Profile | How Francis Ng transcended movie villainy to become one of Hong Kong’s most revered actors

This is the 57th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.

Ng has built a fine career playing complex, often volatile characters. He is celebrated for his intense screen presence, and he is capable of stealing scenes with no more than an intimidating glare – as he did as a psychopathic gangster in the Young and Dangerous films in the 1990s. The actor’s chameleonic range has seen him excel as everything from a conflicted police officer to a tender-hearted pilot to a homeless drug addict.