Tony Leung Honored with French Arts Award
On June 8, Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (梁朝偉) was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, a French order of merit that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of art or literature. Tony is the first Chinese male actor to receive such an honor.
During the award ceremony, Tony expressed his gratitude in English, stating, “This honor must be shared with my wife and my family. Thank you!” In a later interview, he added that credit for the award should also go to the many people he has collaborated with in the past.
“This is not directed just at me,” said Tony. “It’s also an affirmation of the Hong Kong movies that I have filmed. Movies are not done by only one person. This [award] should be shared with all of the people I’ve worked with before.”
Wife Carina Lau (劉嘉玲), who was present at the ceremony, shared that she was overjoyed that Tony had received such an honor. “Speaking as a Hong Kong citizen, not as a family member, I feel very proud that such an outstanding person has received acknowledgment from China and France,” she said. “This award will be a lifelong honor.”
Also present at the ceremony were Tony’s mother, mother-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, and various friends, including businessman Sham Kar Wai (沈嘉偉), retired actress Chingmy Yau (邱淑貞), and actor Eric Tsang (曾志偉). Afterward, everyone retired to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district to continue the celebration with an Italian feast.
Other Chinese Artistes Honored by the Order of Arts and Letters
Each year, the French government honors up to 60 individuals with the title of Officer of the Order. There have previously been two recipients of Chinese descent: director Johnnie To (杜琪峯) and film producer Nansun Shi (施南生).
The Order also consists of two other titles: Commander, which is one step above Officer, and Knight, which is one step below. Chinese artistes who have been named Commander of the Order include writer Jin Yong (金庸), actress Gong Li (鞏俐), and director Wong Kar Wai (王家衛). Actor Jackie Chan (成龍), actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊), and actress Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) are among those who have received the honor of Knight of the Order.
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Joanna for JayneStars.com.
NOT to discredit Tony Leung (who is an amazing actor who challenges his boundaries, and remains humble-quiet at that) or anyone on that list … but:
I know people (Asians in general, esp China) tend to oooh and ahhh over ANY foreign award or recognition on paper like it was such a great honor … but really, what weightage does this have globally, and outside of France?
As empty as those Datuk titles in M’sia perhaps which HK mags rave about. Many of these can be bought with $.
Or degrees conferred by foreign universities which are not state universities, with accountable stringent standards. Easy degrees which then remain unrecognised//do not make the cut by big-name hiring organizations and interview committees because such paper are a dime a dozen.
My take is – even the average Joe person in France probably does not know who Leung Chiu Wai is, nor care.
Tony Leung looked very old in the above photo.
@orchid123 Concur…looks like he’s aged tremendously of late. I always thought he looks baby faced, but not anymore. But at least he aging gracefully and naturally.
@orchid123 Because he is old? I mean look at Andy Lau! My god, he is 52! Looks good for 52.
@orchid123
Well to be fair, Tony is very natural and does not do anything to maintain his looks. At least he is aging naturally instead of others who use Botox, PS and any means to try to look young. Carina would look so much older than Tony if she did not have all of her expensive packaging on her. As for Andy,he admitted to using botox and probably does many things to maintain his looks while Tony does not. I actually admire Tony for being real and laid back when it comes to physical appearance instead of doing everything to try to look young just to end up with a stiff face and other side effects that come with trying everything to maintain a young look.