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| courtesy of on.cc |
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| courtesy of singtao.com |
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| John Chiang and Lee Lam Lam have been a model couple in the industry for 44 years. |
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| John Chiang was linked to Valerie Chow while working on a TVB series 24 years ago courtesy of mingpao.com |
John Chiang Dai Wai earlier appeared on a radio program. Started as a child star, John Gor once was a Shaw stuntman. He caught the eyes of his mentor big director Chang Chen, with VENGEANCE! (BO SAU) he became Hong Kong's first "Asian Best Actor" in 1970 and rose to fame in the film industry. Back then he made countless classic martial art films for Shaw, but later when he became a director he mainly made heart warming films. He explained, "I feel that I would never be as good as Sifu Chang Cheh and Lau Ka Leung. Why would I want to destroy the image that Director Chang Cheh has given me for so long? I can't destroy that!" John Gor admitted that films that he directed were mostly critical but not commercial successes, including the 1986 film SILENT LOVE (TING BUK DOH DIK SUET WA) with Season Ma and first time lead actor Sean Lau Ching Wan. "I prefer to make heart warming films. Because those films didn't have huge budgets, and at the time I saw Lau Ching Wan on television and thought he was decent, very alternative, so I asked him to be the lead actor. Season Ma too. Although this movie didn't make money, but at least its word of mouth was good."
In the early 90s, John Gor sold all of his asset and migrated his entire family to Vancouver, Canada. He said aside from his daughter's education and 1997, the biggest reason was his extreme disappointment in the Hong Kong film industry at the time. "Back then I was extremely disappointed in the film industry. Everyone could still remember when the mob invaded the film industry, the film world's nature completely changed. Everyone was fighting over teaser sales and actors, for example overseas sales could be made with just Andy Lau Tak Wa's name, it was quite a mess! I felt that I no longer belonged here, so I decided to leave. I sold everything, I decided that I wouldn't be without my wife. Then as soon as I got to Canada, Sifu Chang Cheh askd me to make a series in Taiwan. Since Sifu asked I couldn't turn him down, so I came back."
John Gor was at the peak of his popularity when he wed Lee Lam Lam in 1974. John Gor admitted that he married early but he had no regret. "If I told you, back then I had no propositions you wouldn't believe me! Of course I did, but luckily at the time I really was very busy. I had too much to do. When my wife and I met, I was with Shaw and she was a Cathay actress. We originally didn't know each other, but she was very close with my family. Once a friend of ours got married and we met at that wedding. Perhaps this was the so-called love at first sight, so we gave it a try. As soon as we did we tried for over 40 years. I got married very early, but at that time what was I afraid of? I might as well! In addition back then we were with child, we had Yi Lan so we got married. I didn't feel marriage had much effect on me!"
John Gor and Lee Lam Lam were the model couple in the industry, but in 1994 when he returned to Hong Kong to make the TVB series FATE OF THE CLAIRVOYANT his marriage was rumored to be on the rocks. John Gor said, "Why would I be upset at that? I didn't care about what people said, those were rumors. They proved that I performed very well in that series!" Yet with his wife Lee Lam Lam's cancer diagnosis in 2011, John Gor stated that he would be worried no matter the illness was big or small. However he and his wife have seen through life and death. "When the old lady is sick, even with a common cold or cough I would worry -- not to mention it was early term cancer. I absolutely was worried, but the old lady comforted me instead! After chemotherapy she was in a lot of pain. Now her recovery is also because my wife was willing to accept treatment. The two of us actually aren't very afraid of death becaus everyone know people must die. The difference is who goes first. Even after we pass we wouldn't need to worry where to be placed or would anyone pay their respect. Our thinking is the same, after death we would only need to be cremated then have the ashes scattered then we would be fine."
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