The 1980s and 1990s were the golden era of Hong Kong cinema, a time when it was often referred to as the “Hollywood of the East” and gave rise to numerous movie stars. However, this period was also marked by the entertainment industry being dominated by criminal gangs.
Many stars like Andy Lau and Tony Leung Ka-fai were threatened at gunpoint to continue filming, Carina Lau was kidnapped and had intimate photos taken, Jet Li’s manager was murdered, Anita Mui was harassed by gangsters, and Chow Yun-fat was assaulted with glass shards.
In January 1993, over 300 Hong Kong artists took to the streets to protest against gang threats toward entertainers. However, there were also some powerful stars whom the gangs dared not touch, including Man Cheung and Simon Yam.
According to Chinese media, in the entertainment world, everyone knows the saying that reflects Simon Yam’s power, which says, “In Hong Kong, no one dares to mess with Simon Yam,” or “If Simon Yam invites someone, no one dares to refuse.”
Even Charles Heung, who has a deeply-rooted triad background, feared Simon Yam and avoided direct confrontation with him.
But just how powerful is Simon Yam that even the underworld gangs are cautious around him?
Humble beginnings
Many people mistakenly believe that Simon Yam was born into a wealthy, powerful family, making him untouchable. However, Simon Yam was born into a modest family—his father was a policeman, and his mother was a housewife doing odd jobs. In the 1950s, the police profession in Hong Kong did not have the same standing it does today. Most officers, including Simon Yam’s father, came from poor families. His father, originally from Shandong, fled to Hong Kong, and because of his background, could only work as a patrol officer.
The family’s situation was difficult, with five people crammed into a small apartment provided by the police department. Simon Yam had to help take care of the household from a young age. Despite the family’s struggles, his father did his best to provide, even saving up to buy a TV, making theirs the only home in the police complex with one, attracting neighbors to watch TV shows together.
However, tragedy struck when Simon Yam was 11. His father was killed while on duty, leaving the family in even deeper hardship.
To support Simon and his two siblings, his mother worked tirelessly. Despite her efforts, the money she earned was barely enough to meet their basic needs.
Life remained difficult and frugal until Simon Yam turned 16. By then, he had grown remarkably tall and muscular from doing heavy labor jobs. In addition to his strong physique, Simon was blessed with a handsome, masculine, and charismatic face.
One day, while working a part-time job in the city, Simon saw an advertisement for a soft drink brand looking for models, with a reward of 200 HKD (approx 25 USD). Enticed by the offer, he applied and was fortunate enough to be selected due to his striking looks. From there, Simon began his journey as a part-time model to earn extra income for his family.
Earning 200 HKD from a single advertisement was beyond Simon Yam’s expectations. Thanks to this income, the living conditions of his family improved significantly.
The rise of Simon Yam
Thanks to his work in advertisements, Simon Yam caught the attention of filmmakers. At first, he only appeared as an extra, then gradually moved to supporting roles. Although the pay was modest, it was still a luxury for him. Not only did Simon use this money to help his mother improve the family’s living conditions, but he was also able to cover his own tuition fees to attend acting training classes at broadcasting station TVB. Some of his classmates at the time included Chow Yun-fat and Ng Man-tat.
However, at that time, there were countless good-looking actors, each with their own unique charm, making the competition fierce. While many of his peers like Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Andy Lau were cast in lead roles, Simon Yam was often assigned supporting roles.
Despite knowing that it would be hard to compete with his colleagues, Simon Yam remained undeterred. From 1991 to 1993, the actor, born in 1955, appeared in an average of 15 films per year. He shared that, during that time, he took on any role available, simply to make a living.
The 1990s also marked the rise of erotic films. To continue finding opportunities in the entertainment industry, Simon Yam had no choice but to take on roles in these films alongside various actresses.
Throughout his career, he never took advantage of intimate scenes to exploit his female co-stars. This earned Simon Yam great respect within the industry.
Simon Yam’s powerful brother
As Simon Yam’s career became more stable, his brother Peter Yam Tat-Wing was also continuously promoted. Peter Yam Tat-Wing applied to join the Hong Kong police force in 1972 and became a trainee inspector.
From 1990 to 1992, Peter Yam Tat-Wing was seconded to the UK as a police director. Later, Simon Yam’s brother was promoted to senior police officer in 1992 and became the Head of Police Department in 1996.
By 1998, Peter Yam Tat-Wing was appointed as Assistant Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force (Personnel division). In 2002, he was appointed Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police and concurrently held the position of Director of Management. By 2007, he was promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Management Department) and officially retired in 2010 after 37 years of service to Hong Kong’s security and law enforcement.
During his time in senior positions, Peter Yam Tat-Wing had command over the famous Hong Kong anti-terrorist Special Duties Unit, known as the “Flying Tigers.”
Thanks to his brother holding a high position in the police force, criminal gangs were wary of Simon Yam and didn’t dare to trouble him. Because of this, throughout his career in the arts, Simon Yam was never “harassed” by criminal syndicates.
In 1998, director Johnny To founded his own film company but lacked significant personnel resources. Desperate, Johnny To took a risk by inviting actors from a film company owned by the triad-affiliated Charles Heung. This enraged the Heung family, as they felt insulted.
Fearing retaliation, Johnny To had no choice but to ask Simon Yam for help, relying on his brother’s influence to resolve the issue. As expected, once Charles Heung learned that Johnny To had Simon Yam’s brother backing him, he backed down and kept the situation quiet. In gratitude, Johnny To often cast Simon Yam in his films.
Thanks to director Johnny To, Simon Yam’s career also progressed smoothly.
Another star who owed Simon Yam a debt of gratitude was Andy Lau. When the superstar fell into a trap set by triads in the northeast, he was lucky to be saved by Simon Yam and returned unharmed.
At that time, there was a saying circulating in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, which stated that there are only two people in the Hong Kong film industry that the underworld wouldn’t dare offend. One is Jackie Chan, and the other is Simon Yam.
Meanwhile, despite his brother holding a high position in the police force, Simon Yam remained very humble and never revealed his brother’s identity to the media. Only those in the entertainment industry knew how powerful Simon Yam’s brother was.
Source: K14
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