Copyright 2003 Times Newspapers Limited??

The Times (London)??

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April 3, 2003, Thursday??

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SECTION: Features; 35??

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LENGTH: 1060 words??

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HEADLINE: Leslie Cheung??

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BODY:??

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Leslie Cheung, pop singer and actor, was born ion September 12, 1956. He fell to his death on April 1, 2003, aged 46.??

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Flamboyant and outrageous singer and actor who won international acclaim for his role in Farewell, My Concubine??

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THE singer and actor Leslie Cheung was one of Hong Kong\'s most popular performers, and attained international acclaim for his portrayal of an opera star in the 1993 historical drama Farewell, My Concubine. The performance won him the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival that year. Yet he was no one-trick pony, more an incredibly versatile workhorse.??

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In more than 70 movie outings, about a dozen of which were familiar to international film enthusiasts, he appeared in dark romances, action thrillers, fantasies and cheery comedies. He was a psychotic killer in Double Tap (2000) and, more famously, one half of a male couple in Happy Together (1997). He was himself one of Asia\'s few openly homosexual artists. A suave and outspoken individual with boyish good looks and caustic wit, he was one of the former Crown Colony\'s exceptional celebrities.??

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The youngest of ten children, Leslie Cheung was the son of a leading Hong Kong tailor, who made suits for William Holden, Alfred Hitchcock and Marlon Brando.??

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Cheung remembers his father always being too busy for him, and he was brought up by his grandmother. At a young age he asked if he could be educated in England, and at 13 enrolled as a boarder at Norwich School. He used to visit Southend, where a relative owned a restaurant. He started working as a barman at weekends, then began singing at the restaurant, earning Pounds 5 a week.??

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Cheung went on to study textile design at Leeds University. But in 1976 his father had a stroke that left him partially paralysed, prompting Cheung to return home, where he became a jeans salesman. His musical appetite grew and his friends entered his name in a music contest on Hong Kong\'s ATV. Singing American Pie, he took second place. Subsequently he appeared regularly on television commercials before in 1978 making his film debut, Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber. His performance was unremarkable, save for his baring his behind.??

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Nonetheless, he was young and pretty, and he had that James Dean air of tenderness and menace that directors like. These qualities worked to his benefit in his music career too, and in 1981 he became a huge hit with young fans in Hong Kong for his album The Wind Blows On.??

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Cheung\'s cinema breakthrough came in John Woo\'s 1986 A Better Tomorrow. He warmed to Woo greatly during the shooting of the film. As a rookie cop, Cheung\'s character has discovered that his brother has killed his father. Woo told him to do whatever came naturally in that scene, so he punched a mirror. Woo held his hand and began to cry.??

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In 1987 Cheung played his first substantial romantic role, as an opium-smoking playboy, in Stanley Kwan\'s successful Rouge. Three years later he was named best actor for his role in Wong Kar-Wai\'s eerie production of Days of Being Wild.??

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His role as Cheng Dieyi in Chen Kaige\'s Farewell, My Concubine remains his grandest achievement. The story of two trainees at the Peking Opera who form a lifelong friendship works simultaneously as a micro-history of China in the 20th century. Cheung plays the more effeminate of the two, whose vulnerable and affectionate aura secures him not only female roles but the attentions of other men. He has only eyes for his companion Duan Xiaolou (played by Zhang Fengyi), who in turn marries a prostitute. It was a stirring performance in an exquisite and visually stunning production. A workaholic and perfectionist, Cheung spent six months in Beijing before the shooting of the film, learning Mandarin and mastering the performance style of Chinese opera.??

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Three years later he returned to historical drama as an aggrieved relative of a decadent noble family in Temptress Moon. Set in 1911, it was as melodramatic as Farewell, My Concubine, though less well received.??

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Much more daringly, in 1997 he appeared Happy Together, written and directed by Kar-Wai. In it he and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai play lovers who travel to Argentina to seek a new life and adventure, but end up only quarrelling. It is a bleak, claustrophic tale of passion and jealousy that won Kar-Wai the best director prize at Cannes.??

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With his ascendency in the Hong Kong cinema, Cheung had announced in 1989 his decision to retire from pop music. In 1997 he made his comeback, much to the delight of his fans. Dubbed by one critic \"the Elvis of Hong Kong\", he had an eye for showmanship more reminiscent of Elton John. In his year-long \"Passion\" tour of 2000, he sported eight Jean-Paul Gaultier creations, each more exotic than the previous - from a white tuxedo with angel wings to a tight skirt and long black wig. In songs such as He\'s a Woman, She\'s a Man, he consolidated this androgynous image. His popularity stretched beyond Asia too: tickets for one pre-Christmas show at Caesar\'s Palace in Las Vegas, costing as much as $ 238, sold out rapidly.??

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For his contribution to Hong Kong\'s music industry in 2000 he was given the Gold Needle Award by Radio Television Hong Kong.??

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His ostentatious showmanship on stage reflected a self-assured attitude off it. He delighted in the extravagant and the ornate. \"I\'m a narcissist,\" he once remarked.??

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\"I love the way I look and perform.\" Colleagues remember a favourite remark as he paraded in a new outfit: \"Doesn\'t this look nice on me?\" He was a rascal and a charmer, whose eternally boyish features always made him look a decade younger than he was.??

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Although he adored the limelight he hated the invasion of privacy that came with it. Before Hong Kong\'s handover to China in 1997 he moved to Vancouver. \"I have worked bloody hard for 20 years,\" he said two years ago. \"I was penniless, dying hard for my groceries. I can now live in a reasonably sized detached house. I\'m still very strong in Japan and Korea. But I may be a little passe in Hong Kong.??

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The place is so extravagant, vulgar, expensive. I may be too soft for Hong Kong. I don\'t always count myself as one of them.\"??

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It was not known what caused the onset of his depression in the past year. He had withdrawn from Hsu Feng\'s project Beautiful Shanghai in October and had been seen seldom in public since.??

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LOAD-DATE: April 3, 2003??

譯文：

泰晤士報(bào)（倫敦）??

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2003年4月3日，周四??

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版面：人物，35版??

長(zhǎng)度：1060字??

標(biāo)題：張國(guó)榮??

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正文：??

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張國(guó)榮，流行歌手和演員，生于1956年9月12日。2003年4月1日跳樓身亡，時(shí)年46歲。??

輝煌而叛逆的歌手兼演員張國(guó)榮，以電影霸王別姬獲得國(guó)際贊譽(yù)。他是香港最受歡迎的藝人之一，在1993年，他在歷史劇霸王別姬中塑造了一位京劇名伶，由此獲得了國(guó)際范圍內(nèi)的贊譽(yù)。張?jiān)谠撃甑目党怯罢怪蝎@得了grand prix。然而，他并不是曇花一現(xiàn)的演員，他是一位有著不可置信的多方面能力的全才。??

在他的70多部電影中，有十幾部電影對(duì)于國(guó)際電影的熱心者而言是為人熟知的，他廣泛涉足悲劇愛(ài)情片、動(dòng)作驚悚片、虛構(gòu)故事片和喜劇片。在電影槍王中他是一個(gè)心理變態(tài)的殺手，而更有名的，是在春光乍瀉中，飾演一位同性戀人。他本人是亞洲為數(shù)不多的公開(kāi)同性戀傾向的藝術(shù)家。他溫和而坦率，有著男孩般漂亮的外貌和敏銳的智慧，他是香港最杰出的名人之一。??

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張國(guó)榮是一個(gè)出色的香港成衣師最小的兒子，排行第十。他的父親曾為william holden， Alfred hitchock，和marlon brando做過(guò)衣服。??

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在張的記憶中，父親總是忙得顧不上他，他由祖母帶大。很小的時(shí)候，他問(wèn)家人能不能送他去英國(guó)讀書，13歲時(shí)，他成了norwich學(xué)校的寄宿學(xué)生。他曾常常去southend，那兒他有個(gè)親戚，開(kāi)了一家餐廳。他在周末的時(shí)候做過(guò)酒吧侍應(yīng)生，后來(lái)開(kāi)始在餐廳唱歌，一星期掙5英鎊。??

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其后，張于Leeds University（利茲大學(xué)）讀紡織設(shè)計(jì)，可是在1976年，他父親中風(fēng)而半身癱瘓，張因而回港，后來(lái)做了一段時(shí)間的牛仔褲銷售。他對(duì)音樂(lè)的興趣日益增加，他的一個(gè)朋友又把他的名字寫進(jìn)了香港ATV電視臺(tái)的一個(gè)歌唱比賽中。他以一曲americam pie獲得亞軍。之后，他不時(shí)地出現(xiàn)在電視廣告節(jié)目中，直到1978年拍了電影處女作，紅樓春上春。除了其中的出位鏡頭，他的演出并不值得注意。??

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可是無(wú)論如何，他年輕而漂亮，而且他的氣質(zhì)中有著James Dean式的溫柔和威脅，這正是導(dǎo)演們所喜愛(ài)的。這些特質(zhì)對(duì)他的音樂(lè)生涯同樣有裨益，在1981年他因?qū)］嬶L(fēng)繼續(xù)吹而成了香港年輕歌迷心目中的偶像。??

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張電影生涯的一個(gè)突破點(diǎn)是1986年吳宇森的英雄本色。在這部影片的拍攝中，張使吳深受感動(dòng)。在片中，張的角色是一個(gè)新手警察，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的哥哥殺了他們的父親。吳告訴張?jiān)谀且粓?chǎng)中無(wú)論做什么動(dòng)作，只要自然表演就可，于是，張用拳打碎了一面鏡子。吳握著張的手，不禁涕下。??

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在1987年關(guān)錦鵬的電影胭脂扣中，張扮演了他的第一個(gè)有重要意義的愛(ài)情片男主角，一個(gè)吸鴉片的花花公子。3年之后，他以王家衛(wèi)電影，一部讓人迷惑的電影阿飛正傳，而獲最佳男主角。??

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陳凱歌電影霸王別姬中，張飾演的角色程蝶衣，是張最輝煌的成就。這部電影既是關(guān)于兩位在多年相處中建立了深厚友情的中國(guó)京劇演員的故事，也是一部20世紀(jì)中國(guó)微縮史。張扮演的角色是兩個(gè)主人公中更為女性化的一位，他的脆弱和款款深情使他得以扮演女性角色，并獲得了其他男人的喜愛(ài)，在他的眼中，只有他的師哥段小樓，而段后來(lái)卻娶了一個(gè)妓女為妻。電影精致華麗，視覺(jué)上令人震撼，表演則更是蕩氣回腸。張，一個(gè)工作迷和完美主義者，開(kāi)機(jī)前用了六個(gè)月的時(shí)間在北京學(xué)習(xí)普通話和掌握京劇的表演風(fēng)格。??

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3年之后，他在另一部歷史劇風(fēng)月中飾演一個(gè)落寞大家族中的一個(gè)受委屈的親戚。電影的背景設(shè)在1911年，與霸王別姬同樣具有戲劇風(fēng)格，只是沒(méi)有像后者那樣受歡迎。??

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1997年他出現(xiàn)在電影春光乍瀉中，則更大膽了。這部電影由王家衛(wèi)編導(dǎo)。在片中，他和梁朝偉飾演一對(duì)來(lái)到阿根廷尋找新生活和冒險(xiǎn)經(jīng)歷的戀人，最終卻在爭(zhēng)吵中分手。這一部關(guān)于激情和嫉妒的陰冷憂郁的電影，給王家衛(wèi)帶來(lái)了康城最佳導(dǎo)演獎(jiǎng)。??

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在香港電影界取得優(yōu)勢(shì)地位的同時(shí)，張?jiān)?989年宣布告別歌壇。1997他的復(fù)出令他的歌迷欣喜萬(wàn)分。被一個(gè)評(píng)論家稱為“香港的Elvis”，張國(guó)榮對(duì)舞臺(tái)表演很有審美力，且其風(fēng)格比elton john更為懷舊。在他在2000年為期一年的熱情巡回演唱會(huì)中，穿了八套jean paul gaultier設(shè)計(jì)的服裝，一套比一套怪異——從帶羽翼的白色燕尾服到緊身裙和黑色假發(fā)。在如金枝玉葉等歌曲中，他更鞏固了這種模糊性別的形象。他不僅僅在亞洲受到歡迎：圣誕節(jié)前夕在拉斯維加斯的愷撒宮的一次演出，票價(jià)貴至238美元，依然很快售空。??

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鑒于其對(duì)香港音樂(lè)業(yè)的貢獻(xiàn)，2000年他被香港廣播電視臺(tái)授予金針獎(jiǎng)。??

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他在舞臺(tái)上的夸示華美的表演風(fēng)格，表現(xiàn)出了一種自信態(tài)度。他鐘愛(ài)奢侈華麗和裝飾?！拔沂且粋€(gè)自戀者?！彼@樣說(shuō)過(guò)，“我喜歡自己的樣子和表演?！彼耐掠浀盟乓约盒卵b束時(shí)愛(ài)說(shuō)的一句話，“我這樣看起來(lái)是不是很不錯(cuò)？”他是一個(gè)淘氣鬼，一個(gè)可愛(ài)迷人的人物，他外表中如男孩般的那些地方使他看上去比實(shí)際年齡要年輕十歲。??

他雖然鐘愛(ài)鎂光燈，但討厭隨之而來(lái)的被人刺探隱私。在1997年香港回歸中國(guó)之前，他移民到vancouver?！拔乙呀?jīng)辛苦工作了20年，”他2年前曾說(shuō)，“我曾經(jīng)很貧窘，衣食堪憂?，F(xiàn)在我住著足夠大小的獨(dú)立的房子。我在日本和韓國(guó)依然很受歡迎，可是在香港或許有些過(guò)氣。香港太揮霍，庸俗，奢華。對(duì)香港來(lái)說(shuō)我也許太溫和（?）了些。我有時(shí)并不把自己算成是他們中的一員?！??

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在過(guò)去的那些年里，是什么導(dǎo)致了他的憂郁癥的產(chǎn)生，仍然無(wú)人知曉。去年十月，他從hsu feng’s的《美麗上海》一項(xiàng)目中退出，從那以后即極少在公眾場(chǎng)合露面。??

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登載日期：2003年4月3日??