David Yip


David Nicholas Yip is a British actor of Chinese and English descent best known for his lead role in The Chinese Detective.

Early life

Yip was born in Liverpool and trained at East 15 Acting School, Essex. He is the son of a Chinese father, a seaman from Canton, and an English mother from Liverpool.

Career

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.
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.
In 2013, Yip joined the cast of feature film All That Remains which was released on 5 May 2016.

Personal life

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.

Selected TV and filmography