AKA means “also known as,” and Michael Chow—like his father, who was a prominent performer in China’s Peking Opera—has moved through many identities, always with drama and panache. Born Zhōu Yīnghuá in 1939, in Shanghai, he was sent to boarding school in England in the early 1950s. When postwar China fell into economic and political turmoil, Chow struggled to find acceptance in the West. His first careers were in the arts—painting and acting—but racism got in the way. In fact, it’s a recurring theme in the documentary AKA Mr. Chow. He then headed into the restaurant business. “It was the only socially acceptable career for a Chinese man at the time,” he says. In the late 60s, in Knightsbridge, Chow unveiled his Pekinese-cuisine restaurant. It became one of the world’s most famous franchises. Chow, who continued acting all along, also designs architectural projects, marries beautiful women (he’s now with his fourth wife, Vanessa Rano), and exhibits paintings under the name “M.” —Elena Clavarino