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Friday, September 21, 2012

Felix Wong’s daughter Adrian first of the ‘Five Tiger’ offspring to join entertainment industry; Kent Tong’s 17-year-old twin sons to follow suit

This is an AWESOME article that one of the veteran reporters at Mingpao wrote and seeing that I'm an 80s girl and Five Tigers fan, I of course would not pass up the opportunity to share this with fellow Five Tigers fans.  Though there is mention of the Four Heavenly Kings in this article, it's really mostly about the Five Tigers and their children -- just wanted to make that clear in case any one reading this was expecting the article to talk about the Heavenly Kings (to be honest, I'm not 100% sure why the reporter even mentioned the Heavenly Kings -- maybe because of the Andy Lau connection?).

At any rate, I'm pretty much excited to see any article about the Five Tigers because it brings back those feelings of nostalgia for me.  It's nice that this article mentioned more about Kent Tong, since most audiences probably are not as familiar with him nowadays due to him no longer being part of the HK entertainment industry anymore.  Though Five Tigers fans like me have continued to keep up with news related to them, I'm sure not everyone has, so it's nice to see updates like this every once in awhile. In the case of Kent Tong, I'm glad this article talked more about his relationship with his children, since in the past, most of the articles that mention Kent usually focus on his prior relationship with Barbara Yung.

Anyway, great article and great 'step back into time' for me (though it was very brief...LOL)!

Enjoy!  :-)

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Felix Wong’s daughter Adrian first of the ‘Five Tiger’ offspring to join entertainment industry; Kent Tong’s 17-year-old twin sons to follow suit

Source:  Mingpao

Translation:  llwy12

Kent and his twin sons Bruce (left) and Chris (right)


Isabella Tong (right) and her mother Jiang Kun


Isabella (middle), Bruce (right), Chris (left)

Kent Tong's  twin daughters Tian Tian and Yuan Yuan

Felix Wong and daughter Adrian

Michael Miu and daughter Phoebe

Michael Miu and son Murphy


The HK entertainment industry’s ‘golden era’ of the 80s and 90s brought us TVB’s ‘Five Tigers’ [Tony Leung (梁朝偉), Andy Lau (劉德華), Michael Miu (苗僑偉), Felix Wong (黃日華), Kent Tong (湯鎮業)] as well as the music industry’s ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ [Jacky Cheung (張學友), Andy Lau (劉德華), Leon Lai (黎明), Aaron Kwok (郭富城)]. Today, almost 30 years later, the Five Tiger and Heavenly King titles may be considered a part of ‘history’ now, but the artists themselves are still very much a part of the HK entertainment world. These ‘Tigers’ and ‘Kings’ have all reached (or exceeded) the half century (50 year old) age milestone and all except for one (Aaron Kwok) have married and started families of their own.


Michael Miu’s children sent far away from industry

Back in the day, each of the ‘Five Tigers’ and ‘Heavenly Kings’ possessed their own charm and charisma that endeared them to fans and audiences around the world – therefore, it is not surprising that their offspring would possess a similar charm and interest toward the entertainment industry.

Recently, Felix Wong’s daughter Adrian Wong (黃芷晴) signed with fledgling [soon to be] TV station CTI and has already started filming a TV series for them, thereby becoming the first of the Tiger and King offspring to follow in her father’s footsteps and join the entertainment industry. As the saying goes, ‘all children are the best in the eyes of their parents’-- so when their children decide they want to pursue a career in the industry, it is natural for celebrity parents to try and help them out any way they can. Even though Adrian may not necessarily stand out in terms of looks, she does have a sweet smile and friendly personality, so hopefully, with ‘special training’ from her dad Felix, she will be able to gain the audience’s favor in her new acting career.

Actor Michael Miu and actress Jamie Chik (戚美珍)’s children – 20 year old daughter Phoebe (苗彤) and 18 year old son Murphy (苗俊) – inherited their parents’ good looks and definitely possess future ‘star’ potential. However Michael and Jamie decided to send them overseas to pursue their studies – far away from the ‘colorful’ HK entertainment industry.

With Felix’s daughter already starting in the industry and Michael’s children continuing with their educations, the next Tiger offspring likely to join the industry will undoubtedly be Kent Tong’s 17-year old twin boys Bruce (湯君慈) and Chris (湯君耀). The twins will be graduating this year and both are interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry – of course, Kent’s fellow ‘Tiger’ brothers have already voiced their support and encouragement.


Kent Tong’s eldest daughter has ‘star potential'

Back in the day, Kent Tong was considered the most handsome of the Five Tigers. Though that may no longer be the case now (as his mid-life weight gain and hair loss will tell you), one thing that hasn’t changed much is Kent’s affinity with females. After his well-known relationship with 80s TVB actress Barbara Yung (翁美玲) ended with her death in 1985, Kent has been in several subsequent relationships, two of which turned into marriages. His first wife was actress Jiang Kun (姜坤), who was a known beauty with looks resembling a younger version of veteran actress Brigitte Lin (林青霞). Not long after she joined the industry, Jiang Kun married Kent and together they had 3 children – eldest daughter Isabella (湯愛嘉) as well as the twins Chris and Bruce. Isabella is very much a beauty, as she inherited many of her parents’ handsome features -- in terms of looks, she resembles a ‘hybrid’ of Gigi Lai (黎姿) and Cecilia Cheung (張栢芝). It’s rumored that many of Kent’s friends in the industry hope to persuade 19 year old Isabella to join the HK entertainment industry, since it’s rare nowadays to find her type of young, fresh beauty in the industry.

Despite the invitations to join the entertainment industry, Isabella has expressed that she enjoys going to school more – therefore, she plans to finish college first, then decide at that time whether to join the industry. Instead, her brothers Bruce (the older twin) and Chris (younger twin) have actually expressed an interest in joining the industry. Earlier this year, the twins got the chance to introduce themselves on the Mainland variety program Tian Tian Xiang Shang《天天向上》—fortunately, the audience’s reaction was quite positive, so it looks like they may not have a problem gaining audience affinity. However, when the hosts asked the twins why they wanted to join the entertainment industry, they candidly replied: “To earn more money!” Perhaps the boys understand their father’s burden in taking care of their large family, so they hope to start working early to help him out.

During the program, Kent shared with his sons his personal experience being part of the entertainment industry and gave them some sound advice: next year, they will turn 18 and with the ‘official’ transition to adulthood, they will have the freedom to do things on their own, such as learn to drive, date girls, go to bars, etc. – though Kent encouraged them to be independent, he also reminded them to work hard, set goals for their futures, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and be responsible to their family, their friends, and to society in general . Even though his sons don’t live with him, Kent’s relationship with his sons is still very deep.


Two marriages, six children

Kent and his first wife divorced many years ago and he has since married second wife Alice, who is 20 years his junior – together, they have a pair of 3 ½ year old twin daughters, Tian Tian (甜甜) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓). Prior to his second marriage, he and his girlfriend at the time were together for a few years and they had a son – therefore, Kent has a total of 6 children to take care of. Towards his family responsibilities, Kent once said: “Even though I’m nowhere near as popular as Andy Lau or Tony Leung [in terms of career], I feel lucky to have my kids – seeing them grow up happy and healthy, that is my greatest happiness!” Kent may have had a lot of relationships in the past, but at the end of the day, he is a responsible man.

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Chinese version:

大姐大手記﹕多仔公湯鎮業 17歲孖仔攻娛圈

「五虎」下一代 黃芷晴接第一棒


【明報專訊】「四大天王」與「無綫五虎」都是80年代演藝界的黃金代號,30年後的今天,這些封號已變「古董」,無論天王與五虎都已是5字頭的熟男,人生走到半百之齡,都各自有自己家庭與仔女,只有郭天王郭富城依然充滿活力,未肯成家立室延續下一代。


苗僑偉仔女遠離娛樂圈

當年的「五虎」與「天王」,個個都是萬人迷,大家期待他們的下一代都是靚得出色。最近黃日華的女兒黃芷晴,就成為五虎與天王的下一代之中,第一個繼承「父業」,加入娛樂圈做藝人。老實講,「父母眼裏的仔女都是最棒的」,更出於愛仔女之心,一定出盡力為仔女鋪路。雖然在大姐大眼中這個世侄女樣子未算突出,不過她勝在笑容甜,所以希望在父親的特訓下,可以在演技上取得觀眾緣。苗僑偉的一對仔女苗俊與苗彤亦都好有做明星條件,但父母早已將兩人送到外國,希望兩個仔女遠離娛樂圈,不會心郁郁想入行。

大家又估一估,下一個加入娛樂圈的五虎、天王第二代又會是誰?大姐大知道應是五虎中的多仔公湯鎮業一對17歲孖仔,二人名叫湯君慈與湯君耀,他們今年預科畢業,已積極部署進軍娛圈,相信一班叔伯又要為世侄發功了。


大女湯愛嘉靚女有星味

當年有型有款的湯鎮業,雖然中年發福,濃密頭髮都一去不返,不過他卻好有女人緣,與已故的無綫花旦翁美玲的感情故事之外,他的第一任老婆亦是出名美人姜坤。當年姜坤加入娛樂圈被形容為縮水林青霞,不過出道不久已被阿湯追求成功而結婚,然後就生了一女兩子;女兒湯愛嘉兼備了父母優點,非常靚女,樣子有如黎姿與清純版的張栢芝混合體。聽聞不少娛圈世叔伯都游說19歲的愛嘉入行,因香港娛樂圈已很少找到這類清純女星。

不過愛嘉喜歡讀書,所以準備完成大學,再考慮是否加入娛樂圈。反而阿湯一對孖仔卻好想以Twins姿態入行,17歲的孖仔、大寶叫君慈(Bruce)、小寶叫君耀(Chris),以後者性格較活潑。兩人今年一起上過內地節目《天天向上》初露頭角,原來內地觀眾對他們反應不錯,故應有觀眾緣。不過主持人問他們為何要加入娛樂圈?兩人坦率說﹕「想掙多啲錢!」可能孖仔了解到老竇擔子不輕,所以早點出身可幫輕家計。

大姐大看到在節目裏阿湯給一對孖仔的一番話,大致是說兒子明年就18歲成人,可以學揸車、交女朋友、去酒吧、睇成人電影,不再是兒童,也不能再依賴父母;要學會獨立,也不應互相依賴,要為自己將來定一個目標,努力奮鬥,不單要身體健康,還要有健康人生,對家庭、對朋友、對社會負責。父子雖不是一起生活,不過父子情卻濃。


兩段婚姻共6個仔女

阿湯雖已另有家室,展開了第二段婚姻,娶了個年輕他20多年的老婆,再生了一對孖女叫甜甜、圓圓,已經3歲半;在第二段婚姻之前,亦有一名紅顏知己為他生了一個兒子,所以他一個人要養6個仔女。阿湯說過﹕「雖然我沒有劉德華、梁朝偉般紅,不過我有一班仔女,見到他們健康成長就開心。」大姐大認為的阿湯雖然情多,但起碼也是個負責任的男人。

7 comments:

  1. i'm jealous of your generation LL, you guys had 5 tigers, our generation got 3 horny donkey LOL.
    you guys had 4 kings, we got well....eeg singers...lol, wonder if i'm gonna start a war of words here after that comment lol.

    lol, i didn't know that kent tong was considered the most handsome out of the five tigers????? haha, i always thought Andy Lau was the most handsome, then Tony Leung lol. anyway, for some reason i never like kent tong though he was one of the five tigers and a HK veteran.

    it funny how kent was the least popular guy but now end up w/ many children while the most popular guys Andy has a daughter late in his life and Tony doesn't have any children. both Andy and Tony are the only sons in their family? not sure who's more happy after all huh?...

    another thing LL, have u seen many pix of Kent and Michael children? cuz from the pix above, it look to me that Michael's son is actually more handsome than Kent's twins boys lol.

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  2. @kk: Hmmm...3 horny donkeys? Really? Did you make that title up or are they really called that (I have no clue who you're referring to by the way...no surprise though since I'm from the 'older' generation..haha!). But anyway, yea, I'm actually glad that I came from the generation I did because there were truly so many great artists who came from that generation (even without counting the 5 Tigers and 4 Kings, there were still plenty of aweseome artists!).

    Actually, I heard the entire time growing up that Kent was the most handsome out of the 5 Tigers (though looks are very subjective so everyone's opinion will probably differ). I actually don't think it's that much of a stretch though cuz if you look at pictures of the 5 Tigers back in the 80s, Kent definitely did have the looks...plus I always felt he was the most attractive onscreen (amongst the Tigers). Um, sorry but I actually felt Andy was the least good-looking one out of the Tigers, mainly because of his nose -- he looks alot better now than he did when he first started out. Tony's looks haven't really changed and I feel that he's definitely good-looking, but in a more 'cute' way -- though of course those 'killer eyes' of his were a huge plus. Michael actually wasn't that good looking either when he started -- he's known more for his ancient series look (which I will admit makes him look more than just handsome...I'm sure the ladies can't help falling for him in LOTCH and the Chor Lau Heung series...LOL)...Michael is one of those artists who looks better with age. And Felix -- well, he was cute, but I wouldn't really put him in the 'handsome' category either.

    True, out of the 5 Tigers, Kent was probably the 'least popular', but that's also because his acting career (in HK) was cut short with the death of Barbara Yung....pretty much all of HK hated him after that (which I felt was stupid, but hey that's what happens when people are ignorant) and so it's not surprising that he would choose to shift his career elsewhere (Mainland). I truly feel that if that tragedy hadn't happened, Kent wouldn't have problems becoming just as popular as the other Tigers.

    Yes, I've seen other pics of their children and I will agree that Michael's children are more handsome (which isn't surprising given how Michael and Jamie are both very attractive people). I've also seen pictures of Michael's son Murphy when he was only a few years old and I must say that he was absolutely adorable as a kid too!

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  3. LL: hehe, i made up the name lol, but hey it had to start from somewhere right? lol. well, let see Ma Ming wasn't included so i think u can guess who are the other three siu sangs from tvb that gotten into "girl scandal" recently?

    i actually don't mind Andy's nose though lol, i thought he look mighty handsome in Duke of Mountain Deer along w/ the cutie face Tony Leung lol. but i really don't think Andy aged well, there something about his face that made me think he must take some kind of medicine or inject botox cuz his face look kinda "unnatural" for me LOL (are u a fan of Andy btw? cuz if u do then i am sorry cuz that how i feel LOL)....as for kent tong, i think though he isn't handsome like he used to, i think he aged quiet naturally, well i mean if he hit the gym and try to loose some weight, i think he will look fine again. the article mentioned that ken's twins want to join the entertainment industry cuz they want to help our their father, does this means ken doesn't make that much money compare to Michael and Felix?
    about Barbara Yeung death, i also heard that it was his "fault" too, but i wasn't familiar w/ HK showbiz at that time, i mean i watched tvb since i was little but i didn't know any behind the scenes stories.

    but omg LL, i'm so agree w/ u on Tony's eyes, i can just loose myself in those eyes of his, as cheesy as it sounds LOL. i also agree w/ u on Michael, he wasn't exactly good looking back in the days, but like u said he aged well and he look alot better now. and well Felix, yeah he's an average looking man now but in the past like u said he was cute in a way lol. but the thing about Felix is i always find him to be very endearing, to me he looks like a guy u can trust cuz he give off the perfect gentlemen vibe lol.

    i like the five tigers also cuz they each have their own classic series. i mean for me no matter how many actors play the role of Yang Guo, Andy is always the best Yang Guo, he played that character so well that i have such a hard time accepting other actors in that role lol and the funny thing is i'm not even a fan of Andy lol. then Felix as kwok ching in LOCH, together w/ Barbara Yung, they were such a classic pair, i've watch other versions but couldn't digest any of them lol. and then Tony Leung w/ Duke of Mountain Deer and Dragon Sabre & Heavenly Sword. and of course Michael Miu in Chor Lau Heung series. now i remember why i don't like Kent lol cuz he played this villain in ROCH, didn't quiet impress w/ him after then i didn't really watch any of his series,
    LL, did Kent have any classic series though?
    gosh i love the 80's and 90's, full of talented people and tons of classic series.

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    1. @kk: Ah, NOW I know what you mean! (Haha…sorry, my old brain doesn’t function as fast as it used to!). Ok, makes sense now (no further comment from me on that though…LOL!)

      Hmmm…I actually never felt that Andy was that handsome looking – even in DOMD, I still didn’t think so. And yea, I totally understand what you mean about the ‘unnatural’ piece – I get that same feeling too (though just to make it clear, I’m not saying that it’s true, it’s just the ‘feeling’ that I get….wanted to make sure I don’t incur the wrath of Andy fans…haha). Oh btw, I’m sure you’ve probably guessed by now that I’m NOT an Andy fan – never have been and never will be.

      Well, I think Kent didn’t keep up with his looks because he didn’t have to – after he went to the Mainland, he was a businessman for a number of years and didn’t even get involved much in filming series or movies. Later on though, he did step back into the industry and he does film series in Mainland now, though majority of the series he does are ancient series (with the ancient costumes, it’s easier to disguise baldness and weight gain…LOL).

      I’m pretty sure that Kent doesn’t make nearly as much money as Michael and Felix. I mean, Felix actually doesn’t need to work anymore because all the royalties he gets from the re-airing of Legend of the Condor Heroes (in HK, Mainland, and everywhere else) and Looking Back in Anger are enough to last him a lifetime (Michael always makes fun of Felix about this…that’s why Felix has the time to work on his garden or be chauffeur to his wife and daughter and also play soccer every Wednesday..hehe). Pretty much right now, Felix is only filming series again because he feels like it. And of course, since Michael is consistently filming series every year, there’s no doubt that he makes a lot (it’s not like they were poor to begin with – Michael and Jamie made tons of money back when they had their eyeglasses business).

      I mention a little bit about Barbara’s death throughout my blog (you can click on Barbara Yung under the “LABELS” section if you’re interested in reading any of the articles / posts that I put on my blog about her). Not really going to comment much else about it here because I wouldn’t be able to have a decent conversation about it in such a short post…maybe some day in the future when I have time I’ll translate some of the articles and such that I have about her death (yes, I actually do still have magazines and such from the 80s/90s that are part of my ‘treasured’ HK entertainment memorabilia collection)…

      Haha…interesting that you mention about Felix being endearing and a guy you can trust…cuz I get that same vibe from him as well! LOL!

      Yes, Kent also had a representative series: the 1982 remake of Jin Yong’s “The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils”…he played ‘Duen Yu’ in that version and he actually got top billing over Felix Wong at that time. That was his most representative work because he received a lot of accolades for his performance in there…plus that was really the series that propelled him to ‘household name’ status. He had done quite a few series prior to that (if I recall correctly, he was actually the first of the 5 Tigers to start in showbiz), but none of them were as popular as this one. Also, in that series he was a good guy – many (though not all) of his subsequent roles after that were as villains and then Barbara’s death occurred and that killed his career, so he never really got a chance to ‘redeem’ himself…

      Yes, I love the 80s/90s too (obviously!)…LOL!

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  4. u right, there also many great singers out there beside the kings, i don't exactly know their names lol but the singer that sings the theme song of Return of condor heroes, i find her voice to be so soothing, she can hit high notes w/ such ease and w/o having to shout on top of her lungs lol, what her name again? lol. and then that duets from Legend of condor heroes, lol isn't one of them name Roman Tam?
    i can see the problem w/ HK music industry is that there actually talented singers out there but i don't know why they aren't famous compare to the less talent, is that cuz of the lack of promotion? one great example that i can think of that came out from my generation is Ella Koon, i don't know if u remember her but i think she has a nice voice and she also a potential actress too, but for some reason she isn't that famous like she suppose too, beside talent she also has a great personality in real life too, i mean how can u not like Ella LOL...or maybe it just me who thinks she's talent lol...forget about it LL, just think of my last comment as a rambling ahahhahah.....

    oh before i forget, do u remember the actresses who played Tony's wives in Duke of mountain deer, do u know what happen to them now? i mean beside Carina Lau, Sandra Ng, Kiki Sheung and Teresa Mo (but OMG LL, i didn't know that Teresa played Muk Kim Ping til i looked it up lol, wow she was so young and pretty back then lol, plus eversince she return to tvb all she could played was annoying character i didn't know she could be such a sweet and innocent girl like in Duke LOL). was teresa mo popular back then?

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    1. LOL…why did you get me started about the music industry of the 80s/90s? Don’t you know that I’ll just never shut up? Hahaha! (Just kidding…)

      Anyway, in all seriousness…the lady who sings the ROTCH theme song is Teresa Cheung (Cheung Tak Lan) – love her! She definitely has a sweet voice (and a sweet face that never seems to age..LOL) and her singing is always so soothing and emotional. She made somewhat of a ‘comeback’ recently when she sang the themesong for TVB’s series from last year Bottled Passion. After that, she actually held a concert in which she invited her good friend, composer Joseph Koo (another LEGEND in the music industry…love the guy to bits!) to collaborate with her in the concert.

      The LOTCH theme songs (and sub-themesongs) were all performed by Roman Tam and Jenny Tseng. Now the two of them are truly a ‘golden’ pairing when it comes to singing – they match well with each other because they both have strong voices and awesome singing skills (Jenny can sing without a microphone and still break a few glasses…haha). Unfortunately though, we’ll never get to hear those original songs performed live again because Jenny already said years ago that she won’t perform those songs with anyone else but Roman…and since Roman died in 2002, she truly has not sung those songs anymore, despite holding a few concerts the past couple years (sad…).

      Yes, part of it has to do with lack of promotion, but the other part too is that HK audiences just aren’t very receptive to music that is ‘different’….the HK market is all about ‘mainstream’ music and if you want to make a name for yourself, you have to go that route….not all singers can afford to make music that they truly want to make without being influenced by some ‘commercial’ factor, especially since, at the end of the day, the record companies need to make money.

      Regarding DOMD – ok, let’s see if I remember…Tony’s wives were played by Wong Hoi Yan (黃凱欣), Chow Sau Lan (周秀蘭), King Doi Yam (景黛音), Carina Lau, Teresa Mo, Kiki Sheung, and Sandra Ng (I think I got them all…haha). Wong Hoi Yan is retired from the industry already – she became a Christian and is currently a pastor preaching the Christian faith…she’s still close friends with a lot of artists in the industry and still attends some functions, but mostly those related to the faith. Chow Sau Lan is retired now too (she retired in the 90s) – I last read that she lives in Canada now and host programs at the local TV and radio stations over there. King Doi Yam retired back in the late 80s – I’m not too sure about what she’s up to nowadays, since there isn’t too much info out there about her anymore…the last I heard though was that she became an insurance broker (LOL…what’s up with former TVB artists going into the insurance business? I can think of quite a few who’ve retired from the industry and gone into that field…must be very lucrative?)

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    2. @kk: Oops, just realized I forgot to answer your question about Teresa Mo...yes, she was quite popular back then, though if you ask me, I would say her true calling is really as a movie actress. She's one of the best actresses of that generation and it's truly a shame that she never received a Best Actress award for any of her movie performances (she was nominated many times but just never had the luck). She's definitely another actress I love.

      Hmmm...maybe because I've watched Teresa's series from the 80s and I'm more familiar with her work from the 80s than currently -- back then, she always had that young, innocent, sweet look...those are the types of roles she played in alot of TVB series back then. I mean, she did play some of the tough, stronger woman type roles in some of the series in the 90s, but then again, she was already a little older by then....

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