Aarif Rahman

Aarif Rahman (, born 26 February 1987), also known as Aarif Lee Zhi-ting, is a Hong Kong actor, singer and songwriter.

Early life Born in Hong Kong, Aarif Rahman is of mixed Arab, Malay and Chinese descent. He grew up in Hong Kong and attended King George V School, where he discovered his penchant for music and started playing drums, guitar and the piano, as well as dabbling in song-writing.

After graduating with a physics degree from the Imperial College London, Rahman signed with East Asia Record Production company. Following this, in 2009 he released his debut album Starting from Today, which won him the Best Newcomer award at the Metro Radio Music Awards. which won him the Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer and Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild for Best New Actor of the Year – Silver Award. The theme song which he sang also won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Song. He then starred as Bruce Lee in the dramatic biopic film Bruce Lee, My Brother (2010) and as a ICAC principal investigator in the crime thriller Cold War (2012).

In 2013, Rahman starred in the Mainland romantic comedy One Night Surprise. The low-budget film unexpectedly became a commercial success, and received positive reviews. Rahman won the Best New Actor award at the 1st China International Film Festival London and Outstanding Performance award at the Chinese Film Media Awards for his performance. Rahman then starred in historical drama The Empress of China, where he played the role of Li Zhi. The 82-episode TV series was broadcast on Hunan Television from 21 December 2014 to 5 February 2015, and earned increased recognition for Rahman in the Mainland region. He won the Best Actor in the Ancient Drama category at the Huading Awards for his performance.

In 2016, Rahman starred alongside Korean actress Kim Ha-neul in the family film Making Family. He also featured in Guo Jingming's fantasy animated motion capture L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties, and reprised his role in the sequel of Cold War.

In 2017, Rahman starred alongside Jackie Chan in the action comedy film Kung Fu Yoga. The same year, he starred in Tsui Hark's science fiction wuxia film The Thousand Faces of Dunjia.

In 2019, Rahman starred in the historical romance drama Princess Silver as the male lead.

Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes/2010 Echoes of the Rainbow 歲月神偷 Luo Jinyi Frozen 為你鍾情 Cheung Wai-kit Bruce Lee, My Brother 李小龍我的兄弟 Bruce Lee2011 I Love Hong Kong 我爱HK开心万岁 Wu Ming The Allure of Tears 傾城之淚 You Le Dear Enemy 親密敵人 Heng Lima 2012 Cold War 寒戰 Billy K.B. Cheung 2013 One Night Surprise 一夜驚喜 Tony 2014 South of the Clouds 北迴歸線 Li Ming 2015 Tales of Mystery 怪談 Zi Liang 2016 Cold War 2 寒戰2 Billy K.B. Cheung L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties 爵跡 Ni Hong Making Family 非常父子檔 Zhou Liyan 2017 Kung Fu Yoga 功夫瑜伽 Jones The Thousand Faces of Dunjia 奇門遁甲 Dao Yizhang 2020 Special Couple 合法伴侣 Gu Dabai 2026Once Upon a Time in the Middle East欢迎来龙餐馆Tony Wang

Television series

Discography Studio albums Release date TitleTrack listing Label 26 November 2009Starting from TodayAmusic 5 February 2010 Starting from Today 2nd Version 16 August 2011 Everything 14 March 2014 Aarif's Love

Singles

Awards Music Year Award Category Nominated work 2009 Metro Radio Hits Awards New Singer Award Starting From Today Best Singer Songwriter Album Award Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation Best Male Newcomer – Gold Award 2010 IFPI Music Sales Awards Best Selling Male Newcomer 10th Chinese Music Media Awards Best Cantopop Male Newcomer 29th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song Sui Yue Qing Kuang Mandarin Hit Songs 7th CNTV's Music King Hit Global Chinese Music Award Film Golden Song Award 2011 8th CNTV's Music King Hit Global Chinese Music Award All-Rounded Artist Award (Hong Kong/Taiwan) Singer-Song Writer Award Golden Song Award "Ni Gu La" 2013 9th CNTV's Music King Hit Global Chinese Music Award All-Rounded Artist Award Singer-Song Writer Award 1st China International Film Festival London Best Original Film Song "One Night Surprise" 9+2 Music Pioneer Awards Most Popular Duet Song Best Film Singer 2014 2nd V Chart Awards Best Collaboration "One Night Surprise" Top Social Singer Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards Presentation Hit Singer-Songwriter Award Mandarin Hit Songs"Shui Qi Wei" 9+2 Music Pioneer Awards Best Trendy Singer-Songwriter Best Global Premiere Song "Bu Ke Si Yi"2015 V Chart AwardsHot Trend Artist of the Year (Hong Kong/Taiwan) 19th China Music Awards Best Singer-Songwriter Best Golden Song (Hong Kong/Taiwan) "Fly" KU Music Asian Music Awards Most Popular Crossover Artist

Film and television Year Award Category Nominated work Result/2010 29th Hong Kong Film Awards Best New Performer Echoes of the Rainbow 31st Hundred Flowers Awards Best Supporting Actor 2011 11th Chinese Film Media Awards Best New Performer 5th Asian Film Awards Best Newcomer 2013 1st China International Film Festival London Best New Actor One Night Surprise 2014 14th Chinese Film Media Awards Outstanding Performance 2015 17th Huading Awards Best Actor – Ancient Drama The Empress of China