Actor Tony Leung received the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement at the 80th Venice Film Festival on Sunday night, wiping away his tears amid a prolonged standing ovation.
Director Ang Lee presented the much-coveted Golden Lion to the Hong Kong actor. After receiving the award, the Happy Together actor said, “I always wanted a Golden Lion. Finally, I can have it for myself. I don't have to share with anybody.”
Sharing the 61-year-old’s image with the trophy, the Venice Film Festival tweeted, “#BiennaleCinema2023 After the end of the Ceremony #TonyLeung returns to the Red Carpet beaming with his Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.”
Three of the films Leung appeared in won the Golden Lion for Best Picture over the years. These are: A City of Sadness (1989) by Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Cyclo (1995) helmed by Anh Hung Tran and Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution (2007).
Leung is best known for his collaborations with fellow Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai for films like Chungking Express (1994), Happy Together (1997), 2046 (2004), and The Grandmaster (2013). He was awarded the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for In The Mood for Love (2000).
The actor made his Hollywood debut with Marvel Studios’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) in which he played the antagonist Xu Wenwu.
