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John Liu | |
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| Born | Liu Chungliang 劉忠良 May 20, 1944 |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1972–2006 |
Liu Chungliang (Commonly credited as John Liu) is a Taiwanese actor and martial artist. He mostly appeared in low-budget Taiwanese action/martial art movies and never appeared in the higher budget Hong Kong martial arts movies from the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest.
When Liu was young, he learned martial arts from his grandfather who taught him Japanese Karate and Chinese kung fu. In the 1960s, he met Tan Tao-liang who was working as a martial arts instructor at the National Taiwan University. Tan taught Lui Taekwondo. According to Tan, Liu was not really flexible with his kicking when they first met. But through Tan's teaching, Liu was able to greatly improve the flexibility of his legs and his kicking would be featured in all his martial arts movies. Liu is often cited as being one of the best kickers in 1970s and 1980s martial arts films along with his teacher Tan Tao-liang, who also became an actor, Bruce Lee, Sun Chien of the Venom Mob, Casanova Wong, and Hwang Jang-lee who Liu would co-star in 5 films with Hwang often playing the villain to Liu's hero.
Liu made his debut in 1972 movie Great Boxer as the character Yanoryu Karateka, although it flopped at the box office. His real success came from the movie Secret Rivals , alongside Hwang Jang-lee and Don Wong Tao. Director Ng See-yuen furthermore brought Liu to the attention, with the likes of films such as Snuff Bottle Connection and Secret Rivals 2 . Combined with amazing choreography from the likes of Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen and Alan Chui Chung-San, Liu's kicking made him famous. [1]
In 1981, Liu set up his own production company under the name John Liu's (H.K.) Film Corp, initially directing 3 low budget action movies that are all based in Paris (France) and Tenerife (Spain). Liu made a total of 3 films, including Zen Kwan Do Strikes Paris (1981), In the Claws of CIA (1981) and Dragon Blood (1982).
Ever since the downfall of his directed films, he retired from the film business and start to develop his own martial art form, known as Zen Kwan Do, named after his teacher Liu Zen. Liu's martial art form is based on Lau Gar kung fu, with a mixture of Taekwondo and Karate. The form spread through the 80s in Paris while Liu was shooting Zen Kwan Do Strikes Paris . While the form itself is generally unknown by many other martial art fans and students, Zen Kwan Do has maintained a following in France.
In 1984, Liu directed a film titled New York Ninja , shot in New York City. While the film was shot, it was never edited and the footage remained dormant in a film lab for decades. In 2020, home video distributor Vinegar Syndrome acquired the footage, and—without access to any audio, storyboards, or scripts from the original production—edited a reconstructed version of the film, with new dialogue recorded and dubbed by such actors as Don Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, Michael Berryman, and Matt Mitler. [2] The new hybrid production was eventually released in November 2021.
Liu has returned to the big screen in Robert Tai's Trinity Goes East in 1998 and once more in Il giorno + bello (Any Reason Not To Get Married?) as a cameo appearance in 2006.
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping in his directorial debut. It stars Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang-lee, and Yuen Woo-ping's real life father, Yuen Siu-tien. The film's plot is about Chien Fu, an orphan who is bullied at a kung fu school, meeting an old beggar, Pai Cheng-tien, who becomes his sifu (teacher) and trains him in Snake Kung Fu.
Hwang Jang-lee is a South Korean martial artist and actor best known for his Hong Kong martial arts films. He is a ninth-dan grandmaster in Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo who began training in 1957. Prior to his acting career, Hwang was a martial arts instructor for the Korean military in Vietnam.
Corey Yuen Kwai was a Hong Kong film director, film producer, action choreographer, and actor. Yuen attended the China Drama Academy and was one of the Seven Little Fortunes. In Hong Kong, he worked on several films such as Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (1972), Hwang Jang-lee's Snuff Bottle Connection, Secret Rivals 2, The Invincible Armour, Dance of the Drunk Mantis (1979), Ninja in the Dragon's Den (1982), Millionaire's Express (1986), and Jet Li's Fong Sai-yuk II (1993), The New Legend of Shaolin (1994), High Risk, and My Father Is a Hero.
Heroes of the East, also known as Challenge of the Ninja, Shaolin vs. Ninja, and Shaolin Challenges Ninja, is a martial arts film produced in 1978. It starred Gordon Liu and was directed by Lau Kar-Leung. Lau Kar-Leung has a cameo role as So Chan, a master of Zui Quan. The film is notable for portraying Japanese martial arts alongside the more typical kung fu used in most Hong Kong martial arts films.
Shek Wing-cheung, better known by his stage name Shih Kien, Sek Kin, Sek Gin or Shek Kin, was a Hong Kong actor and martial artist. Shih is best known for playing antagonists and villains in several early Hong Kong wuxia and martial arts films that dated back to the black-and-white period, and is most familiar to Western audiences for his portrayal of the primary villain, Han, in the 1973 martial arts film Enter the Dragon, which starred Bruce Lee.
Yuen Siu-tien was a Hong Kong actor and martial artist. In the late 1970s, Yuen is perhaps best known as Beggar So in three films: Drunken Master, Story of Drunken Master and his final film Dance of the Drunk Mantis. He starred in several films with film actors like Jackie Chan and under the direction of his real-life son Yuen Woo-ping.
Kung fu film is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in wuxia, a related martial arts genre that uses historical settings based on ancient China. Swordplay is also less common in kung-fu films than in wuxia and fighting is done through unarmed combat.
Hand of Death is a 1976 Hong Kong vigilante martial arts film written and directed by John Woo, who also supporting role. The film stars Doran Tan and James Tien in leading roles, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in supporting roles and also features cameo appearances by Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, and Chiang Sheng. In addition to their acting roles, Hung also worked as stunt co-ordinator, whilst Biao also performed much of the stuntwork, including doubling for both of the principal stars.
Hell's Wind Staff is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lu Chin-ku, and also written, produced, storied and directed by Tony Wong based in edition of a comic book 龍虎門 made in hong kong, starring Hwang Jang Lee, Meng Yuen-man, Mang Hoi and Kwan Yung-moon.
Secret Rivals a.k.a. Northern Leg, Southern Fist aka Silver Fox Rivals is a 1976 kung fu film directed by James Nam and Ng See Yuen and starring Hwang Jang-lee, John Liu and Wong Tao. The film was shot on location in South Korea and Hong Kong.
Filmography for the Indo-Chinese Hong Kong film actor and martial artist Lo Lieh:
So Chan, also known by his nickname Beggar So, was a Chinese martial artist and folk hero who lived during the late Qing dynasty. One of the Ten Tigers of Canton, he was best known for his drunken boxing.
Tan Tao-liang is a Chinese-South Korean martial artist and former film actor. He used numerous pseudonyms throughout his career, mostly Delon Tam, Dorian Tan Tao-liang, Tan Tao-liang, Delon Tan, Dorian Tan and Delon Tanner. Noted for his leg holding and hopping skills, Tan was nicknamed "Flash Legs".
The Incredible Kung Fu Master, also known as The Kung Fu Master is a 1979 martial arts action comedy film directed by Joe Cheung in his directorial debut and starring Sammo Hung and Stephen Tung, the latter in his first leading role. This film features an action direction from a number of famous action directors including Sammo Hung Stunt Team, Lam Ching-ying, Billy Chan, Bryan Leung and Yuen Biao.
Phillip Ko-fei was a Hong Kong–based actor, screenwriter and film director.
Eagle Han-ying, Korean name Kim Young Il (김영일) was a South Korean actor and martial artist, who rose his fame in South Korea through various Korean drama series from the 90. Outside of Korea, he is best known with his appearance with many kung fu films from the range of Korean, Hong Kong and Taiwanese production.
Death Duel of Kung Fu is 1979 martial art movie, directed by William Cheung Ki and starring John Liu, Don Wong Tao and Eagle Han-ying. It is also known as Showdown of the Master Warriors and Return of the Secret Rivals as an alternate title. With in say, the movie has no relationship with the Secret Rivals trilogy but most of the filming locations took places in South Korea although the story is set in China, which makes the result that it makes a similar storyline as Secret Rivals. It is also Eagle Han-ying`s first Hong Kong movie debut.
The Magnificent Kick is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts biography film. The film is a flashback story of the life of Wong Fei Hung, the Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, and is named after his trademark move- a kick too fast to be countered, known as 'the shadowless kick'. The director is Daniel Lau Tan Ching, and the producer is Ng Why. The film stars Kwan Tak-hing, Jason Pai Piao, Cecilla Wong and Han Ying-chieh. The production company is Friendship Films (H.K.) Co, Hsu Tang is the production manager, the screenplay is by Sze-To On, and the script supervisor is Wong Mei Ling. The martial art used in the film by Kwan Tak-hing is Hung Ga / Hung Gar.
Chui Chung-San was a Hong Kong actor, director, choreographer, martial artist and stuntman. He was known for being an action director and stuntman. Chui was known for films such as The Rebellious Reign, Kung Fu Vs. Yoga, Two Fists Against the Law and 7 Grandmasters as well as other various Hong Kong and Taiwanese television shows.
Seasonal Film Corporation was an independent film company from Hong Kong, originally founded by the ex-assistant Shaw Brothers movie director Ng See-yuen in 1974. One of their first films was Call Me Dragon in 1974, starring Bruce Liang, Kurata Yasuaki and Mang Hoi. Seasonal Film Corporation was one of the well known independent filming company in Hong Kong and who was also responsible with likes of martial arts stars such as Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang-lee, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Yuen Woo Ping, Bruce Liang, Alan Chui Chung-San and Corey Yuen.[John Liu Chungliang],[Don Wang Tao]Conan Lee,Hiroyuki Sanada.
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