繁體中文
陳錦棠是廣東中山小欖人（一說南海），1906年8月7日出生，戲行中人稱他「一哥」。他早年拜小生新北為師，與以演黃飛鴻聞名的關德興是同門師兄弟，其後加入覺先聲劇團，跟隨薛覺先學藝並結為誼父子。他十三歲在戲班當「拉扯」，十七歲任第四小武，十八歲入新紀元戲班任第二小武，之後轉到大羅天及覺先聲劇團，由小武轉任小生與文武生。他在覺先聲劇團演《女兒香》中的反派魏昭仁而一舉成名；其主演的名劇有與芳艷芬合演的《隋宮十載菱花夢》、《火網梵宮十四年》、《董小宛》、《萬世流芳張玉喬》，與紅線女合演的《新海盜名流》、《血海蜂》，戰前另有《銅網陣》、《五龍會》等。因以演武戲著名，他有「武狀元」之稱，除擅打五色真軍（真兵器）外，尚有「飛椅」絕技。1937年他組織錦添花劇團，戲寶有《金鏢黃天霸》、《三盜九龍杯》等。1973年他退出舞台，最後一齣演出的是與李寶瑩合演的《秋江戰火解情仇》。他早在1934年已參與電影演出，首部參演的《紅船外史》（又名《美德夫人》）在上海拍攝，他與謝醒儂合演片中「戲中戲」《璇宮艷史》一段；其後在香港參演《萬惡之夫》（1937）及《第八天堂》（1939）。首部擔綱演出的影片是武俠片《俠盜錦毛鼠》（1941）。1934至1968年間他演出逾一百部影片，名片有《金鏢黃天霸》（1948）、《董小宛》（1950）、《新女兒香》（1953）、《一枝紅艷露凝香》（1955）、《九天玄女》（1959）、《紅菱巧破無頭案》（1959）、《西河會妻》（1960）、《風雨泣萍姬》（1963）等，時裝粵語片則有《繅絲女》（1955）、《沙三少情殺譚阿仁》（1959）。最後一部為《李後主》（1968）。1981年12月30日病逝香港。弟子有梁蔭棠、蕭仲坤、蘇少棠等。
English
Chan Kam-tong, born in Xiaolan, Zhongshan, Guangdong, on 7 August 1906, was known in the trade as 'First Brother'. He first studied under the xiaosheng San Pak, making him a fellow disciple of the Wong Fei-hung actor Kwan Tak-hing, and later joined the Kok Sin Sing troupe to learn from Sit Kok-sin, who became his godfather. He began at thirteen as an extra, became fourth junior warrior at seventeen and second junior warrior in the New Era troupe at eighteen, moving between the Tai Lo Tin and Kok Sin Sing companies before switching from martial roles to young-lead and man-mo-sang parts. He made his name playing the villain Wai Chiu-yan in The Fragrant Maiden, and his leading operas included Ten Years of the Sui Palace, Fourteen Years in the Burning Palace, the role of Tung Siu-wan and Ten Thousand Ages of Chang Yuqiao, several performed with Fong Yim-fun, and others with Hung Sin-nui; before the war he also led Copper Net Formation and Meeting of Five Dragons. Noted for martial roles, he was called the 'martial top scholar' and was famous both for fighting with real weapons and for his 'flying chair' stunt. In 1937 he founded the Kam Tim Fa troupe, whose repertoire included The Golden Dart and Three Thefts of the Nine Dragon Cups. He retired in 1973 after his final opera, opposite Lee Po-ying. He had entered films as early as 1934, when he appeared in Red Boat Saga (also known as The Virtuous Lady), shot in Shanghai, and took his first leading film part, in the martial-arts picture The Chivalrous Robber, in 1941. Between 1934 and 1968 he appeared in over a hundred films, from The Golden Dart (1948) and Tung Siu-wan (1950) to Rain and Wind Weeping for Ping-ji (1963), his last being The Last Emperor Li (1968). He died in Hong Kong on 30 December 1981, and his art was carried on by students such as Leung Yam-tong, Siu Chung-kwan and So Siu-tong.
