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Norman Chui Siu-keung (16 October 1950 – 1 September 2024) was a Hong Kong actor. He was best known for portraying heroic protagonists in many martial arts films from the 1970s to 1980s and later portraying villainous roles in the 1990s. Chui was contracted with Asia Television during the 1990s and mostly acted in mainland China thereafter.^[1]

After graduating from secondary school, Chui worked as a debt collector.^[2] He then worked as a accounting clerk managing financial products at a stockbroker.^[2]

With encouragement from his colleagues,^[3] Chui joined Shaw Brothers Studio‘s third actor training class in 1972. He graduated and entered the industry as a stuntman.^[4] In the 1970s, martial arts film were popular and Chui often appeared as a hero in films. In 1976, Chui portrayed Zhan Zhao in Rediffusion Television‘s (RTV) adaption of The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants which led to an offer from a television station to hire him as their actor.^[5] However, the deal fell through.^[5]

In 1977, Chui acted in Death Duel, a film adaption from the novel Third Young Master’s Sword (三少爺的劍) by Gu Long.^[6] The next year, Chui received much attention for his cameo in RTV’s drama series, 大丈夫. As a result, Shaw Brothers allowed Chui to act in RTV’s productions.

In 1979, Chui played the eponymous lead role of Shen Shengyi (沈胜衣) in the television series The Roving Swordsman [zh] (沈胜衣) by RTV.^[7] After the series was shown in Thailand, Chui attracted a Thai following with Thai fans flying to Hong Kong to meet him.^[7]

After joining RTV, Chui was mainly portrayed as a hero in dramas such as Reincarnated (1979).^[8] Reincarnated boosted his reputation and even gained popularity in Taiwan.^[9] As RTV was suffering poor television ratings prior the show, the show’s boosted its rating and even won rival television station TVB and TVB had to cancel its prime-time programming. Leveraging on the popularity of Reincarnated, RTV requested Chui to act in an additional 30 more episodes.^[10] Due to Chui’s popularity, he was often acting on other films and had little time to continue to film the extension. Eventually, he went missing with RTV personnel unable to locate him for filming on Reincarnated. As a result, RTV using the plot of Reincarnated to change the lead, with Koo Koon Chung replacing Chui, as the lead changed his appearance as a result of his attainment of martial skills.^[11]

In 1980, Chui acted in On the Water Front [zh] which was released in March. In April, Chui signed a contract with Bin Bin Films (繽繽電影) for two years.^[12] After the series On the Water Front, Chui did not appear in any RTV’s productions, leading to speculations that he was out of favour with RTV.^[13] Chui denied that and said he was busy with other filming commitments and had rejected two television series to prevent a similar incident with Reincarnated.^[13]

In December, RTV and Chui fell out with RTV refusing to pay Chui his salary and prevented him from working with other television stations, Chui had also engaged a lawyer twice to seek compensation or at least allow him to work at other television station.^[14] It was alleged that Bin Bin Films had encouraged Chui to fall out with RTV. RTV then filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Chui. The network initially sought HKD 350,000 in compensation, which they later increased to HKD 600,000.^[15] RTV alleged that Chui had went missing to work on other films and had not work on Reincarnated, resulting in shooting delays for Reincarnated, a subsequent change of male lead which leads to a client withdrawing their advertisement with RTV.^[15] Because Chui was filming in Thailand during the trial, the judge initially ruled in RTV’s favour, though Chui later successfully appealed for a retrial.^[15] Despite the lawsuit, Chui returned to RTV in the same year.^[16] RTV and Chui eventually reached an out of court settlement.^[17] In February, Chui’s contract with RTV expired.^[18] While RTV seek to recontract Chiu, Chiu was busy acting acting in films and rejected their offer.^[18]

In April 1981, Chui and Bin Bin Films mutually agreed to terminate their contract, as Chui desired to co-found an independent film production company.^[12] Bin Bin Films agreed to the termination that Chui complete his remaining two film obligations and Chui to prioritise any future production requests from Bin Bin Films.^[12]

In 1983, Chui, who owned the rights to a film adaption of Reincarnated, initially planned to film the adaption with his own film production company Gold City Film Company 金城影业公司.^[19] The rights were eventually given to Shaw Brothers to film it with Chui reprising his role in the film Bastard Swordsman.^[19] The film broke Taiwan’s box office record on the first day of release in Taiwan with NTD 3 million.^[20] A sequel was immediately commissioned by Shaw Brothers, with director Lu Chun-ku to commence production of the sequel immediately and to shelf his next film, a film adaption of Woon Swee Oan‘s Buyi Shenxiang [zh] series (布衣神相系列).^[20] A sequel, Return of the Bastard Swordsman [zh], was released on 22 March 1984, with Lu returning as director. Chui reprise his role from Bastard Swordsman. The film was adapted from Buyi Shenxiang and Reincarnated.

Chui had acted in over 100 film and television productions. He had mostly acted as a hero in his early career while changing to become a villain in his later career such as Stephen Chow‘s King of Beggars.

In 1993, Asia Television, formerly RTV, filmed a sequel Reincarnated II with Chui reprising his role.

Following the decline in Hong Kong’s film industry in the late 1990s, Chui moved to Beijing, China to act in Chinese drama.^[21]

In 1982, Chui with Wilson Tong Wai-Shing and Gordon Liu formed a film production company Gold City Film Company 金城影业公司.^[22][23][24] They eventually split their partnership.^[25] In 1987, Chui with Liu, formed another film company, 吸引力電影製作.^[26] In the same year, Chui also formed another film company 海港影業 with investors.^[27]

Chui married Zhang Xiaofeng (張小鳳) in 1975. They separated shortly in 1976 after noticing incompatibility between the two and divorced in 1979.^[28]

In 1980, Chui married his second wife Ho Suk Foon (何淑寬) and they have a son, Keian Chui [zh] (徐梓耀), who would later work as a content creator in the advertising and entertainment industries of Hong Kong.

In 1982, Chui had an affair with actress Sidney Yim [zh], the younger sister of actress Michelle Yim,^[29] and they have a son Edward Chui [zh] and a daughter Erica Chui [zh]. Chui and Yim broke off their relationship in 1988.^[30]

In 2005 Chui married a Chinese dancer Meng Yuxuan (孟雨軒), who was about 30 years his junior, and they have a daughter and a son.^[31]

Chui died from esophageal cancer in Beijing, on 1 September 2024, at the age of 73.^[32][33] Chui’s wife, Meng Yuxuan, while handling his funeral arrangements, suffered a heart attack and died on 5 September 2024. The funeral of Chui and Meng was held at the Universal Funeral Parlour [zh] in Hung Hom, Hong Kong on 5 October 2024.^[8][34]

This is a partial list of films.^[35]

• 1974 The Savage Five – Da Niu
• 1977 The Battle Wizard – Gu Ducheng
• 1977 Death Duel – Crow
• 1977 Clans of Intrigue – Song Gang
• 1978 Clan of Amazons – Jiang Chongwei
• 1978 Legend of the Bat – Xiang Feitian
• 1978 Vengeful Beauty – Ma Seng
• 1978 Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre – Wei Yixiao
• 1978 The Brave Archer 2 – Qiu Chuji
• 1979 Abbot of Shaolin – Li Jin Lun
• 1978 Heroes of the East – Chang
• 1980 The Sword – Lin Wan
• 1982 Phet Tud Yok – Thai film
• 1982 Ghost Nursing ^[8]
• 1983 The Denouncement of Chu Liu Hsiang – Murong Qingcheng
• 1983 Duel to the Death – Hashimoto
• 1983 Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain – Heaven’s Blade
• 1983 Bastard Swordsman – Yun Fei Yang
• 1984 Return of the Bastard Swordsman [zh] – Yun Fei Yang
• 1984 Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils – Qiao/Xiao Feng
• 1985 Hong Kong Godfather – Playboy Lung
• 1987 Flaming Brothers – Chiu
• 1988 The Dragon Family – Keung
• 1988 City War – Ted Yiu^[36]
• 1991 Au Revoir, Mon Amour – Tit Chak Man
• 1992 King of Beggars – Chiu Mo-kei^[8]
• 1993 Legend of the Liquid Sword – Dugu Qiubai
• 2000 The Duel
• 2016 Sword Master – Cult Leader

• 1979 Reincarnated – Yun Fei Yang^[8]
• 1980 On the Water Front [zh] – Yun Fei Yang
• 1993 Reincarnated II – Yun Fei Yang
• 1994 Heroic Legend of the Yang’s Family – Yang Zongbao
• 1994 The Great General – Yang Zongbao
• 1996 The Snow is Red – Wan Tien Xing
• 1998 The Return of the Condor Heroes – Lu Zhanyuan / Gongsun Zhi
• 1998 Master Ma – Xue Changchun
• 2000 State of Divinity – Xiang Wentian
• 2001 The New Adventures of Chor Lau-heung – Xue Xiaoren
• 2008 Legend of the Fist: Chen Zhen – Satō Kashirakawa (Zuoteng Bachuan)
• 2010 The Patriotic Knights – Meng Shen Tong
• 2021 Word of Honor – Bi Cangfeng

• Norman Chui at IMDb