Yuen Biao | |||||||||||
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元彪 | |||||||||||
Born | Ha Lingchun (夏令震、元庆、元典) 26 July 1957 | ||||||||||
Other names | Bill Yuen Jimmy Yuen | ||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, stuntman and action choreographer | ||||||||||
Years active | 1962–present | ||||||||||
Spouse | Didi Pang (m. 1984) | ||||||||||
Children |
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Awards | Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Action Choreography 1983 The Prodigal Son 1984 Winners and Sinners | ||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 元彪 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 元彪 | ||||||||||
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Ha Lingchun | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 夏令震 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 夏令震 | ||||||||||
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Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun;26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor,martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor,stuntman and action choreographer. He was one of the Seven Little Fortunes from the China Drama Academy at the Peking Opera School along with his "brothers" Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. In the 1970s and 1980s,he was part of the "Three Dragons" along with Chan and Hung;the three starred in six Hong Kong films together. [1] Yuen Biao has appeared in over 130 films. He has played roles in eight television series for the Hong Kong channel TVB.
Born Ha Lingchun (Chinese :夏令震) in Nanjing,China on the 26th July 1957,he was the fifth child in a family of eight children. He and his family moved to Hong Kong when he was five years old. At the age of six he was enrolled at the Peking Opera School The China Drama Academy . He was given the stage name Yuen Biao (Little Tiger) and trained alongside schoolmates Jackie Chan,Sammo Hung,Corey Yuen,Yuen Wah and several others,under master Yu Jim-yuen,who would later become famous in Hong Kong cinema. He quickly showed a talent for acrobatics. According to Jackie Chan's autobiography,when Yuen was asked by his master to do a backflip on his first day of training,Yuen did a proper backflip on his very first try. He remained at the school until the age of 16. [2] When he left,Yuen followed his classmate Sammo Hung into a career in the Hong Kong film industry.
In the early 1970s, Yuen began work as a stuntman and extra. After working on Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon . He was also one of the "fake" Bruce Lees in Game of Death (1978), performing the acrobatics and stunts that the Bruce Lee "body double" (taekwondo expert Kim Tai-chung) was unable to perform. Yuen continued working as a stuntman, doubling for actors in Hong Kong action films and taking on supporting actor roles.
During his early acting period, he adopted the anglicised name Bill Yuen for use on the Hong Kong films that were released internationally. However, recognising the growing success of Jackie Chan, Golden Harvest were keen to give him a similar name, and on some international film prints, he was credited as Jimmy Yuen. Both anglicised names were later dropped. [3]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, thanks to his good friends and former classmates, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, he began working more frequently as an actor. After his co-starring role in The Dragon, the Odds (1977) and his full lead role debut in Knockabout (1979), he starred in several films in the early 1980s, notably The Prodigal Son (1981) (directed by Sammo Hung) and Dreadnaught (1981) (directed by Yuen Woo-ping). He later co-starred alongside his Peking Opera "brothers", Chan and Hung, in Project A (1983), Wheels on Meals (1984) and Dragons Forever (1988), and also appeared in smaller roles in films such as Hung's original Lucky Stars trilogy. He co-starred with Sammo in films such as Eastern Condors (1987) and Millionaires Express (1988). He played the lead with Cynthia Rothrock in Righting Wrongs (1986) and alongside Maggie Cheung in The Iceman Cometh (1989).
Yuen's acting roles waned somewhat in the early 1990s, although he notably played a supporting role alongside Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China (1991). Yuen did not appear in the sequel as he was replaced by Max Mok. In the late 1990s, films such as Hero (1997) co-starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and A Man Called Hero (1999) co-starring Ekin Cheng saw Yuen return to the big screen. During this time he began to concentrate more on television work and took lead roles in the series Righteous Guards and The Legend of a Chinese Hero in 1998.
In 2000, Yuen went to the United States to work with Jackie Chan as the action choreographer on Shanghai Noon . In 2001, he co-starred alongside Hung in The Avenging Fist. Yuen also starred in a more comedic role in the 2002 Japan HK film No Problem 2.
In 2005, Yuen starred in a TVB series called Real Kung Fu with Yuen Wah, Maggie Siu, Leung Kar Yan, Jack Wu and one of Sammo Hung's real life sons, Timmy Hung.
In 2006, Yuen played Inspector Steve Mok in Robin B Hood along with his long-time friend Jackie Chan.
In 2007 he finished filming the Wing Chun TV series (a remake of the 1994 series that had preceded the film Wing Chun ) alongside Nicholas Tse, Sammo Hung and another of Hung's sons, Sammy Hung. Biao plays an elder version of the character Leung Jan, the role he played 25 years earlier in The Prodigal Son, and father to Tse's character. [4] The series has since been re-edited for release as a film, entitled Shuang Long Ji (aka Legend of Twins Dragon). However, the film's release has been delayed as it has been banned in mainland China for containing too much violence. [5]
Yuen appeared as a guest judge on the China Beijing TV Station reality television series The Disciple, which aired in mainland China, and was produced by and featured Jackie Chan. The aim of the program was to find a new star, skilled in acting and martial arts, to become Chan's "successor", the champion being awarded the lead role in a film. It concluded on June 7, 2008, with the series winner being announced in Beijing. [6]
Yuen also starred alongside Bryan Leung and Ji Chunhua in Legend of Shaolin Kung-fu II: Thirteen Cudgel Monks, a series directed by Yuen Bun. It was edited down and released as Kung Fu Master in the United States.
Though mainly known as an actor, Yuen also directed the film A Kid from Tibet (1991).
Yuen set up his own film production company, Yuen Biao Films Limited, which produced his films A Kid from Tibet and Kick Boxer , also known as Once Upon a Chinese Hero (1993). [7]
In 1984, Yuen married Didi Pang Sau Ha. They have two children: daughter Yi-Bui, born in 1986, and son Ming-Tsak, born in 1988.
Yuen has a second home in Canada, where he enjoys golf.
Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and film director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for other actors such as Kim Tai-chung, Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Yuen Wah. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was part of the "Three Dragons" along with Chan and Biao; the three starred in six Hong Kong films together.
Fang Shilong, known professionally as Jackie Chan, is a Hong Kong actor, director, writer, producer, martial artist, and stuntman known for his slapstick - acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically performs himself. Before entering the film industry, he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes from the China Drama Academy at the Peking Opera School, where he studied acrobatics, martial arts, and acting. In a film career spanning more than sixty years, he has appeared in over 150 domestic and international movies. Chan is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential martial artists in the history of cinema.
The China Drama Academy was a Peking opera school in Kowloon, Hong Kong, known for being the childhood home of such famous actors as Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu and Corey Yuen. Famed filmmaker Yuen Woo-ping also attended the school for one year as a day student.
My Lucky Stars is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film starring and directed by Sammo Hung. The film was written by Barry Wong, and produced by Leonard Ho. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sibelle Hu, Richard Ng, Charlie Chin, Eric Tsang, and Stanley Fung. It was released as 5 Lucky Stars in Japan and as Ninja Encounter in the Philippines. My Lucky Stars is the second film in the Lucky Stars series, and a semi-sequel to Winners and Sinners, with many of the same actors returning as the "Five Lucky Stars" troupe, albeit with different character names and slightly different roles.
Yuen Wah is a Hong Kong action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series.
Yuen Woo-ping is a Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and film director who worked in Hong Kong action cinema and later Hollywood films. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. Yuen is also a son of Yuen Siu-tien, a martial arts film actor. He attended the China Drama Academy for one year as a day student of Master Yu Jim-yuen as well.
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.
Lam Ching-ying was a Hong Kong stuntman, actor, martial artist and action director. As a practitioner of martial arts Lam starred in a number of notable films that found recognition outside Hong Kong including Encounters of the Spooky Kind, The Prodigal Son and his best-known role in Mr. Vampire.
Wang Lap Tat, better known by his stage name Lo Lieh, was an Indonesian-born Hong Kong martial artist and film actor. Lo was perhaps best known as Chao Chih-Hao in the 1972 martial arts film King Boxer, Priest Pai Mei in Executioners from Shaolin and Clan of the White Lotus, Miyamoto in the 1977 film Fist of Fury II, and General Tien Ta in the 1978 film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.
Dragons Forever is a 1988 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the film, and co-directed by Corey Yuen. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Pauline Yeung, Deannie Yip, Yuen Wah, Roy Chiao, and Crystal Kwok. It is the last film in which Hung, Chan and Biao all appeared in together, as later Chan subsequently focused on his solo film career.
Wheels on Meals is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung, with action choreographed by Jackie Chan. The film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lola Forner, Benny Urquidez and José Sancho. The film was shot in Barcelona, Spain.
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.
Lucky Stars ; was a Hong Kong action comedy film series in the 1980s and 1990s, blending Chinese martial arts with bawdy comedy. The films featured an ensemble cast, with many of the actors appearing in successive films.
Heart of Dragon, released in the United Kingdom as Heart of the Dragon, is a 1985 Hong Kong action drama film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Emily Chu and Mang Hoi. Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, and Corey Yuen were among the action directors for the film.
Yu Jim-yuen was a Chinese martial artist, actor, teacher and the master of the China Drama Academy, one of the main Peking Opera Schools in Hong Kong, from which Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Yuen Qiu, Yuen Wah, and Corey Yuen received their training. Yuen Woo-ping attended the school for one year as a day student as well. Jim-yuen was also the father of early wuxia actress Yu So-chow, who appeared in more than 150 movies, but his only film was his starring role as Grandmaster Wen Ren-yang in the 1979 action film The Old Master (師父出馬). He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Hapkido, released as Lady Kung Fu in North America, is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Huang Feng and starring Angela Mao. The film co-stars Carter Wong and Sammo Hung, and has early cameo appearances from Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao and Corey Yuen. It was released by Golden Harvest.
Bryan Leung Kar-yan is a Hong Kong film and television actor and film director who has played roles in numerous acclaimed martial arts films. He is affectionately known as "Beardy" due to his trademark facial hair. He also has characteristic hyper-extendable fingers, which can be observed when he has his palms open and his fingers outstretched. Despite being one of the most well-known faces in Hong Kong action cinema, he had no formal martial arts training, relying on his talents at mimicry to imitate the moves shown to him by the action directors. He had Taiwan Nationality starting from 1985,& became Taiwanese. His nephew is the actor Oscar Leung.
James Tien is a Hong Kong retired 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.
Chan Wui-ngai, is a Hong Kong actor, stuntman, director, fight choreographer, and film producer.
Professional schools for Chinese opera, known as keban, existed in China from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to the 20th century. Formerly attached to performing troupes, many keban became independent boarding schools by the late 19th century.
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