Raymond Chow Man-wai (; 8 October 1927 – 2 November 2018) was a Hong Kong film producer and executive. He was responsible for successfully launching martial arts and the Hong Kong cinema onto the international stage. As the founder of Golden Harvest, he produced some of the biggest stars of the martial arts film genre, including Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. In 2020, he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame.
Early life
Of Hakka Han ethnicity, with ancestral roots in Taipu, Guangdong, Chow studied martial arts under the Hung Ga master Lam Sai-wing. He attended Saint John's University, Shanghai, and graduated with a B.A in journalism in 1949. He started working as a reporter on the Hongkong Standard. In 1951, he joined the Voice of America office in Hong Kong.
Career
Chow's film career began in 1958. He started as a publicity manager at Shaw Brothers but was soon made the head of publicity and was the head of production for 10 years until 1970. At the time Cathay was a predominant force in the Malaysian film industry.
When Cathay wanted to end the company's association in Hong Kong, Chow left Shaw Brothers to establish Golden Harvest along with producers Leonard Ho and Peter Choi in 1970. He capitalised on the shortcomings of Shaw Brothers, who had a system that limited creativity, and was able to lure Bruce Lee into Golden Harvest, making it a serious competitor to Shaw Brothers following the release of The Big Boss (1971). Raymond Chow officially announced his retirement in Hong Kong on 5 November 2007.
Personal life
Chow married Felicia Yuen Hei-wah (袁曦華) and they had a daughter Roberta Chow (鄒重珩) in 1963. Chow also had an affair with a media writer Ng Suk-fong (伍淑芳), with pen name of Lan Yan (藍茵). Ng gave birth to his illegitimate son Felix Chow (鄒重珏) in 1960, followed by a second son Terence Chow (鄒重瑾), in 1963. However Chow was unable to give Ng and their illegitimate children any legitimacy due to his marriage to Yuen, chose to separate with them but continued with financial support. Ng died of illness in 1967 and her two sons were raised by her sister.
Chow competed in international contract bridge tournaments and was a regular at the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club.