An update to all present entries for contemporary actors #1

[Mike Thomason]

Being someone who likes keeping up with the very latest Hong Kong movies, I have been looking through our database entries for the majority of current actors/actresses...and noticed a high number of people being either listed by their Cantonese names (sometimes an alias brought about in the instance of an actor having an English name as they do not originate from Hong Kong) or having their present English names dropped and simply listed as an alias (where they have numerous screen credits under their English name).

For posterity, this is post number 1 -- on the left is the entry we have in the database, and on the right is the name the actor/actress should be listed under as that is the name they have frequently been billed as onscreen in the movies.* In my first list I am tackling the actors from the Latest Movies (2005) entries:

1. Hon Kwan Ting (alias) - should be - Belinda Hamnett (actual name)^
2. Chung Lai Kei (Cantonese name) - Margaret Chung (English name)
3. Yiu King, or Yiu Yiu (Cantonese name) - Shannon Yao (English name)
4. Chiu Suet Fei (Cantonese name) - Chloe Chiu (English name)
5. Lee Siu Pooi (Cantonese name) - Zuki Lee (English name)
6. Lui Hoi Yan (Cantonese name) - Vonnie Lui (English name)
7. Chan Yat Ning (Cantonese name) - Isabel Chan (English name)
8. Law Ga Leung (Cantonese name) - Gallen Law (English name)
9. Yuen Siu Yee (Cantonese name) - Kitty Yuen (English name)
10. Cheung Siu Fai (Cantonese name) - Eddie Cheung (English name)
11. Lam Mei Jing (Cantonese name) - Stephanie Lam (English name)
12. Michelle Cheng Hsueh Erh (Mandarin name) - Michelle Saram/Michelle Alicia Saram (English name)^
13. Wong Yat Tung (Cantonese name) - Iris Wong (English name)
14. Chow Kit Lun (Cantonese name) - Jay Chou (English name)
15. Dang Chi Fung (Cantonese name) - Patrick Dann (English name)
16. Uncle Ba Suk (Cantonese name) - Abba Chan (English name)
17. Lau Yip (Cantonese name) - Liu Ye (actual name)+
18. Lau Ho Lung (Cantonese name) - Wilfred Lau (English name)
19. Wu Kwan (Cantonese name) - Hu Jun (actual name)+
20. Wong Kwok (Cantonese name) - Huang Jue (actual name)+
21. Chow Shun (Cantonese name) - Zhou Xun (actual name)+

^ in the instance of actors/actresses born outside of HK, and of mixed heritage, perhaps it is better for us to credit them by their screen credited names as opposed to Cantonese aliases?

+ where Mainland Chinese actors have appeared in a HK production, would it not be better to credit them by their usually billed screen name (eg: Mandarin) than a Cantonese alias that no-one (outside of us) knows?

These are just some suggestions that I'm throwing out and people are welcome to agree, disagree or debate their worth. When I write my own reviews, except in rare instances, I credit all actors & actresses under their most commonly know (current contemporary) name -- because I know there's a whole world of people out there who would scratch their heads in unison when reading a review of, for example, INITIAL D who would ask where Jay Chou was in the cast list...if I listed him as Chow Kit Lun. I figure, if I can pick up a music CD with the name Jay Chou on it, then I most certainly can attribute the lad by that name when I review him in a film...

* if anyone requires visual evidence of these, please request and I will post the screen credit as billed for verification.

[MrBooth]

Usually we combine the English name and the Cantonese name, e.g.

Kitty Yuen Siu Yee

even if they're usually only credited as "Kitty Yuen" in the English credits - covers more potential searches I guess. Mainland actors like Zhou Xun should indeed be given Mandarin romanisations unless they're generally credited otherwise. Generally a good idea to post if you intend to change a main name to see if anyone disagrees... adding aliases is generally left to the editor's discretion

[Mike Thomason]

Usually we combine the English name and the Cantonese name, e.g.

Kitty Yuen Siu Yee

even if they're usually only credited as "Kitty Yuen" in the English credits - covers more potential searches I guess.

Yes, yes...did notice that. I only wrote the above post the way I did because I couldn't exert myself to write out all the names per the above "Kitty Yuen" example. My fingers tire easily...

Mainland actors like Zhou Xun should indeed be given Mandarin romanisations unless they're generally credited otherwise. Generally a good idea to post if you intend to change a main name to see if anyone disagrees... adding aliases is generally left to the editor's discretion

But of course, I will...but still the little fish at the shallow end of the pond at the mo', so I'll swim carefully for now and pop up these kinds of post occasionally for further discussion.

Hmmm, a strong distaste the Anglicising of Chinese names...abhorence over the creation of the "foreign/arthouse" genre (sic) classification...agreement over Mandarin names for Mainland actors...were you and I blood brothers in a past life?

[Mike Thomason]

Does anyone object if I update the following:

1. Hon Kwan Ting (alias) - should be -> Belinda Hamnett (actual name)^
(with Belinda Hamnett as the primary name & the Cantonese name as alias)
2. Chung Lai Kei (DB name) -> Margaret Chung Lai Kei (English name)
3. Chiu Suet Fei (DB name) -> Chloe Chiu Suet Fei (English name)
4. Lee Siu Pooi (DB name) -> Zuki Lee Siu Pooi (English name)
5. Lui Hoi Yan (DB name) -> Vonnie Lui Hoi Yan (English name)
6. Chan Yat Ning (DB name) -> Isabel Chan Yat Ning (English name)
9. Law Ga Leung (DB name) -> Gallen Law Ga Leung (English name)
10. Yuen Siu Yee (DB name) -> Kitty Yuen Siu Yee (English name)
11. Cheung Siu Fai (DB name) -> Eddie Cheung Siu Fai (English name)
12. Lam Mei Jing (DB name) -> Stephanie Lam Mei Jing (English name)
13. Michelle Cheng Hsueh Erh (DB name) -> Michelle Saram/Michelle Alicia Saram (English name)^
(with the Mandarin name and "Michelle Alicia Saram" as aliases)
14. Wong Yat Tung (DB name) -> Iris Wong Yat Tung (English name)
15. Chow Kit Lun (DB name) - Jay Chou Kit Lun (English name)

I don't wish to update these if everyone objects! But the English names I've listed above are ones I've seen all persons listed accredited as -- if there's any here on the list that people don't think should be updated, or feel are incorrect, please advise. I will leave those a concensus believe "no update required", and in the instances of screen accreditation I am more than happy to post screen grabs from films to verify any English name as noted above.

Regards,
Michael

[MrBooth]

I've seen Belinda, Zuki, Gallen, Michelle and Jay credited or mentioned as such, and have no reason to doubt any of the others, so it's a + vote for me

[Mike Thomason]

After I get a few more votes of confidence/no-confidence on these, I'll get them all done -- but will need help on how to adjust the two (Belinda Hamnett and Michelle Saram) that require major changes of Primary ID, and then alias amendment.

Thanks,
Michael

NB: After this is all done, I'll go back and work on all of the other contemporary folk that need updates/tweaks...if that's okay?

[Mike Thomason]

Argh! This is harder than it looks...

I have updated Michelle Saram per below...
http://www.hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mht ... ay_set=eng

as well as added her DOB and country of birth, but...
http://www.hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mht ... ay_set=eng

...I have just discovered she also exists in the database under another pseudonym (that I've never seen before)! How does one merge this information? The Michelle Mok listing has an alias of "Michelle Saram". As noted on her primary fan site, she was born in Singpore and given the birthname of Michelle Alicia Saram (the Zheng Xue Er alias was created due to her combined Taiwanese/HK film & television work):
http://michellesaram.topbuzz.com/module ... page&pid=1

I'll leave things at this for today, as I can see problems arising if I go and edit someone...then discover afterwards (again) that one of their aliases has already been entered as another person. And I don't want to undo anyone's hard work because of this...

Regards & 'night,
Mike

NB: For authentication, Miss Saram's credits from her three films:

BULLETS OVER SUMMER (1999) - As "Mok Nga Lun" (4th credit from top)


SKYLINE CRUISERS (2000) - As "Suet Ngai" ("Michelle" character credit)


FEAR OF INTIMACY (2005) - As "Suet Ngai" (Chinese)/"Michelle Alicia Saram" (English)

[MrBooth]

A merge is hard - especially if you don't understand Big5 ('cause you probably won't notice if you cock up the Chinese side of the db). I usually leave it to calros :p

[Mike Thomason]

Calros...work your magic!

I'll amend Chloe Chiu, Zuki Lee, Gallen Law*, Jay Chou, Kitty Yuen and Iris Wong...if that's okay (?), but leave the rest open to discussion.

Afterall, some may prefer to leave Cheung Siu Fai's English name "Eddie" as an alias, since it's not widely used in western circles and has, to the best of my knowledge, only been attributed as such in one film...

NB: I have since discovered that, circa her 1997 Miss Asia Pageant win, Belinda Hamnett was also known by the English name "Belinda Han". Oh, the headaches this is going to cause me...

* at least I was going to edit Gallen Law, but then I discovered this:
Gallen Law entry # 1
http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?i ... ay_set=eng
Gallen Law entry # 2 (as "Gallen Lo")
http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?i ... ay_set=eng

Another one for "Super Calros", methinks!

[calros]

if nobody stops me in 15 days I will merge them.

[MrBooth]

They are the same person (each entry even has the other name as an alias already! )

[Mike Thomason]

They are the same person (each entry even has the other name as an alias already! )

Having the films THOSE WERE THE DAYS (1997), AFRAID OF NOTHING - THE JOBLESS KING, GIGOLO OF THE CHINESE HOLLYWOOD and DIVERGENCE on DVD I can guarantee you it's the same person!

Glad I started this little project -- it'll no doubt pick up a few of these kinds of things along the way (and we can weed the garden and do a bit of pruning along the way). Simon, your "single actor theory" gains momentum yet again!

[MrBooth]

lol, it was a setback when Cheung Liu turned out to be 3 different people, but I have confidence we can reduce the db to a single actor eventually!