ABSTRACT
Leslie Cheung (Zhang Guorong, 1956-2003) more than deserves his place in any collection of scholarly writings on film stars and stardom. By the time he jumped to his death from the twenty-fourth floor of theMandarin Oriental Hotel, HongKong, on 1 April 2003, Cheung had been acting in movies for a quarter of a century and was one of the city’s most experienced, respected andwealthiest media celebrities. He had also attained international fame through remarkable performances in a series of important gangster, fantasy and art-house films that helped establish Chinese cinema’s global reputation in the 1980s and 1990s.1 Cheung had won acting awards along with the loyalty of a legion of devoted fans. Moreover, death proved to be on his side as well. While news of the star’s suicide shocked and saddened a grieving public, it also catapulted Leslie Cheung to legendary status. As Yiman Wang points out, since 2003 ‘Gor Gor’ (the elder brother) has accrued ‘increased charisma after his death’ (Wang 2007: 327; original emphasis), in part because internet fandom allows the star’s iconic presence to be extended and savoured in myriad ways across multiple media formats. Clearly, not only are Leslie Cheung’s achievements on the silver screen impressive and memorable but also his digital after-life possesses ongoing resonance.
