Late HK comedian Richard Ng, who was reportedly worth S$594m, used to buy a mansion after every movie he made
Friends and former co-stars of Richard Ng have paid tribute to late Hong Kong comedian who passed away at the age of 83 on April 9.
According to reports, Richard, who starred in Mediacorp sitcoms Under One Roof and Brothers 4, was in hospital when his heart stopped. He was suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years and underwent heart surgery in 2021.
Hong Kong star Michael Miu, who starred with Richard in the Lucky Stars film series, said Richard was "a professional and a good teacher", and hoped he is now in a better place.
Local actress Selena Tan, who played Richard’s daughter in Under One Roof, told The Straits Times that the actor was “always professional, kind and gracious” and that she is "grateful for the opportunity [she] had to work with Richard and celebrate his life’s work".
From left: Sammo Hung, Michael Miu, Richard Ng, Stanley Fung and Eric Tsang in 1985's Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars.
Richard was said to be born into a well-to-do family. He was sent to one of England’s most expensive boarding schools when he was 15 and later stayed on to study acting.
He acted in a few BBC series before returning to Hong Kong in the 1970s.
He made his movie debut in The Private Eyes (1976) and went on to act in films such as Money Crazy (1977), before shooting to fame with the Lucky Stars series in the ’80.
As his popularity soared, so did his net worth. At one point he was worth HK$100 million (S$17mil).
According to reports, he signed a deal to star in six movies in three years, at HK$1mil (S$170K) a film. He eventually made 11 movies.
Richard shared previously that he was making so much bank that he owned several luxury cars, including two Rolls Royces, and properties at the time.
"It was so ridiculous that I had two Rolls Royces... and I bought a villa in Clear Water Bay. At the time, the mansions cost around HK$1mil (S$170K)... After shooting each movie, I would buy a mansion and rent it out to pilots," he said.
He was estimated to be worth nearly HK$3.5bil (S$594 mil) before his passing.
Properties galore
In the mid-90s, Richard began to cut back on his work, and moved to the UK with his family in 1996.
In 2019, he revealed that he was suffering from kidney failure and had to undergo dialysis treatments four times a day.
Richard is survived by wife Susan, whom he married in 1965, and his four children: 47-year-old actor Carl Ng, and daughters Alex, 56, Zoe, 54, and Louise, the youngest.
Catch Richard on Under One Roof Season 5 here:
