Nicholas Tse Ting-fung (born 29 August 1980) is a Hong Kong actor, singer, songwriter, martial artist, entrepreneur and TV chef. Tse debuted as a singer in 1996 before shifting his career focus to acting. He is best known for starring in the films Metade Fumaca (1999), New Police Story (2004), Bodyguards and Assassins (2009), The Stool Pigeon (2010), The Viral Factor (2012), As the Light Goes Out (2014), and Raging Fire (2021), as well as the television series The Proud Twins (2005). For his role in The Stool Pigeon, Tse won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor, making him the first person to have won in the three major acting categories, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best New Performer, at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Tse is the founder of Post Production Office, a Hong Kong–based special effects company. The company was acquired by Digital Domain in 2016, with Tse becoming chairman of Digital Domain in Greater China.

Early life

Tse was born at St.Teresa’s Hospital in Ma Tau Wai, Kowloon on 29 August 1980 to Hong Kong actor Patrick Tse (謝賢) and actress Deborah Lee (狄波拉). His younger sister is Jennifer Tse. Tse moved to Vancouver, Canada at eight. He attended St. George's School, Vancouver, where he was friends with Tablo. They were expelled together for fighting with a racist bully. Tse moved back with his family to Hong Kong, where he attended Hong Kong International School for one year before dropping out in grade 10 due to excessive media attention. He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to finish his middle school, but was expelled after one year for his academic underperformance. He then moved to Vancouver before returning to Hong Kong. In 1996, at 16, he studied at Tokyo Music Institute. He held Hong Kong-Canadian dual citizenship until 2021, when he renounced his Canadian citizenship.

Career

Music

In 1997, partly to help clear the debts incurred by his father, Tse signed a record deal with the Fitto label, which would become Emperor Entertainment Group, and released his first album, My Attitude, to runaway success. He won the Most Popular New Artist Award at the 1997 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation. In 2000 and 2001, Tse released two popular albums, "VIVA" and "玉蝴蝶" (Jade Butterfly). In 2002, Tse received the World's Best Chinese Artist award at the 2002 World Music Award for the latter.

Acting

Tse's most notable films include Young and Dangerous: The Prequel (1998), Gen-X Cops (1999), New Police Story (2004) and Invisible Target (2007). Tse's performance in Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) earned him an Asian Film Award at the 4th Asian Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor, and in 2011, Tse received a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards for The Stool Pigeon (2010). Tse dubbed the character Flik in the Hong Kong version of A Bug's Life (1998). He also lent his voice to the Chinese animation film Lotus Lantern (1999). Tse learned martial arts for the screen from Jackie Chan and Chung Chi Li for films such as Gen-X-Cops and Invisible Target. He also worked with Donnie Yen in the martial arts film Dragon Tiger Gate. Tse is a Wing Chun practitioner, trained by fellow actor and friend Philip Ng. Tse has also starred in TV dramas, such as Aiming High (1998), The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra (2002), and The Proud Twins (2004).

Cooking

Tse became a TV chef in 2014, when he launched his food travelogue show Chef Nic. In 2015, he opened a cookie bakery in Hong Kong. In 2016, he launched his own lifestyle and food brand Chef Nic (鋒味). On 28 October 2016, Tse was honoured as the first "Friend of Michelin" for his positive contribution to the gastronomic scene through his work. On 30 November 2017, Tse prepared the dessert course for A Night Among the Stars, a seven course gala dinner with Michelin-star chefs Alain Ducasse, Kwong Wai-keung, Tam Kwok-fung, Fabrice Vulin, Hidemichi Seki, and Noah Sandoval.

Personal life

Tse had an on-and-off relationship with singer Faye Wong from 2000 to 2003. In September 2006, Tse announced that he had married Cecilia Cheung in Pamalican, Philippines. They have two sons: Lucas, born on 2 August 2007, and Quintus , born on 12 May 2010. The couple divorced in 2011. In 2014, Tse rekindled his relationship with Faye Wong.

Controversies

Car crash cover-up

In the early morning of 23 March 2002, Tse crashed his Ferrari 360 Modena in Hong Kong Central. Initially, it was claimed that Tse's driver was responsible for the crash, but further investigation by the ICAC revealed that the story was fabricated, involving three other men and a police officer. Officer Lau Chi-Wai was sentenced to six months in prison. Tse spent two weeks in prison and was sentenced to 240 hours of community service for obstruction of justice. After the scandal, Tse moved away from music to acting and shifted his focus from Hong Kong to Mainland China.

Assault on paparazzi

Tse had his share of brush-ups with "paparazzi" in his early years. A photographer of Sudden Weekly magazine accused Tse of hitting him outside a restaurant in Taiwan, bruising his nose and elbow. Although Tse denied the assault charge, there was a settlement in July 2002.

Reckless driving

In 2002, Tse was fined HK$7,000 and had his driving license suspended for a year after he pleaded guilty to two separate charges of speeding. In 2003, Tse crashed his Toyota Camry into Wan Chai train station. He was banned from driving for six months and fined HK$4, 000 for reckless driving. He had another accident in November 2005, where he collided with a Public Security Bureau Bus in an Audi RS4 in Lantau Island. He was banned from driving for another six months and fined HK$4,000 for reckless driving.

Discography

Filmography

Film

Television