Lam Vy: TVB gangster star, Qin Huang's "lifesaver" when he encountered tragedy

The youngest of four boys and one girl, Lam Vy was born in an area of temporary wooden houses. When he was four years old, a fire burned down the house, forcing the family to move to a townhouse.

The actor recounted how his family's life changed when he lost his father at the age of 15. "When I was in high school, my father passed away, and my mother had to work as a janitor to support the family. Every day, I followed my mother to work before school, mainly to clubs and billiards. My mother mopped the floors, and I cleaned places that required climbing up and down. That difficult time made us very close. I got used to listening to my mother, rarely arguing with her.

"After that, it was time for the taxi drivers to change shifts, so I went to wash taxis to earn some extra money. On weekends, I helped out at a restaurant. I liked that job because I got free breakfast and soft drinks. During the holidays, I followed my older brother to the garage to learn the trade and was responsible for polishing cars, so I had a strong physique since I was a teenager."

During that time, Lam Wai played extras. His first taste of acting was in ATV's Gone with the Wind. Leslie Cheung was also on the set and they waited for actor Yak Wah to return from filming. The second time was on the set of Dynasty, where he played a masked man, earning HK$23 a day, but he stopped after those two small roles.

When he started modelling, Lam Vy smiled as he recalled the hardships of his youth. He added that working out was a luxury – he trained to lift muscle by helping his brother in the garage during the summer holidays.

Lam Vy is currently living near actor "Chu Ba Thong" Tan Hoang. In the past, Tan Hoang had many health problems, the tragedy of old age came when no one took care of him, his children abandoned him because of the mistakes he made in the past. In early 2024, actor Lam Vy - who lives near Tan Hoang's rented room - said that the men called for help because he fell in the room and could not stand up. According to Lam Vy, in recent months Tan Hoang's health has been poor, having difficulty in daily life. But he refused to ask his children for help, nor did he call them to visit. The hospital needed Tan Hoang's relatives to come and do the paperwork, so the artist gave his daughter's phone number to Lam Vy.

Returning to Lam Vy's personal life, because his family was very poor, Lam Vy gave almost all of his salary to his mother. "At that time, I set aside a certain amount for rent and family living expenses before buying anything for myself. I was paid $1,200/month at my first job, so I would give my mother $1,000 and I would give myself $200.

"My mother is now 90. A few years ago, she entered a nursing home when she started to show signs of brain degeneration. Her memory is getting worse, and I have to remind her that I am her child. But she is still healthy. I have to constantly talk to her about the past: where did we live? Who did we live with? When I am not working, I will massage her and joke with her at noon. Seeing her happy makes me happy too. Sometimes she strokes my head, which makes me very emotional because in the past, when things were so difficult, where did my mother have the free time to stroke my head? I am afraid that one day I will lose this feeling, so now I cherish it very much. Luckily, my mother only has brain degeneration, not pain anywhere. Even though she talks to herself or sometimes doesn't remember me, I still feel very lucky that she is not in pain."

During his high school years, Lam Wai was selling insurance in Tsim Sha Tsui when he was scouted to become a model. The company invited him to take a modelling course. One of his classmates was Lee Ka-Hun, who was also in high school at the time.

Talking about his first film, Lam said he was chosen to play the role of Ly Tu Hien's brother in Brotherhood. "I was scolded by director Tuyen Ky Nhien. In that film, I only had two outfits - one was a military uniform. I was often scolded for wearing the wrong outfit. At that time, I didn't know, the costumer gave me whatever I wore. Even before filming, I heard that I was going to be replaced."

Fortunately, Lee Tu Hien spoke up for Lam Vy and said that it was natural for a newcomer to make mistakes. "Li ca added that he wouldn't have time to re-film all the scenes if I was replaced halfway. So I ended up completing my first film. Li ca guided me through many scenes and I was very grateful for that." Lam Vy emphasized that he now doesn't hold any ill will towards director Tuyen Ky Nhien.

Although Brotherhood did well when it was released in 1986, the bad experience made Lam reluctant to take on any other film projects. "I'd rather go back to modeling, not having to remember lines or moves." He recounted the rude comments on set, and being warned before each scene not to do any retakes because movies were very expensive back then. This made him even more stressed and resulted in more retakes.

Tần Hoàng: Bỏ mặc vợ đi theo tình trẻ, tuổi già đơn độc, ốm đau không ai chăm Trí Nhi17:01:14 13/09/2024Diễn viên Tần Hoàng (SN 1948) từng là gương mặt quen thuộc của màn ảnh Hong Kong (Trung Quốc). Ông góp mặt trong nhiều tác phẩm của nhà văn Kim Dung như Anh hùng xạ điêu (bản năm 1976 và năm 1983), Thần điêu đại hiệp (năm 1976 và năm 1983).