David Yip
David Nicholas Yip (Chinese: 葉西園; pinyin: Yè Xīyuán; born 4 June 1951) is a British actor and playwright. He gained prominence through his role in the BBC series The Chinese Detective (1981–1982) as the first East Asian lead on British television.
David Yip | |||||||||||
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Yip at the British Library in 2022 | |||||||||||
| Born | David Nicholas Yip 4 June 1951 Liverpool, England | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | East 15 Acting School | ||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Actor, playwright | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1973–present | ||||||||||
| Spouse | Virginia Yip | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 葉西園 | ||||||||||
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| Website | davidyip | ||||||||||
His films include A View to a Kill (1985), Ping Pong (1986), and Break (2020). Yip wrote and starred in the play Gold Mountain. On television, he appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1989–1990), the CBBC series Spirit Warriors (2010), and the Sky Atlantic thriller Fortitude (2017–2018). He is also known for his voice work.
Yip has given talks and presented documentaries on the Chinese community in his hometown of Liverpool. In 2022, he was awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Essex and Edge Hill University.