Yau Piu, nicknamed TVB's 'go-to scumbag', dies aged 57

Hong Kong actor Yau Piu, who was formerly with broadcaster TVB, died aged 57 yesterday (Feb 24) following a brain haemorrhage.

According to Hong Kong media reports, his close friend and business partner, actor Wong Man-biu, confirmed the news, saying that Yau Piu suddenly felt unwell during a meeting on Feb 12 and asked the former to call an ambulance.

Already in a semi-comatose state, he was taken to hospital and subsequently diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage. He remained in a coma until 10pm last night when he was pronounced dead. He is survived by his wife and a young daughter.

Yau Biu enrolled in TVB's third actors training course in 1989, signing on with the broadcaster the following year upon graduation. He appeared in more than 100 shows — including The Greed of Man (1992) — where he was often cast in supporting, villainous roles as a rapist or gangster, earning him the nickname of TVB's "go-to scumbag".

In an interview prior to his death, Yau Piu reportedly revealed that he left TVB in 2012 due to dissatisfaction with the wages and career limitations.

In his time working for TVB, he had already been developing his own environmental engineering company since 2004, which eventually gained success. According to Malaysian publication Sin Chew Daily, the business sold 100ml antiseptic products that fetched prices as high as RM378 (S$120) per bottle during Covid-19 in 2020.

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kristy.chua@asiaone.com