[2026.04.18] A FRIEND AND TRAINING CLASS CLASSMATE OF ANDY LAU, DANNY POON PASSED AWAY AT AGE 63

Danny Poon has been out of show business for over 20 years, once switched to work in real estate

Danny Poon (left) and Andy Lau (right) perform together in THE DUKE OF MOUNT DEER and they were once as close as brothers

Danny Poon (left) guest starred in the film MAY WE CHAT in 2014

The 44th Hong Kong Film Awards program lists artists who passed away this year, including Bruce Leung and Danny Poon
courtesy of mingpao.com

The 44th Hong Kong Film Awards program recently published a list of actors who passed away this year, including Danny Poon Wang Ban who passed at the age of 63. Poon Wang Ban started in the 10th artist training class of TVB, the same class as Andy Lau Tak Wah.

Poon Wang Ban became popular in the 80s of the last century with the role of "Chan Hau Tak" in the drama POLICE CADET, then participated in many dramas such as THE EMISSARY, THE DUKE OF MOUNT DEER, THE RETURN OF THE CONDOR HEROES and other dramas. He then set foot in the film industry, performing in films such as LONELY FIFTEEN (LANG MUI JAI) and ONCE UPON A RAINBOW (CHOI WAN KUK). Later he jumped to ATV and in 1988 he wanted to develop in Taiwan, played Yeung Hong in THE LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES and successfully opened up overseas markets. When his acting career was developing smoothly, he decided to quit the entertainment industry in 1998, switched to become a real estate agent, and gradually faded out of the life of people in the industry. Although he made a brief comeback in 2014 and made a cameo appearance in the movie MAY WE CHAT (MEI GAU SIU NUI), he has completely bid farewell to the front of the screen since then.

Irene Wan Bik Ha learned about Poon Wang Ban's passing yesterday and said that she was working in the mainland. "Why would it be like this? Life is truly unpredictable. May he have a safe journey. Everyone please live in the moment and cherish those in front of you."

Poon Wang Ban and Lau Tak Wah are not only classmates of the same period, but also became friends because they collaborated in dramas and had a close relationship. They were once as close as brothers. After Lau Tak Wah rose to fame he still took great care of him. Aside from working on films together, reportedly he even paid Poon Wang Ban a high salary to take care of his fan club. They were inseparable and once rumored to be gay. Lau Tak Wah swore to clarify the rumor. However, as Poon Wang Ban changed his career to real estate and often took guests to Happy Valley to view properties, the two gradually became estranged. Later when Lau Tak Wah married Carol Chu Li-chien. Poon Wang Ban became the target of media interviews because he was a friend of Lau Tak Wah, but he always refused to respond to related questions. When mentioning Lau Tak Wah, he said, "Friends don't need to see each other everyday. Friends for a day are friends for a lifetime." They were once rumored to not have been in touch for many years, and even broke off relations.