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Alan
Tam Wing Lung
Born August 23, 1950, the perennial “thirty” year old, Tam made his mark as the lead singer for Hong Kong’s premier 70s rock band, THE WYNNERS. With their distinctive, upbeat light rock and crossover appeal (the band recorded in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English), it was inevitable that they would follow in the shoes of other Canto-pop notables like Samuel Hui Koon Kit, Teddy Robin Kwan, etc. and grace the silver screen. After countless hits and a trio of films for Golden Harvest (including 1976's GONNA GET YOU and 1978's MAKING IT), the band disbanded in 1980, allowing its members (which included Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan Yau, Bennett Pang, and Danny Yip) to pursue other interests.
THE WYNNERS (L to R, Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan, Alan Tam, Bennett Pang, Danny Yip)
Not wanting to ride on the coattails of The Wynners’ success, Alan signed a grueling contract with TVB (the Shaw Bros.’ television wing) while his career as a solo artist was fledgling. Alan managed to break away from the TVB grind and found work in Taiwanese melodramas, with Wang To On’s Chekov-inspired tragic-comedy, IF I WERE FOR REAL (1980) one of the standouts. Tam’s popularity as an actor found solid ground in the early 1980s. Having joined Cinema City for a handful of successful vehicles (one of which revitalized his music career, 1984’s ESPRIT D’AMOUR), Tam joined the “A-list,” moving onto memorable films for Always Good Film Co., D&B, Win's, and Golden Harvest. In 1988, Tam and friend Eric Tsang Chi Wai formed Alan & Eric Films, producing a handful of pictures. In 1989 Alan, Eric, and some private investors formed Movie Impact (which would re-invent itself a year later as United Filmmakers Organization, with Peter Chan Ho San and Blacky Ko Sau Leung among co-investors). Alan is currently in semi-retirement, spending his time on private investments (he is one of the main investors in the “Star East” chain of restaurants), and his music (The Wynners reunited for one last tour in 1998).
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY:
MAKING IT*
IF I WERE FOR REAL
ESPRIT D'AMOUR
THE OTHER SIDE OF GENTLEMAN
TILL DEATH DO WE SCARE
THE ARMOUR OF GOD*
LOVE SOLDIER OF FORTUNE
THE LAST BLOOD
LUCKY STARS GO PLACES
ONCE UPON A TIME A HERO IN CHINA
MASTER WONG VS. MASTER WONG
RICH AND FAMOUS
MY FAMILY
THE TIGER'S LEGEND OF CANTON*
YOU'RE MY DESTINY
ALAN & ERIC: BETWEEN HELLO AND GOODBYE
PANTYHOSE HERO
THE FORTUNE CODE
* donotes films with The Wynners, or Wynners gags
