David Yip
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| Born | David Nicholas Yip (1951-06-04) 4 June 1951 (age 73)
Liverpool, England
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| Occupation(s) | Actor, playwright |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | Virginia Yip |
| Website | davidyip |
David Nicholas Yip[1] (Chinese: 葉西園; pinyin: Yè Xīyuán; Jyutping: Jip6 Sai1 Jyun4; born 4 June 1951) is a British actor of Chinese and English descent. He gained prominence through his lead role in the BBC series The Chinese Detective.[2]
Yip was born in Liverpool to a Chinese father, a seaman from Canton, and an English mother from Liverpool. He has six brothers and had a working class upbringing.[3][4]
After leaving school at 16, Yip worked as a shipping clerk for British Railways for 2 years. At 18, he was offered a job as an assistant stage manager by Teresa Collard at the Neptune Theatre. He participated in local youth productions while working at the Everyman, including one under the direction of Barry Kyle when he was visiting Liverpool Playhouse. Yip's peers encouraged him to audition for drama school. He got into East 15 Acting School and went on to complete his training in 1973.[5]
Yip is known for playing the lead role of John Ho in the 1981 BBC drama The Chinese Detective, notable for its frontlining of an ethnic British cast. He also played Michael Choì in the soap opera Brookside between 1989 and 1990. He also had a small part in the 1979 Doctor Who story Destiny of the Daleks and played a factory owner in Casualty. He also appeared in the 1979 Euston Films produced TV series of Quatermass for Thames Television.
His film credits include playing Wu Han in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and CIA liaison agent Chuck Lee in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill.
He performed the radio play The Inventor of Fireworks, written by Benjamin Yeoh for BBC Radio 3 on 22 January 2004.
Yip wrote a play, named Gold Mountain, which was made for Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008, but owing to writing problems, it was delayed. It is based on his father's life. It premiered on 6 October 2010, at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool, and was performed again in 2012.[6]
In 2013, Yip joined the cast of feature film All That Remains[7] which was released on 5 May 2016.[8]
David Yip is a practising Nichiren Buddhist and a member of the Soka Gakkai International. He lives in north Oxfordshire with his wife Virginia and his dog Buddy. His brother, Stephen Yip, stood as an independent candidate in the 2021 Liverpool mayor election.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Quatermass Conclusion | Frank Chen | |
| 1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Wu Han | |
| 1985 | A View to a Kill | Chuck Lee | |
| 1986 | Ping Pong | Mike Wong | |
| 1987 | Out of Order | Policeman | |
| 1994 | Goodbye Hong Kong | Peter Ma | |
| 1996 | Hamlet | Sailor One | |
| 1999 | Fast Food | Mr Fortune | |
| 1999 | Entrapment | Chief of Police | |
| 2001 | My Kingdom | Merv | |
| 2008 | Act of Grace | Kai | |
| 2009 | The School That Roared | Winnie's Dad | |
| 2011 | Re-Evolution | Councillor | |
| 2016 | All That Remains | Noburu Nagai | |
| 2020 | Break | Vincent Qiang |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Whodunnit? | Suspect | Episode: "Portrait in Black" |
| 1979 | Doctor Who | Veldan | Destiny of the Daleks; 2 episodes |
| 1981–1982 | The Chinese Detective | Detective Sergeant John Ho | Lead role |
| 1989–1990 | Making Out | Mr. Kim | 3 episodes |
| 1989–1990 | Brookside | Michael Choi | 17 episodes |
| 1993 | Every Silver Lining | Leonard | 6 episodes |
| 1996 | Bugs | Chaku | Episode: "...Must Come Down " |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Assad | Miniseries |
| 2002 | Oscar Charlie | Dr Pang | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | The Bill | Li Chen | Episode: "100: Under the Thumb" |
| 2006 | Casualty | Jiang Guang | Episode: "No Way Back" |
| 2008 | ChuckleVision | Chives the Butler | Episode: "The Mystery of Little-Under-Standing" |
| 2010 | Spirit Warriors | Ding-Xiang | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Holby City | Raymond Lo | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | 24: Live Another Day | President Wei | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Fortitude | Hong Mankyo | 6 episodes (series 2–3) |
| 2018 | Luo Bao Bei | Grandpa | Voice role; 26 episodes |
| 2021 | Midsomer Murders | Fergus Rooney | Episode: "Scarecrow Murders" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Just Cause 2 | ||
| 2012 | Brink | Additional voices | |
| 2013 | Lego City Undercover |
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