Ng Man-Tat: Chow Yun-fat's classmate with a very different career

Despite being one of Chow Yun-fat's acting peers with nearly equal star power, Ng Man-tat's career story is an interesting one, as the late actor went from tasting success to losing it, and then regaining it due to a twist of fate. This is his story.

(Image: Universe Entertainment Ltd.)

Ng Man-Tat, also known as Wu Mengda and Richard Ng, was a veteran Hong Kong actor signed with TVB.

Born in 1952 in the Fujian province of China, Ng Man-Tat moved to Hong Kong with his family at five years old. His family owned and ran a traditional Chinese medicine clinic.

The actor initially kept his desire for acting a secret from his family and lied to them that he was attending extra academic classes when in actuality, he was learning how to act at TVB.

(Image: Golden Harvest)

A fun fact about Ng Man-Tat was that during his time as a student in TVB, he was classmates with fellow Hong Kong veteran Chow Yun-Fat, and the two graduated in the same batch. Ng Man-Tat’s acting skills were amazing and allowed him to placed fifth in his graduating cohort.

(Image: TVB, Getty)

From Today online, the two were close friends. Despite being from the same acting class batch, Man-Tat shot to fame earlier than Chow Yun-Fat. This paved the way for Ng Man-Tat’s complacency in his fame and luck in the acting world, and the actor eventually incurred HK $300,000 in credit card debt.

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The actor then sought Chow Yun-Fat for financial support in returning what he owed the bank, but he was buffed by his peer. This greatly hurt the relationship between the two and the harsh words sent Ng Man-Tat into a depressive episode.

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However, the two mended their friendship after a long 10 years, after Ng Man-Tat discovered that his big break in ‘A Moment of Romance’ that helped him settle his debts was thanks to Chow Yun-Fat’s secret recommendation of his friend to the director.

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Ng Man-Tat is known for being a close and longtime collaborator of A-list actor Stephen Chow. The two frequently worked together on Chow’s projects. The two of them were seen as inseparable in the films they worked on together. Man-Tat landed many roles where he was cast as Stephen Chow’s on-screen uncle, earning him the name of “Uncle Tat”.

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Ng Man-Tat was often typecast for comedic roles. This made him a legend in the unique genre of ‘Mo lei tau’ Hong Kong slapstick humour. Some of Man-Tat’s best-known comedy work can be seen in ‘Shaolin Soccer’, ‘All for the Winner’ and ‘God of Gamblers’.

(Image: Universe Entertainment Ltd.)

Other than just a comedy, Ng Man-Tat was a versatile actor and had played more serious roles such as Andy Lau’s sidekick in crime film ‘Lee Rock’, and his role in science fiction film ‘The Wandering Earth’.

(Image: China Film Group Corporation)

The actor kept a low profile in his private life and is survived by his mother, wife Malaysian actress Hou Shanyan, and five children.

Fun fact: Ng Man-Tat met Hou Shanyan while filming and working on a project in Singapore.

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Other than being based in Hong Kong, the actor landed roles in overseas projects too, most notably in the Taiwanese drama series ‘The Hospital’. His work in Taiwan allowed him to pick up the Taiwanese dialect too.

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A prolific veteran actor, Ng Man-tat has been nominated and won several acting awards such as the Hong Kong Best Supporting Actor award.

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However, Man-Tat has been nominated for and won only supporting actor awards. During the entire span of his career from 1975 to 2019, the actor was never cast as a main character.

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The actor had been suffering from poor health for years. Today Online reported that the actor first had a diabetes diagnosis in 2000 which almost caused him to lose a limb.

Later in 2014, he was admitted to the hospital due to heart failure and this caused the actor to lose a huge amount of weight - making him look visibly thinner from his trademark robust frame.

The actor was also noted to have suffered from a heart attack early in January 2021 during a photo shoot for ‘The Legend of Shaolin Temple’.

(Image: San Bo)

In February 2021, the actor revealed that he had been diagnosed with liver cancer in late 2020. 8 Days heard from close pal and actor Tin Kai Man that he received chemotherapy and treatment from a hospital in Macau.

His condition turned critical in February 2021 and the cancer cells spread due to multiple organ failure.

Ng Man-Tat passed peacefully in Hong Kong’s Union Hospital at the age of 70 on the 27th of February 2021. He has since been missed greatly by many fans, family, and friends.

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According to Today, Ng Man-Tat had wished to be laid to rest in Malaysia instead of Hong Kong, or in his native Fujian roots due to several reasons.

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The same article stated that Ng Man-Tat wished for this because it would be more convenient for his surviving family members, Malaysian wife Hou Shan-Yan, and his children, who are all based in Malaysia, to pay tribute to him at his grave.

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Ng Man-Tat's choice of burial grounds also made much financial sense, as burying or securing a spot in a columbarium for the dead in Hong Kong can be quite an ordeal due to the high cost it entails due to Hong Kong's issue of land scarcity, which is very unlike that of Malaysia's.

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From Today, his wish was granted in February 2022, a year after his death. Ng Man-Tat's post-mortem decision is quite admirable as it shows his strong love for his family that lasts even beyond the grave.

(Image: Golden Princess Film Production)