Gregory Charles Rivers dead – Actor who starred in Hong Kong movies opposite Jackie Chan dies aged 58

AN Australian actor who starred opposite Jackie Chan has died aged 58.

Gregory Charles Rivers moved to Hong Kong in the 1980s to pursue his acting career and appeared in more than 40 popular productions in the country.

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Actor Gregory Charles Rivers has died aged 58Credit: Getty

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Australian actor Gregory Charles Rivers with legendary Hong Kong actor Simon YamCredit: Instagram

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Gregory moved to Hong Kong in the 1980s to pursue his acting careerCredit: Instagram

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He appeared in more than 40 popular productions in Hong Kong during his careerCredit: Instagram

According to reports in Hong Kong, Rivers was found unconscious in a room of a Tai Au Mun Village house in Clear Water Bay on February 2.

Some of Rivers’ most popular work included the 2022 action thriller Man on the Edge with legendary Hong Kong actor Simon Yam.

He also starred opposite Jackie Chan in the 2021 HK comedy movie All U Need Is Love. 

Born in Queensland in 1965, Rivers originally studied for a medicine degree before he dropped out to pursue acting in Hong Kong in 1988.

Rivers – who also went by the Cantonese stage name Ho Kwok Wing – initially found a job teaching English before auditioning for a role for a new TV series at Television Broadcasts Ltd.

He got the part – even though he admitted his “acting was terrible, and my Cantonese was terrible”.

And he quickly got roles as the Cantonese-speaking Caucasian in a range of TV shows.

He joked he became the TV station’s “token Caucasian”.

“The audition was really bad, but they didn’t have a second choice,” he said in an ABC News interview in 2016.

“I ended up being TVB’s token Caucasian for 20 years straight.”

After making his TVB debut in 1988’s Twilight Of A Nation, Rivers appeared in more than 200 dramas over the course of his 20-year stint with TVB.

“Every time we filmed, I learnt more new words,” he told SBS in a 2022 interview.

“I don’t get to speak English in my daily life, as my friends around me are all local Hongkongers.”

Rivers also did a short stint as an English coach for Hong Kong screen legend Chow Yun Fat in 2007.

And in 2008, Rivers left TVB after Chow reportedly encouraged him to try movies.

Later, Rivers was awarded “best Hong Kong male singer” by a local TV show.

“No words can explain how happy I was receiving the award,” he said.

“It wasn’t obtained through siding with anyone or pulling strings. It was purely an indication that people thought you deserved it.”

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Rivers pictured with Richard BransonCredit: Instagram

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Rivers appeared in more than 200 dramas over the course of his 20-year stint with TVBCredit: Instagram