The prolific and universally adored comedian starred in more than two dozen films between 1990 and 1992, most of which were hits. His success was down to his unique brand of mo lei tau comedy. The term, which comes from the similar-sounding Cantonese phrase mo lei yau, or “without reason”, is often translated as “nonsense”, but “absurdist” expresses the meaning better. Stephen Chow (left) in action in an early scene from Curry and Pepper. As film historian Ryan Law wrote in his essay “King of Comedy”, mo lei tau humour is not script-based: “In mo lei tau comedy, the situation is usually normal, but the attitude and reaction of the actor is abnormal.