A native of Taiwan, David Lam Wai first came to attention in 1984 with his role as the leader of a group of Mainland would-be jewel thieves in Johnny Mak's classic Long Arm of the Law. He got started in movies with bit part roles at Shaw Brothers studios, and after establishing himself as a lead actor, he participated in numerous crime, action, and gangster films throughout the 1980's and 90's.