'It'll be his wedding hongbao': Christopher Lee wins Golden Bell award over younger brother, says he'll give latter $4,000 prize money

Christopher Lee emerged victorious in a battle between brothers at the Golden Bell Awards last night (Oct 19), winning Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film over his younger brother Frederick.

Christopher was nominated for his performance as indigenous Amis public defender Tong Bao-ju in the legal drama Port of Lies (2023). The triumph adds to his three previous wins at the awards: Best Leading Actor in 2014 for A Good Wife (2013), Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film in 2021 for Workers (2020) and Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series in 2022 for Danger Zone (2021).

Frederick, on the other hand, was nominated for his role in TV movie Night Blindness (2023) where he plays a conservator with nyctalopia, named Hei. 

The brothers sat next to each other at the award show, and when Christopher, 53, was announced as the winner, 48-year-old Frederick rose to congratulate him and even led his older brother down the aisle by the hand as he went up on stage.

Christopher thanked his team on Port of Lies before thanking his wife, actress Fann Wong.

"You are really my lucky star, thank you for loving me so much! And I love you too!" he said. "Thank you for taking such good care of our son, so that I am able to film with a peace of mind."

He also praised their son Zed, 10, for being sensible and allowing him to focus on work without worry.

Fann shared an Instagram post of herself celebrating with Zed in front the TV, which showed Christopher's face. She wrote in the captions: "How are you so great?"

She was unable to attend the ceremony as she was busy with Zed's exam preparations, Christopher had revealed to reporters earlier this month.

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Christopher addressed Frederick next, saying: "Thank you for entering this industry! Next time it's your turn," to which the latter stood up and made a heart gesture with his hands.

Despite it being his fourth Golden Bell award, Christopher told media later that he felt "very happy to receive the encouragement after a year of hard work".

When asked if he'd be giving his prize money of NT$100,000 (S$4,100) to his brother, he said: "Of course! He's getting married anyway, so it'll be his wedding hongbao, no problem!"

Frederick and his non-celebrity girlfriend of a decade, Jess, registered their marriage in September but have yet to hold a ceremony.

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Port of Lies, which led the nominations at 16, won six more awards: Best Miniseries, Best Writing for a Miniseries or Television Film, Best Score, Best Sound Design, the Creative Award for a Drama Series, and Most Popular TV series.

Living, starring Wu Kang-ren, won Best Television Series, Best Leading Actor in a Television Series, Best Leading Actress in a Television Series (Yang Kuei-mei), Best Directing in a Television Series, Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Joseph Cheng) and Best Newcomer in a Television Series (Xie Zhan-rong). 

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drimac@asiaone.com