Sammo Hung

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Sammo Hung

Sammo Hung (Traditional Chinese: 洪金寶; Simplified Chinese: 洪金宝; pinyin: Hóng Jīnbǎo; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born in Hong Kong on January 7, 1952) is a Kung Fu movies actor, producer and director. He has choreographed fight scenes for Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, King Hu, Stephen Chow, John Woo, and other legends of Kung Fu cinema. He is one of the Seven Little Fortunes.

Hung is one of the most influential figures in Hong Kong cinema history. He was among the pivotal figures who, spearheading the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the 1980s, helped reinvent the martial arts genre and started the hopping corpse genre.

Hung is known for his distinctive (large) frame. Despite this, he is a surprisingly agile and formidable martial artist.

He is married to the actress Joyce Godenzi and has a daughter and two sons, Kimmy, Jimmy and Timmy. Timmy Hung also works as an actor and appeared in the film Osaka Wrestling Restaurant.

1 The early years
2 1960s and 1970s
3 The New Wave
4 1990s
5 Partial filmography
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] The early years

Born Hong Jin-bao, both of his parents worked in the local film industry and guardianship was thrust upon his grandparents.

Hung joined the Master Yu Jim Yuen Opera Academy in 1959, after his grandparents heard about the school from their friends. Hung, who was known as Yuen Lung in the Seven Little Fortunes (七小福) performing group, would establish a school rivalry with one of the younger students, Yuen Lo. Yuen Lo would go on to become none other than international superstar Jackie Chan. Hung left the Academy after an injury left him bedridden for an extended time, during which his weight ballooned. After finding work in the film industry as a stuntman, he was given a nickname after a well-known Chinese cartoon character, Sam-mo (三毛; Three Hairs).

In 1988, Hung starred in Alex Law's Painted Faces, a dramatic retelling of his experiences at the Peking Opera School. Among the exercises featured in the movie are numerous acrobatic backflips, and hours of handstands performed against a wall. Despite some of the more brutal exercises and physical punishments shown in Painted Faces, Hung and the rest of the Seven Little Fortunes consider the movie a toned-down version of their own experiences.

[edit] 1960s and 1970s

Hung appeared in several children's movies in the 1960s, but it was not until the 1970s that his career began in earnest. Hung began working for Raymond Chow and the Golden Harvest company and was initially hired to choreograph The Fast Sword (1970). Hung's popularity soon began to increase, and due to the quality of his choreography and disciplined approach to his work, he caught the eye of celebrated Taiwanese director King Hu. Hung choreographed two of Hu's movies: A Touch Of Zen (1971) and The Fate Of Lee Khan (1973).

Also 1973, he was seen in the ultimate Bruce Lee classic, Enter the Dragon. Hung was the Shaolin student Bruce faces in the opening sequence.

In 1977, Hung made his directorial debut with The Iron Fisted Monk.

After Jackie Chan's success with Drunken Master (1978), Hung was scheduled to make a similar movie featuring Yuen Siu Tien (aka Simon Yuen) from Drunken Master. As Jackie's elder, Sammo was supposed to be able to surpass him in popularity. The movie was called Magnificent Butcher (1979) and during filming Yuen Siu Tien died of a heart attack. He was replaced by Hoi San Lee and it is likely that his absence is what led to the low ticket sales.

[edit] The New Wave

Toward the late 1970s, Hong Kong cinema began to shift away from the Mandarin-language, epic martial arts movies popularized by directors such as Chang Cheh. In a series of movies, Hung, along with Jackie Chan, began reinterpreting the genre by making Cantonese comedy Kung Fu. While these movies still strongly featured Kung Fu, they also feature a liberal mixture of humour.

As Hung's star began to rise, he used his newly-found influence to assist his former Opera classmates. Aside from regular collaborations with Chan, others such as Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah also began to make appearances in his films.

In 1978 and 1981, Hung made two movies that are considered to contain the best examples of wing chun. The first, Warriors Two was the biggest role for Korean superkicker Casanova Won, who teams with Hung in the final fight.

The second film, The Prodigal Son, shot fellow Opera schoolmate Yuen Biao to stardom. It also featured what is considered to be some of the best wing chun caught on film, performed by Lam Ching-Ying.

Hung's martial arts movies of the 1980s helped reconfigure how martial arts were presented on screen. While the martial arts movies of the 1970s generally featured highly-stylized fighting sequences in fantasy settings, Hung's choreography, set in urban areas, was more realistic and frenetic - featuring long one-on-one fight scenes. The fight sequences from several of these movies, such as Winners And Sinners (1982) and Wheels On Meals (1985) came to define 1980s martial arts movies.

In 1983, the collaboration between Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao began with Jackie Chan's Project A. Hung, Chan and Yuen were known as the 'Three Dragons'. Their alliance lasted 5 years, with Dragons Forever being their final film to date.

Hung also created the hopping vampire genre with two landmark movies - Close Encounters Of The Spooky Kind (1981) and The Dead And The Deadly (1983). Both movies feature vampires who, as stiffened corpses, move by hopping, and Taoist priests who are able to quell these vampires (and at times, each other) through magical spells and charms. These films meld Chinese folk beliefs with special effects and breathtaking kung fu to create a genre that is uniquely Chinese. Hung's movie would later pave the way for movies such as the highly popular Mr. Vampire (1985).

In the mid-1980s Hung started Bo Ho, a film company that operated under Golden Harvest. The movies made by Bo Ho include the aforementioned Mr. Vampire (1985), and also On The Run (1989).

Hung was also part of the popular Lucky Stars, a group who made a series of comedy kung fu movies.

[edit] 1990s

In the late 1990s, Hung starred in an American television series by CBS called Martial Law (1998–2000), with Arsenio Hall as his costar. Reportedly he recited his English dialogue phonetically.

Hung is one of the celebrities honoured on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars.

[edit] Partial filmography

Note: actor, otherwise noted.

SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005)
Dragon Squad (2005)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) - cameo
Men Suddenly in Black (2003)
Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger (2002)
Hidden Enforcers (2002)
The Avenging Fist (2001)
The Legend of Zu (2001)
Mou man tai (1999)
Martial Law (過江龍) (1998) (TV Series)
Xiao Qian (小倩) (1997) (voice)
A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation (1997)
Mr. Nice Guy aka. SuperChef (1997) (also directed)
The Stunt Woman (1996)
How to Meet the Lucky Stars (1996)
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1996)
Don't Give a Damn (1994) (also directed)
Blade of Fury (1993) (also directed)
The Evil Cult (1993)
Human Night in Painted Skin (1993)
The Moon Warriors (1993) (directed)
Slickers vs. Killers (1991) (also directed)
The Banquet (1991)
Gambling Ghost (1991)
Daddy, Father and Papa (1991)
My Flying Wife (1991)
The Tantana (1991)
Lover's Tear (1991)
Ghost Punting (1991) (also directed)
Touch and Go (1991)
Best Is the Highest (1990)
She Shoots Straight (1990)
Island of Fire aka. Island on Fire aka. The Burning Island (1990)
Lethal Lady (1990)
Dragon Versus Phoenix (1990)
Nutty Kickbox Cops (1990)
Pantyhose Hero (1990) (also directed)
Eight Taels of Gold (1990)
Shanghai Encounter (1990)
Code of Fortune (富貴兵團) (1989)
Pedicab Driver (1989) (also directed)
Seven Warriors (1989) (also directed)
Paper Marriage (1988)
China's Last Eunuch (1988)
Painted Faces (1988)
Dragons Forever aka. 3 Brothers (1988) (also directed)
The 1987 Miss Asia Pageant (1987)
Mr. Vampire 3 (1987)
To Err Is Human (1987)
Eastern Condors (東方禿鷹) (1986) (also directed)
The Haunted Island (1986) (also directed)
Spirit and Me (1986)
Lucky Stars Go Places aka. The Luckiest Stars (1986)
Millionaire's Express aka. Shanghai Express (1986) (also directed)
Heart of Dragon aka. Heart of the Dragon aka. The First Mission (1985) (also directed)
Wheels on Meals (1985)
Police Assassins (1985)
Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) (also directed)
From the Great Beyond (1985)
My Lucky Stars (1985) (also directed)
End of Wicked Tigers (1984)
Wheels on Meals aka. Million Dollar Heiress (1984) (also directed)
The Owl and Bumbo (貓頭鷹與小飛象) (1984) (also directed)
Pom Pom (神勇雙響炮) (1984)
Prodigal Son (1983) (also directed)
Winners and Sinners aka. 5 Lucky Stars (1983) (also directed)
Project A (A計劃) aka. Jackie Chan's Project A (1983) (also directed)
The Dead and the Deadly (1982)
Carry on Pickpocket (1982) (also directed)
Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind 2 (1980)
Return of Secret Rivals (1980)
Lightning Kung Fu (1980) (also directed)
Two Toothless Tigers (1980)
By Hook or by Crook (1980)
Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) (also directed)
Odd Couple (1979)
Magnificent Butcher (1979)
The Incredible Kung Fu Master (1979)
Knockabout (1979) (also directed)
Fast Sword (1978)
Enter the Fat Dragon (1978) (also directed; a "Bruceploitation" spoof)
Dirty Tiger and Crazy Frog (1978)
Warriors Two (1978)
Game of Death (1978)
The Dragon, the Odds (1977)
Winner Take All (1977)
Broken Oath (1977)
The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977) (also directed)
Shaolin Plot (1977)
Traitorous (1976)
Countdown in Kung Fu (1976)
All in the Family (1975)
Kung Fu Stars (1975)
The Himalayan (密宗聖手) (1975)
The Man from Hong Kong (直搗黃龍) (1975)
Usurpers of Emperor's Power (1975)
The Skyhawk (Ying Chu or 黃飛鴻少林拳) (1974)
The Stoner (Shrine of the Ultimate Bliss or 鐵金剛大破紫陽觀) (1974)
The Association (艷窟神探) (1974)
The Tournament (中泰拳壇生死戰) (1974)
Hong Kong Hitman (1974)
The Devil's Treasure (黑夜怪客) (1973)
Bruce Lee, D-Day at Macao (1973)
Bloody Ring aka. Mandarin Magician (1973)
Kickmaster (1973)
Enter the Dragon (龍爭虎鬥) (1973)
Hapkido (Lady Kung Fu or 合氣道) (1972)
Bandits from Shantung (山東響馬) (1972)
Lady Whirlwind (Deep Thrust or 鐵掌旋風腿) (1972)
The Invincible Eight (天龍八將) (1971)
The Angry River (鬼怒川) (1970)
Touch of Zen(俠女) (1969)
Father and Son (1963)
The Princess and the Seven Little Heroes (公主與七小俠) (1962)
The Birth of Yue Fei (岳飛出世) (1962)
Big and Little Wong Tin Bar (1962) (There are no known copies of this film remaining)
Education of Love (愛的教育) (1961)