Herman Kwan Hoi-San (Chinese: 關海山) (born Kwan Ming-kok; October
23, 1925 â€" September 11, 2006) was a Hong Kong actor. His English
name was Herman Kwan. Kwan started off as a Cantonese opera actor in
street theatre before joining New Voice Opera Troupe (æ–°è ²åŠ‡åœ˜).
He also started singing for early Hong Kong film soundtracks and moved
on to act in films, mostly adaption of opera in Cantonese. He became
famous and acted in many lead roles. When Hong Kong films started to
move towards Mandarin, Kwan's career faltered and joined TVB and acted
in various roles. Directors and filmmakers rediscovered his talent and
cast him in many supporting roles in films. In 2001, Kwan suffered a
stroke and was left mute and paralysed. He died in 2006.Kwan at an
early age, followed his father Kwan Yiu-fai (é—œè€€è¼ ), studied
Cantonese opera. At 11, he started playing in public. At the time,
Cantonese opera was mainly street theatre: actors were acting on a
stage built in front of a temple or a market. He left Guangzhou for
Hong Kong after World War II. Later, Kwan Hoi San will join the
greatest troupes of that time, such as the New Voice Opera Troupe
(æ–°è ²åŠ‡åœ˜) which featured Yam Kim-fai.In the 1940s, Kwan started
singing for the Hong Kong-produced Cantonese films soundtracks.
Cantonese cinema was booming then and stars from the Cantonese opera
moved on to act in them. Kwan followed suit and started acting in
films soon after. The films were often adaptations from the Cantonese
opera repertoire. His first movie is Huet Chai Huet Seung
(è¡€å€ºè¡€å ¿). His fame as a cinema actor quickly goes beyond the one
he had built as a theatre actor. He often acts with famous actors such
as Cho Tat-wah, Cheung Ying, Lau Hak-suen and Shih Kien. This
beautiful era wherein he was the young lead last until the end of the
1960s, when the arrival of the Mandarin language productions from the
Shaw Brothers will impose juvenile faces to the public, such as Jimmy
Wang Yu, David Chiang Da Wei or Yueh Hua. Kwan Hoi San and his friends
had then to accept this change. Some returned to theatre, others
continued to do movies in Cantonese while participating in productions
shot then in Mandarin in big studios such as Shaw Brothers or Cathay
Asia Films. Other also will integrate television, then still on its
early stage, where they will meet again some filmmakers that have also
turned toward TV.Kwan Hoi-san's cinema career went downhill until the
mid-1970s. In 1976, he joined TVB, which he didn't leave up until the
early 2000s. During his television period, he quickly became a great
and must-have supporting part in the soaps. Not unlike in cinema, Kwan
Hoi San was able to perform all kinds of characters in the small
screen without troubling his audience. He was, from one series to
another, a good family man, a Kung-fu master, a machiavellian
godfather,a minister of the emperor, a Taoist magician, a firm
manager, a historical character or also a traitor to the country. The
part he was the most often attributed was the one of the patriarch of
a rich family in decay, in the long emblematic series of the channel.
Other stars from TVB have confronted him more than once in the long
series of the channel: Chow Yun Fat, Carol Cheng Yu Ling and Simon Yam
Tat Wah in Brothers/Tsan Ching (亲情), Adam Cheng Siu Chow in Clan
of Intrigues/Chor Lau Heung (楚留香), Andy Lau Tak Wah and Tony
Leung Chiu Wai in The Duke of Mount Deer/Luk Ding Kei (鹿鼎记),
Felix Wong Yat Wah and Ray Lui Leung Wai in Kung Fu Master of Fat
Shan/Fat San Chan Sin Sang (佛山赞先ç"Ÿ), Stephen Chow Sing Chi in
The Justice of Life/Ta Loi Chi Kong Woo (他來自江湖) or also Lau
Ching Wan in The Battle Among The Clans/Dai Heung Kong (大香港). In
1982, in The Demi-Gods and Demi-Devils/Tin Lung Pa Po (天龙八部),
he crossed the path of Leung Kar Yan, but also Kwan Chung (å…³è ª),
one of his sons.
23, 1925 â€" September 11, 2006) was a Hong Kong actor. His English
name was Herman Kwan. Kwan started off as a Cantonese opera actor in
street theatre before joining New Voice Opera Troupe (æ–°è ²åŠ‡åœ˜).
He also started singing for early Hong Kong film soundtracks and moved
on to act in films, mostly adaption of opera in Cantonese. He became
famous and acted in many lead roles. When Hong Kong films started to
move towards Mandarin, Kwan's career faltered and joined TVB and acted
in various roles. Directors and filmmakers rediscovered his talent and
cast him in many supporting roles in films. In 2001, Kwan suffered a
stroke and was left mute and paralysed. He died in 2006.Kwan at an
early age, followed his father Kwan Yiu-fai (é—œè€€è¼ ), studied
Cantonese opera. At 11, he started playing in public. At the time,
Cantonese opera was mainly street theatre: actors were acting on a
stage built in front of a temple or a market. He left Guangzhou for
Hong Kong after World War II. Later, Kwan Hoi San will join the
greatest troupes of that time, such as the New Voice Opera Troupe
(æ–°è ²åŠ‡åœ˜) which featured Yam Kim-fai.In the 1940s, Kwan started
singing for the Hong Kong-produced Cantonese films soundtracks.
Cantonese cinema was booming then and stars from the Cantonese opera
moved on to act in them. Kwan followed suit and started acting in
films soon after. The films were often adaptations from the Cantonese
opera repertoire. His first movie is Huet Chai Huet Seung
(è¡€å€ºè¡€å ¿). His fame as a cinema actor quickly goes beyond the one
he had built as a theatre actor. He often acts with famous actors such
as Cho Tat-wah, Cheung Ying, Lau Hak-suen and Shih Kien. This
beautiful era wherein he was the young lead last until the end of the
1960s, when the arrival of the Mandarin language productions from the
Shaw Brothers will impose juvenile faces to the public, such as Jimmy
Wang Yu, David Chiang Da Wei or Yueh Hua. Kwan Hoi San and his friends
had then to accept this change. Some returned to theatre, others
continued to do movies in Cantonese while participating in productions
shot then in Mandarin in big studios such as Shaw Brothers or Cathay
Asia Films. Other also will integrate television, then still on its
early stage, where they will meet again some filmmakers that have also
turned toward TV.Kwan Hoi-san's cinema career went downhill until the
mid-1970s. In 1976, he joined TVB, which he didn't leave up until the
early 2000s. During his television period, he quickly became a great
and must-have supporting part in the soaps. Not unlike in cinema, Kwan
Hoi San was able to perform all kinds of characters in the small
screen without troubling his audience. He was, from one series to
another, a good family man, a Kung-fu master, a machiavellian
godfather,a minister of the emperor, a Taoist magician, a firm
manager, a historical character or also a traitor to the country. The
part he was the most often attributed was the one of the patriarch of
a rich family in decay, in the long emblematic series of the channel.
Other stars from TVB have confronted him more than once in the long
series of the channel: Chow Yun Fat, Carol Cheng Yu Ling and Simon Yam
Tat Wah in Brothers/Tsan Ching (亲情), Adam Cheng Siu Chow in Clan
of Intrigues/Chor Lau Heung (楚留香), Andy Lau Tak Wah and Tony
Leung Chiu Wai in The Duke of Mount Deer/Luk Ding Kei (鹿鼎记),
Felix Wong Yat Wah and Ray Lui Leung Wai in Kung Fu Master of Fat
Shan/Fat San Chan Sin Sang (佛山赞先ç"Ÿ), Stephen Chow Sing Chi in
The Justice of Life/Ta Loi Chi Kong Woo (他來自江湖) or also Lau
Ching Wan in The Battle Among The Clans/Dai Heung Kong (大香港). In
1982, in The Demi-Gods and Demi-Devils/Tin Lung Pa Po (天龙八部),
he crossed the path of Leung Kar Yan, but also Kwan Chung (å…³è ª),
one of his sons.
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