In this Hong Kong name, the surname is Kwok. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is Aaron Kwok and the Chinese-style name is Kwok Fu-shing.
Aaron Kwok Fu-shing (born 26 October 1965) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer, actor and racing driver, known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" and the "God of Dance".[1] Active since the 1980s, he has released over 30 studio albums in Cantonese and Mandarin, mostly in the dance-pop genre, with elements of rock, R&B, soul, electronica and traditional Chinese music.[2]
Kwok graduated from St John's Co-education College in Hong Kong. After graduating from secondary school, Kwok worked as a junior staff in King Fook Gold & Jewellery Co. Ltd. His father, who owns a small gold retail store, wanted him to gain experience in the business with the view of eventually handing the family business over to him. If not for one of Kwok's brothers taking over the gold business, his father would not have allowed him to join the entertainment industry. In 1984, he was fired for prolonged absenteeism (sick leave) caused by a foot muscle injury from trying the splits at a party.[2]
In 1991, Kwok's older brother, Kwok Fu-kun, was shot dead outside the Sunbeam Theatre in North Point while chasing armed robbers who had raided his Marble Street jewelry store.[3][4]
Career
Early years
After being fired from a jewellery company in 1984 at the age of 19, Kwok only had a high school education and had never studied dancing in university before. Kwok subsequently joined a dancer training course at TVB, where his talent for dancing was immediately recognized. Kwok then performed in music videos and variety shows for other singers. In 1987, he was transferred to the acting department of the talent training course and became a TV actor, where he played minor parts in TVB dramas. In 1990, he did a TV commercial in Taiwan for the Honda motorcycle DJ-1RR.[5] The commercial gained him instant popularity with Taiwanese girls, and he immediately burst onto the music scene.[2]
Music
Aaron performing in San Francisco
Kwok then began his music career with three mandopop albums including the famous song "Loving You Forever" (對你愛不完) to accompany his dance moves. After his success in Taiwan, he returned to Hong Kong in 1991 to do Cantopop. The next few years saw his popularity reach fever-pitch, and he was soon ranked as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings". Kwok became one of Hong Kong and Asia's most prominent pop stars. He won his first major awards with the 1991 Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards and 1991 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards.[2]
Janet Jackson collaborated with Aaron Kwok and Ricky Martin for international versions of "Ask for More", a promotional single and commercial released as part of an advertising campaign for Pepsi. A full-length music video of the version with Kwok was also released in Asian markets.[6][7]
Dancer
As soon as Kwok entered the music industry in 1991, he started a fast-dancing trend (勁歌熱舞). Kwok's onstage dancing and displays has been known to be influenced by Michael Jackson. Later in his career, he is known to have won a prestigious top ten Hong Kong dance award (十大舞蹈家年獎).[8][9] Of all the performing arts at which Kwok excels, stage appearances remain his perennial favourite. His dance accomplishments are also matched with stage displays. On 16 November 2007, he held an "Aaron Kwok De Show Reel Live" concert at Hong Kong Coliseum with the largest revolving stage.[10] On 17 February 2008, he held an "Aaron Kwok De Show Reel Extension Live" concert at the Hong Kong AsiaWorld Arena with the largest revolving stage measured at 10m x 9.44m and created a new entry for the Guinness Book of World Records.[11]
Acting
Kwok in Taipei in 2013
Over the years, Kwok has also been active in other media such as TV commercials and acting. He began his acting career with the TVB series Rise of Genghis Khan, and the 1988 series Twilight of a Nation about the Taiping Rebellion. One of his more noticeable role was for the 1996 TVB drama seriesWars of Bribery where he plays an ICAC special-agent with Athena Chu.
He also starred in various movies. At the Taiwan's 42nd Golden Horse Awards ceremony on 13 November 2005, Kwok was the surprise winner of Best Leading Actor award for his role in the film Divergence. It was Kwok's first Golden Horse nomination and beat veteran Hong Kong star Tony Leung Ka-fai to win the honour. He won the Best Actor Award again at the 43rd Golden Horse Awards on 24 November 2006 for his role in the film After This Our Exile. He became only the second actor in the history of the Golden Horse Awards to win the Best Actor Award consecutively. Jackie Chan first accomplished this back in the 1992-3. Kwok gained acclaim for his role in the AIDS-themed film Love for Life, co-starring Zhang Ziyi, in 2010. In 2016, Kwok won his first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the crime thriller film, Port of Call, at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards.[12]
Personal life
Kwok has been romantically linked with several models and celebrities, including Cecilia Yiu, Christy Chung, Athena Chu, Norika Fujiwara, Lynn Hung, and Amanda Strang. However, he never publicly confirmed any of these relationships. His longest-known relationship was purportedly with Lynn Hung, lasting from 2006 to 2013. When rumors of their breakup surfaced, Kwok stirred controversy by comparing women to shoes: "When a pair of shoes doesn't fit and makes your feet uncomfortable, you may want to switch to a more comfortable pair. Similarly, with a partner, you should find someone suitable. Forcing it will only lead to pain."[13][14]
Kwok acknowledged his relationship with Chinese influencer and model Moka Fang in 2015. They married in Hong Kong in 2017. Later that year, Fang gave birth to their first daughter Chantelle In 2019, she gave birth to their second daughter Charlotte.[15][16]
In 2011, Kwok became a race-horse owner at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He originally owned two horses: N288 CALLING WITH LOVE[19] and another named P288 MY FAVORITE.[20] In 2018, he purchased a new horse named C180 DANCING FIGHTER.[21] Kwok is also well known to be a super fan of Chinese hotpot .
Image
Kwok in 2015
He was famous for popularising a new type of "center-split hair style" that was widely imitated during the 1990s.[22] As a fashion icon amongst the show biz industry, throughout his career he changed his hair style numerous times, including styles such as the five-five split and the four-six split.[22] In 2020, he became the brand ambassador of HSBC Jade in Hong Kong with advertisements that shared his own beneficial experience of using its banking services.[23]
^Swiss Privilege. "Swiss-privilegeArchived 4 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine." Dancing Aaron Kwok rocked the stage at his de show Reel Live in Concert 2007. Retrieved on 28 June 2009.
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