Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Chow Yun-fat has announced he is to donate his vast wealth to charity after he dies.
Also known to western audiences for films such as the Oscar-winning Pirates of the Caribbean and gangster classic A Better Tomorrow, Chow has endeared himself to fans in recent years with a modest lifestyle.
Multimillionaire Chow, 63, joined Forbes’ list of highest paid actors in the world for the first time in 2015, sharing 24th place with Russell Crowe.
Yet in Hong Kong – a city with no shortage of flashy socialites and stars – he can be spotted taking public transport and lining up for tickets to watch his own movie.
Now he has pledged to give away his entire fortune, reportedly HK$5.6bn (US$715m).
“This money isn’t something you possess forever. When you’re gone one day, you have to leave it to others to use it,” he told South Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.
“You can’t bring the money in your bank account with you after you die,” he said, adding his wife “strongly supports” his decision.
Hong Kong’s wealth gap was at its widest last year for nearly half a century, fuelling discontent as the former British colony marked two decades under Chinese rule.
Sky-high prices and the cost of living outstrip many ordinary residents’ salaries, with apartments becoming increasingly cramped and generations of families forced to share.
Meanwhile, the city’s mega-rich continue their display of extreme wealth and pursuit of status symbols.
Chow, affectionately nicknamed “Brother Fat” in Hong Kong, has won praise for taking an opposite tack.
His wife, Jasmine Tan, has previously described how her husband often eats at street stalls and only gave up his beloved Nokia flip-phone when it died after years of use.
Caco