Philip Chan

Philip Chan Yan-kin (born 25 January 1945) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and music composer of Taishan area origin. Career He worked as a Royal Hong Kong Police Force police inspector before entering the entertainment industry. His most memorable moment as a police inspector was during a press conference with members of Hong Kong's press at the scene of the 1974 Po Sang Bank robbery, one of the biggest bank robbery cases up until then in Hong Kong history. He resigned as a Superintendent of Police in 1976 to join Bang Bang Films as a Producer. He simultaneously headed its Advertising Department, marketing the then very popular jeans and apparel brand-name in Hong Kong. Chan became popular in the then-British Colony of Hong Kong by being the lead vocalist for the first all-Chinese college pop group, "The Astro-Notes" (named for the astronauts of the 1960s). He became a household name when he joined the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1965. He displayed courage and leadership in solving several sensational, major crime cases in the British Colony, including the first-ever armed bank robbery in 1974 in which 11 hostages were held at ransom. He was nicknamed the "Singing Inspector" when he wrote the lyrics and went on TV to promote road safety for school children. His success in police work earned him a quick promotion to Superintendent of Police in 1975.