| Shih Kien | |||||||||
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Shih Kien as a villain in an early black-and-white Wuxia film |
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| Chinese name | 石堅 (Traditional) | ||||||||
| Chinese name | 石坚 (Simplified) | ||||||||
| Pinyin | Shǐ Jián (Mandarin) | ||||||||
| Jyutping | Sek6 Gin1 (Cantonese) | ||||||||
| Birth name | Shek Wing-cheung (石榮璋) | ||||||||
| Born | 1 January 1913 Shigang Village, Panyu, Guangdong, China |
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| Died | 3 June 2009 (aged 96) Hong Kong |
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| Years active | 1949–1995 | ||||||||
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Shek Wing-cheung (1 January 1913 – 3 June 2009), better known as Shih Kien, was a Chinese actor from Hong Kong. He is sometimes credited as Shek Kin (Cantonese pronunciation) or Kien Shih (in the Western order). Shih is most noted for playing the roles of antagonists in several early Hong Kong Wuxia and martial arts films that dated back to the black-and-white period, and best known to Western audiences for his portrayal of the primary villain, Han, in Bruce Lee's 1973 martial arts epic Enter the Dragon.[1][2]
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Shih Kien was raised by his stepmother and was a sickly child. He decided to practise martial arts to improve his health and trained for nine years. Shih trained at Shanghai's Chin Woo Athletic Association (founded by Huo Yuanjia) and was among the first generation of students at the school to be certified as instructors. After becoming certified to teach styles including Eagle Claw and Choy Li Fut, he decided to start his career as an actor. However, the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War caused his studies to be disrupted. Shih and his friends travelled between Guangzhou and Hong Kong to stage drama performances, in order to raise funds as part of the anti-Japanese movement. Besides acting on stage, Shih also participated in back-stage activities, such as makeup and arrangements of lighting and props.
In 1940, Shih Kien officially entered the entertainment industry as an apprentice of the Cantonese opera makeup artist Sit Kok-Sin, before becoming an actor later. Shih starred as a Japanese secret agent in his debut film Flower in the Sea of Blood that year. Nine years later, Shih was invited by film director Wu Pang to work with him on a series of Wong Fei-hung-related films. Shih gained fame for his portrayal of the villains in those films and continued to play the role of the antagonist in several films during the first 20 years of his career. Shih's iconic "villain laughter" in the films was later mimicked and parodied by several actors.
In 1973, Shih Kien was chosen to portray the villain in Bruce Lee's martial arts epic Enter the Dragon, in which he played Han, a one-handed gang boss who is highly-skilled in martial arts. His character had a final showdown with Bruce Lee's character in the ending climax of the film.
In 1975, Shih Kien joined the Hong Kong TV station TVB and appeared in several Wuxia-themed TV series, playing the roles of villains again most of the time. However, he had also played the roles of gentlemanly, kind and fatherly characters, such as Cheung Mo-kei's godfather Tse Shun in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (1978), Lung Koon-sam in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1979), So Tai-pang in The Brothers (1980) and a grandfather in The Feud of Two Brothers (1986). Shih Kien had also taken on dramatic roles in non-Wuxia films as well, such as Hong Kong 1941. Later in his career, Shih took on a comedic role with Jackie Chan in The Young Master.
In 1980, Shih was invited to participate in filming a TV commercial to promote Ricola's mint candy products with his popular image of a film villain.
Shih Kien retired from the entertainment industry in 1992, with the 1994 film HK Adam's Family (奸人世家) specially dedicated to him. He appeared in the 2003 documentary Chop Socky: Cinema Hong Kong at the age of 90.
Shih received the Life Achievement Award in 1996 at the Golden Bauhinia Awards. Seven years later in 2003, Shih received the Professional Achievement Award at the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards with the late actor Cho Tat-wah, who used to play the role of the hero in several films they starred together in. In 2006, Shih donated one of his properties to the entertainment industry in support of the development of the industry. Between January and February 2007, the Hong Kong Film Archive showed 13 of Shih Kien's films that were preserved at the archive.
Shih died of kidney failure on 3 June 2009 at the age of 96.[3][4] At the time of his death, Shih was believed to be one of the oldest living successful actors in China.[5]
Shih married Lee Kit-ying in 1936 and they have four sons and two daughters. Shih was initially a non-believer and he converted to Christianity and was baptized after being influenced by Lee, a devout Christian. Lee died of heart failure in August 1998.
In Hong Kong, the term "Kan Yan Kin" (Chinese: 奸人堅; literally "Villain Kin") was a popular reference to Shih Kien. This nickname was borrowed as the Chinese title for the 2007 TVB period drama-comedy series Men Don't Cry.