David Yip
David Nicholas Yip[1] (Chinese: 葉西園; pinyin: Yè Xīyuán; Jyutping: Jip6 Sai1 Jyun4; born 4 June 1951) is a British actor of Chinese and English descent best known for his lead role in The Chinese Detective.[2]
David Yip | |
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Born | David Nicholas Yip 4 June 1951 Liverpool, England |
Occupation | Actor, playwright |
Years active | 1979–present |
Spouse(s) | Virginia Yip |
Website | https://davidyip.co.uk |
Early life
Yip was born in Liverpool and trained at East 15 Acting School, Essex. He is the son of a Chinese father, a seaman from Canton, and an English mother from Liverpool.[3]
Career
Yip is known for playing the lead role of John Ho in the 1981 BBC drama The Chinese Detective, notable for its frontlining of an ethnic British cast. He also played Michael Choì in the soap opera Brookside between 1989 and 1990. He also had a small part in the 1979 Doctor Who story Destiny of the Daleks and played a factory owner in Casualty. He also appeared in the 1979 Euston Films produced TV series of Quatermass for Thames Television.
His film credits include playing Wu Han in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and CIA liaison agent Chuck Lee in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill.
He performed the radio play The Inventor of Fireworks, written by Benjamin Yeoh for BBC Radio 3 on 22 January 2004.
Yip wrote a play, named Gold Mountain, which was made for Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008, but owing to writing problems, it was delayed. It is based on his father's life. It premiered on 6 October 2010, at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool, and was performed again in 2012.[4]
In 2013, Yip joined the cast of feature film All That Remains[5] which was released on 5 May 2016.[6]
Personal life
David Yip is a practising Nichiren Buddhist and a member of the Soka Gakkai International. He lives in north Oxfordshire with his wife Virginia and his dog Buddy.
Filmography
- Deep End (1970) as Hot dog vendor (uncredited)
- Whodunnit? (1975) as Suspect
- The Quatermass Conclusion (1979) as Frank Chen
- Doctor Who (1979) as Veldan
- The Chinese Detective (1981-1982, TV Series) as Detective Sergeant John Ho
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) as Wu Han
- A View to a Kill (1985) as Chuck Lee
- Ping Pong (1986) as Mike Wong
- Out of Order (1987) as Policeman
- Making Out (1989-1990, TV Series) as Mr. Kim
- Brookside (1989-1990, TV Series) as Michael Choi
- Every Silver Lining (1993) as Leonard
- Covert Assassin (1994) as Peter Ma
- Bugs (1996, TV Series) as Chaku
- Hamlet (1996) as Sailor One
- Fast Food (1999) as Mr Fortune
- Entrapment (1999) as Chief of Police
- Arabian Nights (2000, TV Series) as Assad
- My Kingdom (2001) as Merv
- Oscar Charlie (2002) as Dr Pang
- The Bill (2003) as Li Chen
- Casualty (2006, TV Series) as Jiang Guang
- Act of Grace (2008) as Kai
- The School That Roared (2009) as Winnie's Dad
- ChuckleVision (2009) as Chives the Butler
- Spirit Warriors (2010, TV Series) as Ding-Xiang
- Re-Evolution (2011) as Councillor
- Brink (video game) (2012) as Additional Voices (voice)
- Holby City (2013) as Raymond Lo
- 24: Live Another Day (2014) as President Wei
- All That Remains (2016) as Noburu Nagai
- Break (2020) as Qiang
References
- "David Yip - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- Hill, Dave (12 March 2009). "The Chinese Detective starring David Yip was quality 1980s television drama". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- "David Yip stars in 'Gold Mountain' at Liverpool's Unity Theatre". Liverpool Daily Post. 8 October 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
- "David Yip On ... Revisiting 'Gold Mountain'". What's On Stage. 10 April 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- "Cast Interview: David Yip". All That Remains: production blog. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- "All That Remains (2016)". IMDb. Retrieved 13 July 2017.