Andy LauAndy Lau

Andy Lau's first film was "彩雲曲," followed by 許鞍華's 1982 film "Boat People." The role of the young Vietnamese man was originally intended for 周潤發, who declined and recommended Andy Lau, then still a newcomer; 許鞍華 recalled that it had already been determined that the film could not be released in Taiwan, and 周潤發 withdrew out of concern for the Taiwan market. Andy Lau wrote in his autobiography that before accepting the role, he specifically asked 周潤發 whether it would affect his own market in Taiwan, to which 周潤發 replied, "You don't have a market anywhere right now. Do it!"

From 1988, Andy Lau shifted the focus of his performing career from television to film and entered a prolific period: according to a retrospective by am730, he appeared in more than 50 films during the five years from 1988 to 1992, mostly as loyal, principled underworld figures. In 1988, he appeared in 王家衛's first film, "As Tears Go By," earning his first nomination for Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards. In the 1990 film "A Moment of Romance," Andy Lau's character 華Dee, dressed formally, rides a motorcycle through Hong Kong Island at night with Jojo (吳倩蓮), who is wearing a white wedding dress—a scene the Hong Kong Film Archive described as "continually celebrated."

Andy Lau entered the music industry in 1985 and released his first solo album, "只知道此刻愛你"; he moved to EMI in 1987 and joined Warner Music in 1993.

Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, and Aaron Kwok were collectively known in the 1990s as the "Four Heavenly Kings."

The title emerged around mid-1992, and there are several accounts of its origin. One holds that Oriental Daily News published a piece of doggerel: "Before my bed is Andy Lau; could it be Jacky Cheung? I raise my head and see Leon Lai; I lower it and see Aaron Kwok." 張耀榮 subsequently grouped the four under the name "Four Heavenly Kings," which became widely accepted by audiences.

Andy Lau also writes lyrics, and he wrote both the lyrics and music for the 2003 song "如果有一天." According to a 2020 report by Fujian Daily, Andy Lau admitted that he had never dared to look at a teleprompter and always had to rehearse for two to three months before performing, until he no longer needed to think about what the next line was. Speaking about the future, Andy Lau said, "If everyone still allows me to work hard, I am willing to keep working hard for everything I love."

Andy Lau's collaborations with 杜琪峯 changed the course of his acting: according to a retrospective by am730, in his early films he was inseparable from a "cool, heroic, and handsome" idol image and often gave performances that felt "very Andy Lau"; only after meeting 杜琪峯 did he shed that idol image. A 2004 Sina report quoted 杜琪峯's assessment: "華仔 is very good at playing characters who are highly accommodating to others... He thinks about what he should do for his characters, and that is the commendable quality behind his continual improvement." Their collaboration "Running Out of Time" was released in 1999 and brought Andy Lau his first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor; "Running on Karma" (2003), co-directed by 杜琪峯, earned Andy Lau the award again in 2004.

Andy Lau and 梁朝偉 played 劉健明 and 陳永仁, respectively, in the 2002 film "Infernal Affairs." According to an HK01 retrospective, the film grossed HK$55 million in Hong Kong, becoming the year's box-office champion, and won seven Hong Kong Film Awards; in 2006, an American studio remade it as "The Departed," which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Andy Lau's collaboration with 許鞍華 began with "Boat People," and the two reunited years later on "A Simple Life." Andy Lau said that 許鞍華 enabled him to devote himself entirely to a role: he only had to concentrate on acting and could leave everything else to the director. For "A Simple Life," Andy Lau won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor; he also won the Taiwan Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for "Infernal Affairs III" and "A Simple Life."

Andy Lau also invested in and produced films, experiencing a rise and fall. In 1991, he founded Teamwork Motion Pictures, whose first film, "Saviour of the Soul," grossed more than HK$20 million in Hong Kong; an HK01 profile states that Teamwork later went bankrupt and Andy Lau was at one point heavily in debt. In 1997, he invested in and produced 陳果's independent film "Made in Hong Kong," which was completed with a budget of just HK$500,000 and a crew of five and won multiple awards, including a Hong Kong Film Award.

According to National Business Daily, after paying off his debts, Andy Lau established Focus Films in 2002, shifting his emphasis to low-budget films and focusing on discovering new directors; the "亚洲新星导" program, launched in 2005, gave young directors opportunities to make films. Films financed by Focus Films included 宁浩's "Crazy Stone" (2006) and 郭子健 and 鄭思傑's "Gallants" (2010), while 刘娟, from the second edition of "亚洲新星导," won the Jury Special Award in the Asian New Talent Award section at the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival for her directorial debut, "初恋未满."

Andy Lau has held several charitable and public-service posts: in 2010, he was appointed a council member of the China Foundation for Disabled Persons and served as its vice chairman; in 2013, he was elected vice president of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled. The Hong Kong SAR Government awarded Andy Lau the Medal of Honour in 2004, appointed him a non-official Justice of the Peace in 2008, and awarded him the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2016. HK01 reported that after receiving the Bronze Bauhinia Star, Andy Lau responded, "Hong Kong is my home; serving society is my duty."

Andy Lau's subsequent films include "The Goldfinger," in which he reunited with 梁朝偉 after 21 years, and "The Movie Emperor," directed by 宁浩 and released during the 2024 Spring Festival season. The Hong Kong Coliseum was the final stop of the 2024–2025 "今天…is the Day" concert tour, and the performance was later released on Blu-ray with a double CD. According to Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong Baptist University conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters degree on Andy Lau on August 10, 2026, in recognition of his professional achievements and contributions to social welfare. A September 2026 report said that Andy Lau would hold 20 concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum beginning on December 18 of that year.