mole inside the police[8](https://www.filmcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2010s2014VOLUME-50-NUMBER-03-MAY-JUNE-2014.pdf), became the era's defining hit. The Spanish daily *El País* reported that it earned close to US$50 million and spawned two sequels released in 2003, and that Martin Scorsese's remake *The Departed* later won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director[9](https://elpais.com/diario/2007/02/23/cine/1172185204_850215.html). On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 95 percent critics score, the highest of Lau's listed films alongside *A Simple Life* at 94 percent[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau).
## Mainland co-productions and later career
Starting in 2003 Lau frequently acted in Mainland and Western co-productions, including Feng Xiaogang's *A World Without Thieves* (2004), Jacob Cheung's *A Battle of Wits* (a Mainland-Japanese-Korean co-production, 2006) and Peng Sanyuan's *[Lost and Love](https://www.edgepedia.org/lost-and-love)* (2016)[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf). His Hollywood-adjacent work in this period included the martial-arts hit *House of Flying Daggers* (2004)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau) and Peter Chan's *The Warlords* (2007)[10](https://www.metacritic.com/person/andy-lau/).
The 2010s and 2020s kept the pace high. Rotten Tomatoes' credits list *Shock Wave* (2017) and *[Shock Wave 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/shock-wave-2)* (2020), *Fagara* (2019), *The White Storm 2: Drug Lords* (2019), *Endgame* (2021) and *The Wandering Earth II* (2023)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau). In 2023 alone he appeared in *The Wandering Earth II* (as Tu Hengyu), *Moscow Mission*, *I Did It My Way* and *The Goldfinger* (as Liu Qi Yuan)[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/star/211/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau). The 2024 releases include *Cesium Fallout*, *High Forces*, *Crisis Negotiators* and *Peg O' My Heart*[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau), and in 2025 he played [Yang Guozhong](https://www.edgepedia.org/yang-guozhong) in *The Lychee Road*[11](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2258118.shtml). 1905.com's chronology also records his election as a vice-chairman of the China Film Association in January 2024 and a Special Contribution Award for *The Movie Emperor* at the 48th [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival) in September 2023[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/star/211/).
## Reading the numbers
The differing totals are a feature of how Lau's career is cataloged rather than an error in any one source. Douban's 309 counts every credited role including television, variety and voice work[1](https://movie.douban.com/celebrity/1054424/movies?format=text&sortby=time&start=175); 1905.com's 191 covers its own film and television database[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/star/211/); MovieCool's 177 separates films from its 22 drama credits and 30 production roles[3](https://www.moviecool.asia/person/ywy6knwp19sc); and the "more than 160 films" figure used in English-language profiles counts acting roles in theatrical features[4](https://sprint-testing.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/hong-kong-andy-lau-movies-every-cinephile-should-watch). What the sources agree on is the shape of the career: a dense genre-film output in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a mid-1990s slowdown, an awards-driven critical turn from 1999, and a steady stream of large-scale co-productions from 2003 onward[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf).
## References
1. [刘德华 Andy Lau的全部作品（309）, Douban](https://movie.douban.com/celebrity/1054424/movies?format=text&sortby=time&start=175)
2. [刘德华个人资料-电影-视频全集-1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/star/211/)
3. [劉德華｜演員作品、電影與連續劇, MovieCool](https://www.moviecool.asia/person/ywy6knwp19sc)
4. [From 'Infernal Affairs' to 'House of Flying Daggers': 5 Andy Lau Movies Every Cinephile Should Watch, Tatler Asia](https://sprint-testing.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/hong-kong-andy-lau-movies-every-cinephile-should-watch)
5. [Hong Kong Filmmakers Search: Andy LAU, Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057018/Andy%2BLAU_e.pdf)
6. [Andy Lau Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andy_lau)
7. [A Moment of Romance (天若有情) (1990), lovehkfilm](https://lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/moment_of_romance.htm)
8. [Hong Kong Cinema, Film Comment Vol. 50 No. 3 (2014)](https://www.filmcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2010s2014VOLUME-50-NUMBER-03-MAY-JUNE-2014.pdf)
9. ['Infiltrados' contra 'Infernal affairs', El País (2007)](https://elpais.com/diario/2007/02/23/cine/1172185204_850215.html)
10. [Andy Lau, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/andy-lau/)
11. [长安的荔枝_详细资料, 1905电影网](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2258118.shtml)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Actor filmographies and performer list articles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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