Philippe Joly (Chinese: 狼森; pinyin: Lángsēn) (born 2 January 1976) is a French actor and screenwriter, born in Moscow, Russia. Joly is best known for his role as Zoltan in the 2015 film Pound of Flesh[1] with Jean-Claude Van Damme and his role as Decimus in Jackie Chan’s film Dragon Blade[2] directed by Daniel Lee, in which he appears alongside American actors John Cusack and Adrien Brody, and French singer/actress Lorie Pester.
Philippe Joly | |
|---|---|
 Philippe Joly, actor | |
| Born | 2 January 1976 |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Screenwriter, Producer, model |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Joly regularly plays the villain [3] in Action films in Asia, and appeared alongside major Hong Kong actors including; Chow Yun Fat, and Andy Lau. Recent projects include Juno Mak's latest film Sons of the Neon Night (Chinese: 風林火山), and the Chinese Sci-fi action film Ultimate Code (Chinese: 终极代码) in which Joly plays a leading role as the main villain alongside a Chinese cast and fellow french actor and Parkour founder David Belle.
As well as acting, Joly has also written many screenplays, and produced and directed a few Independent films in Hong Kong.[4] Joly speaks several languages (French, Russian, Italian and English), is an avid practitioner of close-up magic and card manipulation, and has trained in various Martial Arts since the age of 5. While not a stuntman, Joly often has to perform stunts as required by the Action film genre and the type of characters he plays. In the film Lust & Found, he choreographed the fight scene sequence.
Filmography edit
Films edit
| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | City Defender | 守城者 | Louis | TV series directed by Su Wanchong and starring Zeng Shunxi. City Defender pays tribute to the Hong Kong Police and celebrates the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. |
| 2023 | The Goldfinger | 金手指 | Head of KGB | Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong is an upcoming Hong Kong action crime thriller film written and directed by Felix Chong, and starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung. Set in the 1980s, the film is based on the story of Carrian Group, a Hong Kong corporation which rose rapidly before collapsing shortly afterwards due to a corruption scandal.[5] |
| 2020 | The Modelizer (formerly Hong Kong Love Story) | Vadim | Romantic comedy starring Byron Mann,[6] Dominika Kachlik, K-pop star and actor Nichkhun, Celinde Schoenmaker, Julia Nickson, Rayssa Bratillieri, Hana Hrzic, and legendary Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang.[7] Directed by Keoni Waxman. | |
| Variant | 星际变种 | Joey | Chinese Science fiction adventure action production, directed by Qilin Li. Starring Jim Liu, Shuting Yang, Karl Dominik, Alex Zerrath, Eric Heise, Chelsey Mark [8] | |
| The Ultimate Code | 终极代码 | Mick | Style: Action. Starring David Belle, Wu Zhiting and Meng Lu.[9] | |
| Sons of the Neon Night | 風林火山 | Enzo | Style: Crime Drama Thriller. Director: Juno Mak.[10][11]
Starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Sean Lau, and Louis Koo. | |
| Battle of Defense 2 | 捍战2 | General | Directed by Yunpeng Xie. With Robert Knepper and Zhaoqi Shi [12] | |
| 2019 | The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords | 扫毒2天地对决 | Jozsef | Starring Andy Lau, Louis Koo. Directed by Herman Yau. Winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Visual Effects.[13] |
| Abduction (formerly Twilight Zodiac) | 决战异世界 (also known as 生死鬼蜮) | Mogilov | Starring Scott Adkins, Andy On, Truong Ngoc-anh. Directed by Ernie Barbarash. Executive Producer Roger Corman for IQiyi, Producers Henry Luk and Mike Leeder.[14] | |
| Change Of Gangster | 转型团伙 | Gangster | Mob Comedy directed by Francis Ng.[15] Starring Francis Ng, his son Feynman Ng, Simon Yam, Frankie Ng Chi-Hung, and Qiao Shan. | |
| Flying Tiger (season 2) | 飛虎之雷霆極戰 | MI6 Commander | Second season of the Hong Kong action-drama series Flying Tiger, which follows an elite Hong Kong police officer tasked with infiltrating a dangerous criminal organization. Starring Lee Pace[16] | |
| 2018 | Call Me Agent | 我要做特務 | Mafia Boss | Starring Cantopop singer Poyiu Wong (of the Hong Kong girl group Staries), Vincent Luk, Malaysian singer Belle Lee and veteran Hong Kong actor Gabriel Wong Yat San. Co-directed by Hong Kong director Eric Lam, who wrote the screenplay, and Malaysian director Michael Chuah, who also serves as producer.[17] |
| 2017 | Captured | Jean-Pierre Bonnet | Directors: Ross W. Clarkson. Starring Oliver Williams, Sara Malakul Lane, Katrina Grey, Andrew Ng, Emilie Guillot | |
| OCTB | 反黑 | Jay (George's henchman) | Director: Jones Soong (Chinese: 宋本中). Starring Jordan Chan, Danny Chan Kwok-kwan, Sam Lee, Michael Chan Wai-man, Frankie Ng Chi Hung.[18] | |
| Chasing The Dragon | 追龍 | Chief Commissioner of Police | Directors: Jason Kwan, Wong Jing. Starring Donnie Yen and Andy Lau.[19] | |
| Agent Mr Chan | 棟篤特工 | French Chef | Director: Jeff Cheung Ka-Kit. Starring: Dayo Wong Chi-Wah and Charmaine Sheh See-Man. | |
| 2016 | Ghost In The Shell | Section 6 Agent | Directed by Rupert Sanders. Starring Scarlett Johansson,[20] and Pilou Asbæk . | |
| Mission Milano | 王牌逗王牌 | Killer | Chinese-Hong Kong action adventure comedy film directed by Wong Jing. Starring Andy Lau. | |
| 2015 | Pound of Flesh | Zoltan | Directed by Ernie Barbarash. Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and the late Darren Shahlavi. | |
| Dragon Blade | 天將雄師 | General Paullus | Directed by Daniel Lee. Starring Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Lorie Pester, and Choi Siwon. | |
| Helios | 赤道 | Mr. Big’s bodyguard | Starring Chang Chen, Janice Man, Nick Cheung, Jacky Cheung, and Choi Siwon. | |
| Little Big Master | 五個小孩的校長 | Director of French Museum | Starring Miriam Yeung, and Louis Koo. The film is the 12th highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time.[21] | |
| Lust & Found | Kimchi | Directed by Lawrence Gray | ||
| 2014 | VOR[22] | Alexander Orlov | Written and directed by Philippe Joly. | |
| Hacker | Colombian Assassin | Directed by Kazakh director Akan Satayev[23] Starring Callan McAuliffe and Lorraine Nicholson. | ||
| My Name Is Tanyusha | Vernon the magician | Philippe Joly is also co-writer and co-producer. | ||
| From Vegas to Macau | 賭城風雲 | American Gangster | Directed by Wong Jing. Starring Chow Yun Fat. Produced by Andrew Lau, who directed the film Infernal Affairs, which was remade[24] by Martin Scorsese in 2006 as The Departed. |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Flying Tiger 3 | 飛虎之壯志英雄 | Ivanovo | Produced by Shaw Brothers |
| 2019 | Flying Tiger 2 | 飛虎之雷霆極戰 | MI6 Commander | Produced by Shaw Brothers |
| 2014 | Tiger Cubs II | 飞虎II | Terrorist | Produced by TVB |
| Lord of Shanghai | 梟雄 | Police officer | Produced by TVB | |
| The Ultimate Addiction | 點金勝手 | Chef | Produced by TVB |
Short films edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Bonus for the Bullseye | The Snake | Comedy written and Directed by Philippe Joly. Cinematography by Andreas Guzman. Also starring Anthony Roussel, Semiquaver Iafeta, Andreas Guzman. |
| Not Today | Written and Directed by Philippe Joly. A short film launched for World Suicide Prevention Day in order to raise awareness.[25] Starring Anthony Roussel and Semiquaver Iafeta. | ||
| The Legacy | Mr. Mallick | Written and Directed by Philippe Joly as part of the Bloody River series exploring the criminal world in various chapters. This chapter, called The Legacy, looks at loyalty and mercy. Cinematography by Thomas Sandfield. | |
| Denial | Dad | Written and Directed by Philippe Joly as part of the Roger Corman challenge to filmmakers and the Corman Quarantine Film Festival.[26] | |
| Family Business | Anton's Dad | Comedy, written and directed by Philippe Joly. | |
| 2019 | Trigger Happy | Sam | Written and Directed by Philippe Joly. Director of photography Thomas Sandfield. |
| 2016 | Angel | Stefan | Written and Directed by Owen Fitzpatrick. Action and Fight Choreography by Philippe Joly |
| Insomnia | Rudy, Psychiatrist | Written and Directed by Solomon Wong. | |
| 2014 | Paid In Full | Written and Directed by Philippe Joly. | |
| Beef & Broccoli | Thug | Directed by Damon Dash Kung-Fu short inspired by true events, shot on location in Hong Kong. |
Modeling edit
Philippe occasionally works as a model for brands and advertising campaigns including:
- Tai Pan Row - luxury tailor in Hong Kong
- Kraftek - luxury Apple watch cases and bracelets
- 3D Robotics - 3DR Drone mini series
- Hong Kong SAR 20th Anniversary - TV commercial "Together, Progress, Opportunity".[27]
- Rangerfone - Outdoor phone brand
Early years edit
Before becoming an actor and getting involved in the film industry, Philippe Joly was an entrepreneur and digital marketing expert.[28] He founded a number of technology start-ups in Ireland, Italy and Hong Kong, including:
- Safebox - Award-winning [29] application that pioneered the field of mobile privacy in pre-smartphone Era
- clickSUMO - Leading A2P messaging platform
- EmerTech - Enabler of digital identity solutions using blockchain technologies.
- Yeloworld - Mobile VoIP application acquired by Talk360 [30]
- SIMchronise - Mobile data synchronisation company that was part of the High Potential Start-Ups unit of Enterprise Ireland
He is also the author of a book on start-ups and entrepreneurship called "Potemkin, Inc.".[31]
Philippe first got into films as a screenwriter. His first screenplay was "No Tomorrow", which he co-wrote with his friend Paolo Rizzardini.
References edit
- ^ Hollywood Reporter film review Hollywood Reporter (18 February 2015)
- ^ Dragon Blade film review Variety.com (26 February 2015)
- ^ AroundDB Magazine Interview Philippe Joly talks about Indie Filmmaking in Hong Kong (June 2014)
- ^ cGuide Macau Interview Philippe Joly discusses Indie films VOR and My Name is Tanuysha (February 16, 2014)
- ^ "Andy Lau and Tony Leung Reunite On Screen in New Film". JayneStar. February, 2021.
- ^ "The Big Short and Street Fighter actor Byron Mann on new film he wrote and stars in, a love letter to Hong Kong". SCMP. February, 2021.
- ^ "Byron Mann, Dominika Kachlik, Nichkhun And Kenneth Tsang To Star In Romantic Comedy Hong Kong Love Story". Deadline. October, 2020.
- ^ "Sci-fi action blockbuster Variant opening ceremony". Sohu. October, 2018.
- ^ "Action movie The Ultimate Code press conference held in Shenzhen". China.com News. July, 2017.
- ^ "HK FilMart: Juno Mak to Deconstruct Hong Kong in Sons of the Neon Night". Variety.com. March, 2015.
- ^ "Juno Mak’s ‘Sons Of The Neon Night’ set for release later this year". Far East Films. April, 2019.
- ^ "Sequel to patriotic action film Defended War has wrapped". 1905.com News. Aug, 2019.
- ^ "The White Storm 2 Stars Andy Lau and Louis Koo". JayneStars. June, 2018.
- ^ "ABDUCTION: Scott Adkins' Upcoming Action Flick with Andy On Gets a Name Change and New Images!". Action-flix.com. March, 2018.
- ^ "Change of Gangster 轉型團伙". Hong Kong Cinema. June 2017.
- ^ "Lee Pace Joins Hong Kong Drama Series Flying Tiger in Key Role". Variety. September, 2018.
- ^ "Malaysia-HK spy movie ‘Call Me Agent’ being filmed across Klang Valley". Star2.com. May, 2018.
- ^ "反黑 OCTB Hong Kong Crime/Thriller series in VOD passes 1 million views". HK01.com. Sept 23, 2017.
- ^ "DONNIE YEN To Play Notorious Gangster In CHASING THE DRAGON With ANDY LAU". Martial Arts Action Cinema. May, 2017.
- ^ "Hollywood star starts shooting Hong Kong scenes for new film". South China Morning Post. June 8, 2016.
- ^ "HKSAR Film Top 10 Box Office" (25 May 2015).
- ^ VOR ! breaks out in Hong Kong Impact Online Magazine (January 17, 2014)
- ^ "Kazakhstan Director Akan Satayev To Helm Canadian Indie Hacker". Hollywood Reporter. 09/06/13.
- ^ "Infernal Affairs vs. the remake, The Departed". Film.com. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ^ "NOT TODAY – #WorldSuicidePreventionDay" mentalideas.org (Sept 10, 2020)
- ^ "Roger Corman Launches Short Film Fest Competition During Quarantine" Hollywood Reporter (April 15, 2020)
- ^ "Hong Kong SAR 20th Anniversary". Hong Kong Government. July 17.
- ^ "General Assembly Instructor Profile". General Assembly. June 17.
- ^ "Safebox Wins At 2011 Global Messaging Awards". Irish Internet Association.2011.
- ^ "Mobile VoIP provider Talk360 acquires Yeloworld". Talk360.2014.
- ^ "100 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read". Sujan Patel.August 2012.
External links edit
- Philippe Joly at IMDb
- Philippe Joly Official Website
- Impact Online: ‘VOR ! breaks out in Hong Kong’ (17 January 2014)
- (in Spanish) VanDammeForum.com Entrevista exclusiva a Philippe Joly