Introduction
It is almost impossible to find information about Ricky on the internet in English, so unfortunately my knowledge of him is very limited, but I've tried my best here to collect all the information that I know so far.
This Biography will not contain anything about his private life, simply because it is private and I respect that. Also, I will not write more than necessary about his wonderful brothers Sam and Michael, however, I have great respect and love for both. This site is dedicated to Ah Ying, noone else, and I would like him to feel it.
Although I will try to remain calm and stick to the facts, I am sure it will contain some of my rantings and ravings about Ricky, because I think very highly of him as an actor, comedian, singer, and of course, as a man.
Biography
Ricky Hui Koon Ying was born August 3,
1946 in Panyu, Guangdong, China. He has 4 siblings, Samuel, Michael, Stanley and Judy. The Hui family migrated from mainland
China to Hong Kong in 1950 and settled in the poorest region of Diamond
Hill. His father worked hard and undertook any work available to be
able to support his family. In the Hui family Arts played a very significant role. Ricky's father played the violin and his
mother loved Cantonese opera so it is not surprising that the Hui
children all had a love for music and acting, and finally almost all of
them ended up in the entertainment industry.The Beginning
THE FILMS
Ricky
worked as a correspondent for the
French Press Agency in Hong Kong. He also frequently appeared in Shaw
Brothers films between 1972 and 1976, such as The Lizard (1972), The
Sugar Daddies (1973), The Generation Gap (1973), Rivals of Kung Fu
(1974), Hong Kong 73 (1974). For him the big break came when he
joined his brothers onscreen.
At Shaw Brothers
The first time was in The Last Message (1975) with a short appearance as a waiter. The dialogue
between him and Sam's character is hilarious. Ricky got a slightly
bigger
role in The Private Eyes (1976), and with that film
a new era of the Hong Kong Cinema started. The brothers together made
the best comedies the Hong Kong film industry has ever seen. Their
films were packed with visual gags and the unique Cantonese humour.
Although Ricky had only a small role in The Private Eyes, it
remained
one of the all time favourites among fans. According to
Michael Hui, Ricky had only brief appearance in this film
because at that time he
had a contract with Shaw Brothers. I think that contract may have ended
around 1976, because the last Shaw Brothers film he appeared was Challenge of the Masters that year. The next year found Ricky at Golden Harvest with a leading role in John Woo's Money Crazy. In 1979 Games Gamblers Play
was released for the Japanese market. For this edition Michael shot a
new scene, a fight between Ricky and Sam on the beach, and replaced the
original Sammo Hung vs Sam Hui fight with it. The next Hui brothers
production where Ricky teamed up with his brothers again was The Contract in 1978, followed by Security Unlimited (1981), one of the biggest success of the brothers, full of gags and their trademark Cantonese humour. In the late 70s and early 80s Ricky played leading roles in John Woo
films like From Riches To Rags (1979), To Hell with the Devil (1982) or Plain Jane To The
Rescue (1982).
Michael became a producer in 1987 and
Ricky appeared in his films such as Chicken and Duck Talk (1988), Front
Page (1990), The Magic Touch (1992). In 1985 Sammo Hung produced
one of the biggest cult films Mr. Vampire where Ricky Hui played a
memorable role on the side of the unforgettable Lam Ching-ying. What he
brought out of his character Man Choi is a real masterpiece in my
opinion. This was the first time I saw him and ever since a day doesn't
go by without me watching the whole film or parts of it (specially the
dancing).
Ricky was most active in his filmcareer in the 70s and 80s. I regard him a wonderful comedian who can bring the best out of even the smallest roles. Miracles is a good example. When he enters the room of the sick woman, he almost knocks over an armchair. He's in the background and I think few people noticed this comic moment, but little touches like that make him special to me.
Although Ricky is a comedian in the first place, I am convinced that he has great dramatic skills as well. I can see it shining through in some of his roles that have dramatic moments. For instance in the film Who is the Craftiest? (1988) when he sees his girlf
riend having a romantic dinner with his brother. That painful look
in his eyes is unforgettable. It was like a stab in the heart. The film
has its great turning point, but until then I believed everything he
did and it left me in a state of shock.
From the same year I have to mention a kind of musical comedy, Laughters of "Water Margins". The humour this film is spiced with is
special and cannot be described, it's a must see. The songs are lovely, rather on the silly
side and suit the characters well. I simply adore every sound Ricky sings
there. For me his character, Mr. Simon goes hand in hand with Man Choi, they are both locked in my heart.
In the late
90s he appeared in only one film, in First Love Unlimited (1997). He
portrayed a father there really well, and the film itself is a lovely
little piece making us all remember our first steps discovering love.
To my knowledge the last films Ricky Hui appeared in are Super Model
and Forever Yours, both from 2004.
Personally I think, it is a great loss to Hong Kong Cinema, that Ricky Hui cannot be seen in more films. His comedic sense, his timing, his incredible facial expressions, his adorable character are priceless. I can only hope that one day he will return and enchant us again with his humour.
between him and Sam's character is hilarious. Ricky got a slightly
bigger
role in The Private Eyes (1976), and with that film
a new era of the Hong Kong Cinema started. The brothers together made
the best comedies the Hong Kong film industry has ever seen. Their
films were packed with visual gags and the unique Cantonese humour.
Although Ricky had only a small role in The Private Eyes, it
remained
one of the all time favourites among fans. According to
Michael Hui, Ricky had only brief appearance in this film
because at that time he
had a contract with Shaw Brothers. I think that contract may have ended
around 1976, because the last Shaw Brothers film he appeared was Challenge of the Masters that year. The next year found Ricky at Golden Harvest with a leading role in John Woo's Money Crazy. In 1979 Games Gamblers Play
was released for the Japanese market. For this edition Michael shot a
new scene, a fight between Ricky and Sam on the beach, and replaced the
original Sammo Hung vs Sam Hui fight with it. The next Hui brothers
production where Ricky teamed up with his brothers again was The Contract in 1978, followed by Security Unlimited (1981), one of the biggest success of the brothers, full of gags and their trademark Cantonese humour. In the late 70s and early 80s Ricky played leading roles in John Woo
films like From Riches To Rags (1979), To Hell with the Devil (1982) or Plain Jane To The
Rescue (1982).
Michael became a producer in 1987 and
Ricky appeared in his films such as Chicken and Duck Talk (1988), Front
Page (1990), The Magic Touch (1992). In 1985 Sammo Hung produced
one of the biggest cult films Mr. Vampire where Ricky Hui played a
memorable role on the side of the unforgettable Lam Ching-ying. What he
brought out of his character Man Choi is a real masterpiece in my
opinion. This was the first time I saw him and ever since a day doesn't
go by without me watching the whole film or parts of it (specially the
dancing). Ricky was most active in his filmcareer in the 70s and 80s. I regard him a wonderful comedian who can bring the best out of even the smallest roles. Miracles is a good example. When he enters the room of the sick woman, he almost knocks over an armchair. He's in the background and I think few people noticed this comic moment, but little touches like that make him special to me.
Although Ricky is a comedian in the first place, I am convinced that he has great dramatic skills as well. I can see it shining through in some of his roles that have dramatic moments. For instance in the film Who is the Craftiest? (1988) when he sees his girlf
riend having a romantic dinner with his brother. That painful look
in his eyes is unforgettable. It was like a stab in the heart. The film
has its great turning point, but until then I believed everything he
did and it left me in a state of shock.
From the same year I have to mention a kind of musical comedy, Laughters of "Water Margins". The humour this film is spiced with is
special and cannot be described, it's a must see. The songs are lovely, rather on the silly
side and suit the characters well. I simply adore every sound Ricky sings
there. For me his character, Mr. Simon goes hand in hand with Man Choi, they are both locked in my heart.In the late
90s he appeared in only one film, in First Love Unlimited (1997). He
portrayed a father there really well, and the film itself is a lovely
little piece making us all remember our first steps discovering love.
To my knowledge the last films Ricky Hui appeared in are Super Model
and Forever Yours, both from 2004. Personally I think, it is a great loss to Hong Kong Cinema, that Ricky Hui cannot be seen in more films. His comedic sense, his timing, his incredible facial expressions, his adorable character are priceless. I can only hope that one day he will return and enchant us again with his humour.
THE MUSIC
Besides
acting Ricky Hui is a very good
singer too. To me most certainly his is "The Voice". It has a certain
sadness about it, very rich in feelings and what makes it even more
special to me is the way he can act with it. In the sad songs I
feel real sadness,
while if it's a
happy one, his voice is really playful. I don't understand
Cantonese so I can rely on my ears only. I've heard a few songs
performed by both Sam and Ricky, and with all my respect for Sam, I
have to
say I always loved Ricky's version more. All I can say is that I am in
love with his
voice and wish he had made more albums and hope that one day he will.
Most of these recordings were released on vinyl in the 70s and 80s. I know abut three Ricky albums on vinyl: 發錢寒 (1977) (it went Gold), 夏之戀 (1978), 錢作怪 (1980). On other recordings Ricky is featured with other artists. Fortunately some of the vinyls have been reissued on CDs.
In the 90s three new Ricky albums were released on CD. Two were released in 1993. The first is '93 急流?, this featured n
ew songs by Sam Hui and guest vocals from Michael
Hui. The second was 一生渴望 (Lifelong Desire) a 2-CD set that featured
one CD of hits
from the 70s and 80s, and brand-new Mandarin recordings of songs from
'93 急流?. It also paved the way for Ricky's 2 shows at the Hong Kong
Coliseum (produced by Sam Hui). The third CD was released in 2001,
called The Classical Songs of Universal. It is the re-released
version of the album from 1980 with a few extra songs. The latest album
(2CDs), 十足斤兩, was released ony July 26, 2006. Ricky not only sings but also wrote some songs for his brother Sam: On Sam Hui's debut Cantonese album, Ricky wrote 3 complete songs (music and lyrics): Track 3 (甜蜜伴侶), track 4 (無情夜冷風), and track 11 (夜雨聲). On Sam's 2nd Cantonese album, Ricky contributed 2 songs: track 5 (情人離別去), track 10 (歡樂桃源), and track 11 (故苑懷舊). On Sam's 3rd Cantonese album, Ricky has one contribution: track 12 (流水恨). He also wrote a song that can only be heard on his own debut album in 1977:月影
In 2000 Ricky had a stage play called Ha Luk Hei Ban. In the same year he appeared in five episodes of the
ATV series Heung Gong Yat Ka Chun. In 2001 a DVD was released of a
variety show about the development of Hong Kong entertainment, called Laughing Kaleidoscope
which featured Ricky among various artists on stage. In the same year
he participated with three songs in the La Fai Palace Jubilee concert.
In
2003 Ricky appeared in a concert commemorating the 8th anniversary
of the death of Teresa Teng Lai-Kwun and also celebrating her 50th
birthday. Ricky participated with three songs in Sing Along Golden Hits E
ncore Concert in 2004 among other stars. He appeared in the Rosanne in Starry Night Concert in March, 2006.Ricky is also a returning guest on Sam Hui's concerts singing a few songs on his own or duets with Sam. (For detailed information please visit Yee Wun's wonderful Unofficial Sam Hui Website.) I've found these dates with Ricky: April, 1990 (Hong Kong Coliseum); March, 1992 (Hong Kong Coliseum); 1992-93 (San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore); June-August, October 2004 (Hong Kong Coliseum); February, May 2005 (Hong Kong Coliseum), May, 2005 (Foshan New Square Stadium); June, 2005 (Zhongshan Sports Stadium); August, 2005 (Ying Dong Sports Stadium, Panyu); August, 2005 (Malaysia); October, 2005 (Singapore Indoor Stadium).
On July 30th, 2006 Ricky appeared on Concert in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Jockey Club Auditorium. For photos of this event, please visit Sam Dawson's wonderful gallery here.
Ricky performed on Sam Hui's Hong Kong Concert on 16 December, 2007.
Acknowledgements
This
is as far as I got in my investigation of Ricky Hui. Naturally I would
like to have more information, to be a bit more detailed and
informative, but so far this is all I could find out. I hope in time I
will be able to improve this Biography. If anyone, most of all Ah Ying
himself, finds something that is not correct, please let me know and I
will immediately correct it.
I would like to say a big 多謝 to Yee Wun, who kindly let me use information from her wonderful Sam Hui Website, and to Danny Tse who provided valuable information about Ricky's albums. Many thanks to Sam_Dawson for letting me link to his wonderful photos of Ricky's concert.
I would like to say a big 多謝 to Yee Wun, who kindly let me use information from her wonderful Sam Hui Website, and to Danny Tse who provided valuable information about Ricky's albums. Many thanks to Sam_Dawson for letting me link to his wonderful photos of Ricky's concert.