Shih Kien

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Shih Kien
Shih Kien plays a villain in an old-time wuxia movie
Born	January 1, 1913 (age 94) China

Shih Kien (石堅 pinyin shi2 jian1, sometimes credited as Shek Kin or Kien Shih in the Western order), born January 1, 1913, is a veteran actor of Cantonese wuxia movies in Hong Kong. His name has become synonymous with villain, as he tended to play evil characters. In Hong Kong, there is a slang expression that compares people's evil deeds with Shih Kien's, despite the fact these deeds were committed by the evil characters he played, not the actor. In the Hong King motion picture industry, he is well-respected and recognized as a very kind and passionate man.

His work dates back to the black and white wuxia era. He played a villain of almost all the wuxia classics of the time, such as 1964's Ru Lai Shen Zhang (如來神掌) and 1965's Liu Zhi Qin Mo (六指琴魔). Later in his acting career, he took on a comedic role with Jackie Chan in The Young Master. He also acted in some non-wuxia dramatic roles, such as Hong Kong 1941.

He is best known to Western audiences as the villainous Han in Bruce Lee's 1973 martial arts classic Enter the Dragon. Shih Kien is a Grandmaster of martial arts and has for many years taught Lee Koon Hung, Grandmaster of Choy Lay Fut.