The Five Tiger Generals of TVB (), more commonly referred to as simply the Five Tigers (五虎), were a group of five of the most popular young leading male actors of 1980s Hong Kong television. The group consisted of Michael Miu ("Big Tiger"), Kent Tong ("Second Tiger"), Felix Wong ("Third Tiger"), Andy Lau ("Fourth Tiger"), and Tony Leung Chiu-wai ("Small Tiger"). The group was formed to collectively promote the popularity of the five members, as well as to promote the company's various drama and entertainment productions. Five Tiger Generals was a name given to them by the media. The term is a popular appellation in Chinese culture, meaning a ruler's five best military generals.
Background While all 5 members were once trainees of TVB's then all-year Artiste Training Academy, they joined the school at different times—Kent Tong joined in 1978, Michael Miu and Felix Wong in 1979, Andy Lau in 1980, and Tony Leung in 1981. Tong was the first to debut with his first role as the supporting character Wu Wang-yuen in the 1980 drama This Land is Mine. Wong's first role was in the 1981 The Misadventure of Zoo. The other 3 members had debut roles while still trainees at the school: Miu's debut role was the 1980 drama The Adventurer's, Lau's first role was in the sitcom Hong Kong '81, and Leung had his first major role in the 1982 Soldier of Fortune, which also starred Wong and Tong.
It did not take long for the Five Tigers to become popular. According to Wong during a 2009 interview for the talk show Be My Guest, TVB's first generation of leading actors at the time, which included Adam Cheng and Chow Yun-fat, were leaving the company, and TVB was in need of rounding up a new generation of popular idols; thus, the members of the Five Tigers quickly rose to fame due to many performing opportunities. Wong said that as soon as he graduated from acting school, he was offered a major supporting role. Wong was then offered a leading role in his second drama, The Lonely Hunter (1981), which shot him to instant fame in Hong Kong.
Formation In September 1983, amidst a ratings competition with Korean and Japanese variety shows, TVB created the show All Star Challenge, which featured almost an entire lineup of the most popular actors and singers of Hong Kong at the time. The five most popular young male idols at the station—Miu, Tong, Wong, Lau, and Leung—were grouped together to perform a variety of stage performances at the show, such as singing and dancing. Their appearances brought in a lot of media attention, and their performances were a selling point for the show. The media then branded them as TVB's Five Tiger Generals, and the term quickly caught on to the public. Since their formation, the five of them consistently made public appearances together as a group; they even expressed that they would like to release an album together under their name. In 1991, the group starred in the action thriller The Tigers, a film adaptation of the 1984 television drama Rise and Fall of a Stand-In. It is the only film to star all five members.
Legacy and reunion The popularity of the Five Tigers led TVB to continue with similar group projects even after the members of the Five Tigers left TVB. However, none of them were that successful. Many television dramas that featured the members of the Five Tigers, notably The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1983), The Return of the Condor Heroes (1983), Police Cadet (1984), The Duke of Mount Deer (1984), and Looking Back in Anger (1989), were branded as classics by many in Asia.
On 27 June 2010, during a press conference for a training academy in Panyu, Guangzhou, Tong revealed that the five members are planning for another reunion project. The collaboration between Miu and Wong in the 2010 drama Gun Metal Grey created a heated discussion about a possible reunion of all members in the future. "The Five Tiger Generals will definitely reunite again. The five of us really hope for that day to come; in fact, we are currently planning one right now."
Collaborations Film Year Film Miu Tong Wong Lau Leung Notes 1982 Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils Once Upon a Rainbow 1983 Mad, Mad 83 1985 Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars 1986 Lucky Stars Go Places 1987 Eastern Condors 1988 The Dragon Family Lai Shi, China's Last Eunuch The Crazy Companies II 1989 Little Cop City Cops Proud and Confident News Attack 1990 The Fortune Code Days of Being Wild 1991 Don't Fool Me The Tigers Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tong) The Banquet 1992 Handsome Siblings The Days of Being Dumb 1993 Hero - Beyond The Boundary Of Time Lord of East China Sea Lord of East China Sea II Come Fly the Dragon 1994 Drunken Master II 2002 Infernal Affairs Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor (Leung)Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor (Leung)Golden Bauhinia Awards for Best Actor (Leung)Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song (Lau with Leung)Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor (Lau)Nominated—Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor (Lau) Golden Chicken 2003 Infernal Affairs III Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor (Lau) Golden Chicken 2 2004 Jiang Hu Love Is a Many Stupid Thing 2006 My Mother Is a Belly Dancer 2005 Wait 'til You're Older Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor (Lau) 2007 Brothers Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song (Lau with Eason Chan) 2011 I Love Hong Kong 2013 7 Assassins 2017 Shock Wave Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor (Lau)Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film (Lau) Chasing the Dragon Nominated—Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film (Lau) 2019 The White Storm 2: Drug Lords 2023 The Goldfinger Television dramas Year Title Miu Tong Wong Lau Leung Notes1981 The Adventurer's Double Fantasies Come Rain, Come Shine The Lonely Hunter The Young Heroes of Shaolin 1982 A Kid Troupe Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils The Legend of Master So The Wild Bunch Soldier of Fortune The Emissary 1983 The Legend of the Condor Heroes The Return of the Condor Heroes 1984 The Duke of Mount Deer The Foundation Rise And Fall Of A Stand-in The Return of Wong Fei Hung Summer Kisses, Winter Tears 1985 Sword Stained with Royal Blood Tough Fight The Yang's Saga 1987 The Grand Canal Two Most Honorable Knights 2010 Gun Metal Grey Nominated—TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor (Top 15) (Miu)Nominated—TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor (Top 5) (Wong)
See also 5 Tigers: Michael Miu, Kent Tong, Felix Wong, Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai 5 Beauties: Yammie Lam, Idy Chan, Margie Tsang, Jamie Chik, Kitty Lai 5 Fresh Tigers: Louis Koo, Leo Ku, Carlo Ng, Hawick Lau, Keith Ho 5 Fresh Beauties: Gigi Fu, Jojo Cho, Wallis Pang, Eileen Yeow, Joyce Chan
References
External links TVB.com