Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Back
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro
Peter Lai

Biography

Peter Lai

Overview

  • Born
    May 13, 1950 · Hong Kong, British Crown Colony
  • Died
    August 5, 2026 (undisclosed)
  • Nickname
    • The Lyrical Maverick

Mini bio

  • Born in Hong Kong, Peter's father died when he was nine years-old. After attending primary school, he never commenced secondary school and started working at the age of ten. Peter was 26 when he worked as a chauffeur by day and started writing his own column in a weekly newspaper in his spare time. After writing the lyrics to a local Chinese pop song, he decided to have it published in his column. His lyrics drew the attention of a reader who then forwarded it to a famous male local actor in a late-night television variety show. The actor, putting words to the melody, performed an impromptu version of the popular song live on television, two nights in a row. The performance drew the attention of the popular cantopop singer Sam Hui who then teamed up with him to create, at the time, one of the most dynamic composer and lyrics writer duo. From famous lyrics writer, Peter subsequently ventured into both television and film acting. The rest they say, is history.
    - IMDb mini biography by: Wilfred S Pau

Trivia

  • Married with one son.
  • Was admitted to Intensive Care in 2004.
  • A pivotal figure in Hong Kong's popular music scene, was instrumental in shaping Cantopop from the 1970s onwards, co-writing lyrics for the genre's earliest hits.
  • Lyricist and actor.
  • His father died when he was nine; the family fell into deep poverty and lived in a settlement of wooden houses in Central, on Hong Kong Island. His mother sold newspapers in Central, while the slight boy beside her sorted the papers, called out the headlines, and counted the small change. He attended a left-leaning school in Sai Ying Pun but dropped out after the fifth year of primary school because there was no money left.

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More from this person

  • View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro

More to explore

Recently viewed

You have no recently viewed pages
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.