Veteran ex-TVB actor Ngan Kwok Leung dies aged 71
Ngan Kwok Leung died on May 25, 2024, at the age of 71.
PHOTO: Weibo
PUBLISHED ONMay 27, 2024 4:14 AMByYeo Shu HuiVeteran ex-TVB actor Ngan Kwok Leung died last Saturday (May 25) at the age of 71.
The news was confirmed by his friend, Hong Kong actor-host English Tang, the following day, according to a report by the publication STHeadline.
Actor Spencer Leung also paid tribute to Kwok Leung in a social media post.
"I received sad news. Mrs Ngan revealed that Mr Ngan left us peacefully at 10.30pm last night. I am sorry for your loss… Rest in peace, Mr Ngan," the 57-year-old wrote.
According to a report by HK01 on May 26, Kwok Leung revealed in an interview in 2022 that he was diagnosed with stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, and was warded in the hospital for half a month in critical condition.
His last screen appearance was on Spencer's talkshow You Are Not Alone in April, where he shared that he was in a coma and hospitalised at the beginning of the year and was almost on the brink of death.
Kwok Leung also told reporters that when he first received his cancer diagnosis, he decided he would donate his body to medical science when he died. He added that he was not afraid of dying and hoped that he wouldn't have to suffer when his time came.
Kwok Leung debuted in showbiz in 1968 as an announcer for radio dramas and police reports. He left showbiz briefly between 1977 and 1979 to join the Hong Kong police force and returned to showbiz in 1980.
Some of his notable works include his first TVB drama Hong Kong 81 (1981), The Seasons (1987), The Kindred Spirit (1998) and Return of the Cuckoo (2000).
After spending 28 years with the broadcasting company, Kwok Leung left TVB in 2008 and relocated to China to become a tai chi instructor.
In an interview with English in 2021, he revealed he was "backstabbed" then. Someone had spread rumours that he would leave the company regardless of whether he had completed filming his scenes for a drama.
The day before he left TVB, he was offered a role, but rejected it because he felt hurt from being backstabbed.
"I said I'm done. The feeling wasn't very good," said Kwok Leung.