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Veteran actor Tam Ping Man, also known as the “king of voice-overs” in Hong Kong for providing Cantonese dubbing in various films, died at the age of 86 on Saturday (September 5).
Tam, who had just renewed his contract with Hong Kong broadcaster TVB in May, was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer in June.
His daughter, actress and singer Tam Suk Ying, told Hong Kong media that he was sent to the hospital after he had difficulty breathing on Friday night and died around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
She said she was not mentally prepared for his death, as she thought she could survive another year or two. She added that she was still mentally alert and had plans to complete more work.
Tam began his career as a voice actor in the 1950s. He was the voice of American actor Marlon Brando in the movie The Godfather (1972) and Charlie Townsend in the American television series Charlie’s Angels (1976 to 1981).
She then moved to the big screen and starred in her first film A New, Improved Lady in 1964. Her debut performance garnered rave reviews and she stopped voice-overs to focus on acting.
Tam, who was invited to act in dozens of films after that, formed the Lee Pictures company with his frequent acting partner, actress Lee Heung Kam, in 1970. He later formed his own Tam Pictures.
He also released more than 30 gramophone records. Her famous songs include Old Loves Like A Dream, which was later sung by singer Hacken Lee; and Can You Come Back, sung along with Lee Heung Kam.
Tam joined TVB in 1968 as an actor and voice actor and was a mentor when TVB organized a voice acting training class in 1975. He joined Asia Television in 1991 before returning to TVB eight years later.
He is known for acting in films such as Lucky Seven (1970) and Country Man And The Scavenger (1976), as well as television series such as The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1979) and Yesterday’s Glitter (1980).
Tam, who won TVB’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, hasn’t appeared much in public in recent years due to poor health and a reduced workload. He last appeared on the TVB variety show Cantopop At 50 in February, where he was in a wheelchair and accompanied by his daughter.
He is survived by his daughter and a son.
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