Do we like Tony Leung Chiu-wai?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A decent, quiet career with real giving and no harmful words found, but not much public advocacy to lift it higher.
Tony Leung is one of Hong Kong cinema's heavyweights, best known for his long run of films with director Wong Kar-wai. He won Best Actor at Cannes in 2000 for In the Mood for Love, and he is known for restrained, tender performances rather than big noise.
The big career moment came in 2023, when Venice gave him a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement, presented by Ang Lee. He is the first Chinese actor to get one. He took it with a joke about not having to share it with anybody.
On the harm test, we found nothing nasty. We found no hateful remarks about LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the planet, and no conspiracy-theory slide. We also found nothing about him working with people who push that stuff. The honest caveat is that he does few political interviews, so the record is thin rather than loud.
On the good-person side, we found no court cases and no credible allegations of mistreating people. The one recent dust-up was not his fault. In November 2025 his wife publicly objected when an online store used his photo in an ad without permission, and the ads were reportedly pulled.
The good stuff is real. In 2024 he donated HK$3 million and part of his painting collection to the Hong Kong Paediatric Society's Bright Future Scholarship, which backs underprivileged students. In 2026 he is still taking risks, playing a neuroscientist in Silent Friend, his first European production, where the producers reportedly opposed casting him.