Maria Yi | |||||||||||
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Chinese :衣依 | |||||||||||
Born | 29 July 1953 | ||||||||||
Other names | Yi Yi, Maria Yi Dut Wei Lina | ||||||||||
Occupation | Actress | ||||||||||
Spouse | Xu Jingbo | ||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||
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Maria Yi (born 29 July 1953) is a retired Chinese actress [1] from Hong Kong. She appeared in films by Hong Kong's Golden Harvest Productions in the 1970s, most notably in The Big Boss and Fist of Fury , both starring Bruce Lee. [2]
Yi began acting as a teenager, She is an already-defunct Hong Kong actress and a graduate of the Taipei Jinlu Women's Business Vocational School before her debut. Active in the school's entertainment programs and drama performances, Hong Kong Jiahe Film Company owner Zou Wenhuai unearthed Yi Yi in Taiwan, and arranged her training in Taiwan office. She came to Hong Kong for the Golden Harvest Film Company in 1970. Filming a series of films, including the movie "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury", which is best known with the famous martial arts star Bruce Lee. She also co-produced a film with another martial arts star Wang Yu. Yi Yi married a businessman Xu Jingbo in June 1974. One of her guests at her wedding was her friend, The Big Boss and Fist of Fury star Nora Miao. In 1976, she made her final film "Tiger of Northland".
Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | The Chase | Chi Fang-fang | |||
1971 | The Big Boss | Chow Mei | Bruce Lee | ||
1972 | Fist of Fury | Yen | Bruce Lee | ||
1973 | A Man Called Tiger | Keiko | [3] | ||
1973 | Seaman No. 7 | Hsiao Fang | |||
1973 | Story of Mother | Chang Mei Chung | |||
1974 | The Tournament | [4] | |||
1976 | Tiger of Northland | (final fim role) |
The Big Boss is a 1971 Hong Kong action martial arts film produced by Raymond Chow and starring Bruce Lee in his first major film in a lead role. The film also stars Maria Yi, James Tien, Tony Liu, and Nora Miao. Originally written for Tien, the leading role was given to Lee instead when the film's original director, Ng Kar-seung, was replaced by Lo. The film was a critical success and excelled at the box office. Lee's strong performance overshadowed Tien, already a star in Hong Kong, and made Bruce Lee famous in Asia and eventually the world.
Fist of Fury is a 1972 Hong Kong action martial arts film written and directed by Lo Wei, produced by Raymond Chow, and starring Bruce Lee in his second major role after The Big Boss (1971). Lee, who was also the film's action choreographer, plays Chen Zhen, a student of Huo Yuanjia, who fights to defend the honor of the Chinese in the face of foreign aggression, and to bring to justice those responsible for his master's death.
The Way of the Dragon is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Bruce Lee, who also stars in the lead role. This is Lee's only complete directorial film and the last one released during his lifetime. The film co-stars Nora Miao, Robert Wall, and Wei Ping-ou, with Chuck Norris playing his debut screen role. The Way of the Dragon was released in Hong Kong on 30 December 1972, and in the United States in August 1974.
Bruce Li is a Taiwanese actor and martial artist. He is a Bruce Lee imitator who starred in martial arts films from the Bruceploitation movement.
Bruceploitation is an exploitation film subgenre that emerged after the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee in 1973, during which time filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea cast Bruce Lee look-alike actors ("Lee-alikes") to star in imitation martial arts films, in order to exploit Lee's sudden international popularity. Bruce Lee look-alike characters also commonly appear in other media, including anime, comic books, manga, and video games.
Josephine Siao Fong-fong is a Hong Kong film star who became popular as a child actress and continued her success as a mature actress, winning numerous awards including Best Actress at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. Since retiring from show business, she has become a writer and a psychologist, known for her work against child abuse.
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Jimmy Wang Yu was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and its sequels, and was one of the first major stars of martial arts and wuxia cinema. At the height of his fame in the 1970s, he was the highest-paid martial arts actor in the world. According to The New York Times, Wang was "the biggest star of Asian martial arts cinema until the emergence of Bruce Lee."
Nora Miao is a Hong Kong film actress. She is best known for appearing in many kung fu films in the 1970s, opposite Hong Kong action movie stars such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
Lo Wei was a Hong Kong film director and film actor best known for launching the martial arts film careers of both Bruce Lee, in The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, and Jackie Chan, in New Fist of Fury.
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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.
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Jenny Hu, is a Hong Kong actress of Chinese and German origin best known for her leads in Shaw Brothers productions throughout the 1960s and early 1970s.
James Tien is a Hong Kong actor. He appeared in almost 70 films, primarily in Hong Kong action cinema, including roles in the films of martial arts stars including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. He often played villains or supporting roles. He retired from the Hong Kong film industry in 1996.
Wong Fei-lung is a Taiwanese actor, director, and action director. With a career spanning over 150 films, he was a prominent face during the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. He has been alternatively credited as Wong Lung, Fei Lung, Nam Siu-Foo, and Huang Fei-Lung.
Tony Liu Tian-jue is a Hong Kong actor and martial artist. He is often credited by his Cantonese stage name Lau Wing. Liu is best known for starring in many Hong Kong martial arts films, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. He has also acted in some television series where he is better remembered for his roles as Qing Shi Huang and Genghis Khan.
Han Ying-chieh was a Hong Kong Chinese actor. He started acting from 1966 and acted in movies such as Come Drink with Me and others. He acted in some films with Bruce Lee such as The Big Boss and Fist of Fury and with Jackie Chan in New Fist of Fury. Ying-chieh has acted 60 movies from 1946 to 1991. His final performance was in The Swordsman as Huashan Sect elder Feng QingYang (風清揚).
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