Patrick Tse Yin (谢贤)

Patrick Tse Yin is a towering figure in Hong Kong entertainment — an actor, director, and producer whose career spanned over 70 years and nearly 200 films and television series. Known to generations as “Four哥” (Fourth Brother) — a nickname born from both his birth order in a family of eight siblings and his iconic role as Luo Sihai in the 1980 TVB classic The King of Gamblers — Tse was the embodiment of Hong Kong showbiz royalty. He was a leading man in the golden age of Cantonese cinema, a television star who helped rescue TVB‘s ratings, and, in his twilight years, a record-breaking award winner. With his signature black sunglasses, ponytail, and effortlessly cool demeanor, Tse was more than an actor; he was a living symbol of an entire era of Hong Kong’s screen culture.

Breakthrough Role Tse‘s career-defining moment came in 1980 with the TVB drama The King of Gamblers (Qian Wang Zhi Wang). At a time when TVB was facing intense competition, the network assembled a dream team — producer Wong Tin-lam and his son, Wong Jing — to create a series that would reclaim the ratings crown. Tse was cast as the lead, the charismatic and cunning gambler Luo Sihai. The gamble paid off spectacularly: the show became a massive hit, revitalized TVB‘s fortunes, and cemented “Four哥” as Tse’s lifelong moniker. While he had already been a major film star for decades — rising to fame with the 1956 film Murder Case 999 and starring as the first screen Yang Guo in The Return of the Condor Heroes — it was The King of Gamblers that introduced him to a new generation and secured his place in television history.

Public Perception In the Hong Kong entertainment industry, Patrick Tse was universally regarded as a legend — a “big brother” figure whose influence was so immense that even stars like Andy Lau paid homage to him in song. Yet his public perception is layered with both awe and tenderness. He was celebrated for his unapologetically flamboyant lifestyle, his high-profile romances (including marriages to actresses Zhen Zhen and Deborah Lee, the mother of his children Nicholas and Jennifer Tse), and his unwavering dedication to his craft. In 2019, he received the Hong Kong Film Awards‘ Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of service to the industry. Three years later, in a storybook ending to his career, the 85-year-old Tse won the Best Actor award for his role in the film Time (Sai Chut Go Wong Faan), making him the oldest Best Actor winner in the history of the Hong Kong Film Awards. This triumph — winning his first acting award decades after receiving a lifetime achievement honor — was seen as a poetic affirmation of a career built on sheer perseverance and talent. Off-screen, Tse was known for his generosity, once appearing in Stephen Chow‘s Shaolin Soccer for free. Following his passing in July 2026 at the age of 89, tributes poured in from across the industry, honoring not just an actor, but the very spirit of Hong Kong cinema.