spl is the name for a collection of Unix interrupt priority control functions. SPL is short for "Set Priority Level". The functions include splhigh, splserial, splsched, splclock, splstatclock, splvm, spltty, splsofttty, splnet, splbio, splsoftnet, splsoftclock, spllowersoftclock, spl0, splx.

"The naming goes back to the early days of UNIX on the PDP-11. The PDP-11 had a relatively simplistic level-based interrupt structure. When running at a specific level, only higher priority interrupts were allowed. UNIX named functions for setting the interrupt priority level after the PDP-11 SPL instruction, so initially the functions had names like spl4 and spl7. Later machines came out with interrupt masks, and BSD changed the names to more descriptive names such as splbio (for block I/O) and splhigh (block out all interrupts)."

-- Greg Lehey, Improving the FreeBSD SMP implementation, 2001 USENIX Annual Technical Conference - FREENIX

This function would set the interrupt masks, while returning their previous contents. The splx routine could then be used to change the masks back.

External links[link]

• The FreeBSD SMPng implementation
• spl manpage for a BSD implementation

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This article may contain wording that merely promotes the subject without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite independent sources that support the characterization. (August 2011)

Donnie Yen
Yen at the 2007 Shanghai International Film Festival
Chinese name	甄子丹 (Traditional)
Chinese name	甄子丹 (Simplified)
Pinyin	Zhēn Zǐdān (Mandarin)
Jyutping	Jan1 Zi2daan1 (Cantonese)
Ancestry	Taishan, Guangdong, China
Origin	Hong Kong
Born	(1963-07-27) 27 July 1963 (age 48) Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Occupation	Actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer
Years active	1983 – present
Spouse(s)	Zing-Ci Leung (1993–1995) Cecilia Cissy Wang (2003 – present)
Awards Hong Kong Film Awards Best Action Choreography 2003 The Twins Effect 2005 SPL: Sha Po Lang 2008 Flash Point Golden Bauhinia Awards Best Action Choreography 2006 Dragon Tiger Gate Golden Horse Awards Best Action Choreography 2003 The Twins Effect 2007 Flash Point 2011 Wu Xia Other awards Iron Elephant Awards Best Actor 2009 (Ip Man)

Donnie Yen Ji-Dan (born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist.^[1] Apart from being a well-known film and television actor in Hong Kong, Yen has also gained international recognition for appearing in many films together with other prominent and internationally-known actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.

Yen is widely credited by many^[2][3][4] as the person responsible for popularizing the traditional martial arts style known as Wing Chun. He played the role of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the 2008 film Ip Man, which was a box office success. This has led to an increase in the number of people taking up Wing Chun, leading to hundreds of new Wing Chun schools to be opened up in mainland China and other parts of Asia.^[5] Ip Chun, the eldest son of Ip Man, even mentioned that he is grateful to Yen for making his family art popular and allowing his father's legacy to be remembered.^[6]

Yen is considered to be Hong Kong's top action star; director Peter Chan mentioned that he "is the 'it' action person right now" and "has built himself into a bona fide leading man, who happens to be an action star."^[7] Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream of Chinese culture, by choreographing MMA in many of his recent films. Yen has displayed notable skills in MMA, being well-versed in boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo, Muay Thai, wrestling, karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Wing Chun, and Wushu. Seen as one of the most popular film stars in Asia in recent years, Yen is currently one of the most highly paid actors in the whole of Asia.^[8]

Early life[link]

Yen's mother, Bow-sim Mark (麥寶嬋), is a Fu Style Wudangquan (internal martial arts) grandmaster, while his father, Klyster Yen (甄雲龍), is a newspaper editor.^[9] Yen was born in Taishan, Guangdong, China. When he was two years old, his family moved to Hong Kong, and then to Boston, Massachusetts, United States when he was 11.^[10] His younger sister, Chris Yen, is also a martial artist and actress, and appeared in the 2007 film Adventures of Johnny Tao: Rock Around the Dragon.

At a young age, under influence from his mother, Yen developed an interest in martial arts and began experimenting with various styles, including t'ai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts. Yen focused on practicing wushu after dropping out of school. His parents were concerned that he was spending too much time in the Boston Combat Zone, so they sent him to Beijing on a two-year training program with the Beijing Wushu Team.^[10] When Yen decided to return to the United States, he made a side-trip to Hong Kong and met action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping there.

Yen also came from a family of musicians. His mother is a soprano, in addition to being a martial arts teacher in Boston, while his father is a violinist.^[11] From a young age, he was taught by his parents to play musical instruments, including the piano.^[12][13] He also knows hip-hop dancing and breakdancing.^[14][15][16]

Career[link]

Donnie Yen in Seoul in 2005

Yen was a stuntman in his earliest films, Shaolin Drunkard (1983) and Taoism Drunkard (1984). At the age of 20, he got his first acting role in the 1984 film Drunken Tai Chi'.'

After filming Drunken Tai Chi and Tiger Cage (1988), Yen made his breakthrough role as General Nap-lan in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), which included a fight scene between his character and Wong Fei-hung (played by Jet Li). Yen had a starring role in the film Iron Monkey in 1993. Yen and Li appeared together again in the 2002 film Hero, where Yen played a spear (or qiang) fighter who fought with Li's character, an unnamed swordsman. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 2003 Academy Awards.

In 1995, Yen starred as Chen Zhen (Cantonese: Chan Zan) in the television series Fist of Fury produced by ATV, which is adapted from the 1972 film of the same title that starred Bruce Lee as Chen Zhen. Yen reprised his role as Chen Zhen in the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.

In 1997, Yen started the production company Bullet Films, and made his directorial debut^[17] in Legend of the Wolf (1997) and Ballistic Kiss (1998), in which he played the lead character. Yen went on to choreograph fight scenes and appeared in minor roles in some Hollywood films, such as Highlander: Endgame (2000) and Blade II (2002).

In 2003, Yen played the antagonist against Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights.

Yen choreographed most of the fight animation in the 2004 video game Onimusha 3, which featured actors Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jean Reno. Yen continued to be active in the Hong Kong cinema in the 2000s, starring as Chu Zhaonan in Tsui Hark's wuxia epic film Seven Swords, and as Ma Kwun in Wilson Yip's brutal crime drama film SPL: Sha Po Lang in 2005. Both films were featured at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. Later that year, Yen co-starred with Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue in Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate, an adaptation of Wong Yuk-long's manhua series Oriental Heroes. Yen also worked as action choreographer in Stormbreaker, starring Alex Pettyfer. Yen's continued to work with Wilson Yip in Flash Point (2007) in which he starred as the lead character and served as producer and action choreographer for the film. He won the Best Action Choreography at the Golden Horse Film Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in Flash Point.

In 2008, Yen starred in Ip Man, a semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the Wing Chun master of Bruce Lee. Ip Man marked Yen's fourth collaboration with director Wilson Yip, reuniting him with his co-stars in SPL: Sha Po Lang, Sammo Hung and Simon Yam. Ip Man became the biggest box office hit to date which featured Yen in the leading role, grossing HK$25 million in Hong Kong and 100 million yuan in China.^[18][19] In July 2011 it was announced that Yen and Cecilia Cheung would be cast in a Hong Kong remake of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, titled Assassin Couple.^[20]

In August 2011, while Yen was on a vacation with his family in the United States, he reportedly received an invitation by producer Avi Lerner to star in The Expendables 2. It was stated that Yen is considering the offer, and has many films at hand, and will not decide until he sees if the script appeals to him or not.^[21]

In September 2011, Yen revealed that he took two comedy roles in a row, All's Well, Ends Well 2012 and Thunder Cop, and will be working with Sandra Ng in the first film.^[22]

Action choreography[link]

Apart from being an acclaimed martial artist and actor, Yen is also a world class action choreographer, and his on-screen choreography has been recognized through the numerous awards he has attained.

In recent years, Yen was successful in including mixed martial arts (MMA) into his action choreography in various films, a feat most other action directors have been unsuccessful at accomplishing so far. Flash Point, a film fully choreographed by Yen using MMA was a huge success. Another notable MMA film involving Yen is SPL: Sha Po Lang.

In recent years, Yen's work as a choreographer won him "Best Action Choreography" awards at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 2008 and 2011 Golden Horse Film Awards.

Yen was the fight choreographer for the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen. For this film, Yen mentioned that he included Jeet Kune Do elements as a tribute to Bruce Lee, who played Chen Zhen in the 1972 film Fist of Fury.^[21] Furthermore he incorporated many MMA elements in the film, coupled with the utilization of Wing Chun. Yen also stated that the concept behind Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do is similar to that of MMA, hence the incorporation of many forms of martial arts is a necessity in this film.^[23]

Due to his success in action choreography, he is invited to choreograph his upcoming films such as The Lost Bladesman, Wu Xia and The Monkey King.

Martial arts history, style and philosophy[link]

Yen describes himself as a mixed martial artist, and this is evident from his style.^[1] He learned wushu from a young age, under his mother's tutelage. He then wanted to learn taekwondo in his teenage years, but never did.^[25] When he was a teenager, he obtained a medal in a wushu competition held in the United States, known as Boston Combat Zone. At the time, the Beijing wushu team had a scout in the United States, and invited Yen over to Beijing, China, where he began training at the Beijing Sports Institute, the same facility where champion-turned actor Jet Li trained; this is where the two of them crossed paths for the first time.^[26]

Yen later went on to discover and to seek knowledge on other martial arts style, he would later obtain belts from judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and went on to study the art of parkour, wrestling, Muay Thai, kickboxing and boxing under various trainers. His exposure of mixed martial arts (MMA) was heightened when he went back to the United States from 2000 to 2003, while making his Hollywood debut, he also took time off to learn the various martial arts form.^[27] The progress was evident when he returned back to Asia, where he implemented his new found knowledge of MMA showcased in films such as SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005) and Flash Point (2007).

Near the end of 2007, Yen added a new martial arts system to his arsenal. He was offered the role of Wing Chun grandmaster and Bruce Lee's mentor, Ip Man, in a 2008 film named after the grandmaster. He worked hard and studied Wing Chun under Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun for 9 months before tackling the role.^[28][29] Ip Chun has since praised Yen for his effort, and complimented that Yen is a great martial artist and a fast learner, and has managed to grasp the full concept of Wing Chun much faster than anyone he has taught.^[30]

Yen believes in practical combat, and in his opinion, MMA is the most authentic type of practical combat. He has particular interest in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has obtained a purple belt.^[31] He has mentioned that he would have entered the Octagon, joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship if he did not have a recurring shoulder injury.

Yen believes that combining many martial arts together will produce the most effective and harmonious style. Yen has said, "When you watch my films, you're feeling my heart."^[32]

Personal life[link]

Yen has stated that he is a big fan of the MMA organization Ultimate Fighting Championship, and has watched almost every UFC event available.^[33]

In 1993, Yen married Zing-Ci Leung. Their son, Man-Zeok Yen, was born in 1995. From 1995 to 2000, Yen was involved in a relationship with actress Yee Man "Joey" Meng. Yen married Cecilia Wang in Toronto in 2003.

About Cecilia Wang[link]

Cecilia Wang born April 21,1981 in Hong Kong was the winner of the 2000 Miss Chinese Toronto Pageant[34] , including the "Miss Vitality" and "Miss Perfect Figure" awards. She stands at 5'8" and was a model[35] . She is known in Asia as a socialite and appears in prestigious events throughout Asia. Wang supports Yen by accompanying in his red carpet events, film festivals, award shows, premieres around the world, including Cannes, Venice, Beijing, Shanghai, Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong etc. They have a daughter, Jasmine, born in 2004, and a son, James, born in 2007.[36]Cecilia Wang has a younger sister, named Yuen Yuen Wang.

See also[link]

• Donnie Yen filmography
• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Cinema of China

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Donnie Yen

• Official website
• Donnie Yen at the Internet Movie Database
• Donnie Yen's Sina blog site
• "An Action Star Moves to the Lead," New York Times article
• Donnie Yen profile page at Hong Kong Cinemagic
• Stokes, Lisa; Michael Hoover (2000). "An Interview with Donnie Yen". Asian Cult Cinema 29 (4th quarter): pp.48–62. 

Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival.
Chinese name	洪金寶 (Traditional)
Chinese name	洪金宝 (Simplified)
Pinyin	Hóng Jīnbǎo (Mandarin)
Jyutping	Hung4 Gam1bou2 (Cantonese)
Ancestry	Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Origin	Hong Kong
Born	(1952-01-07) January 7, 1952 (age 60) Hong Kong
Other name(s)	Yuen Lung (元龍) / Chu Yuen Lung (朱元龍), Dai Goh Dai (大哥大; Big, Big Brother)
Occupation	Actor, martial artist, director, producer, action choreographer, screenwriter, film presenter
Years active	1961–present
Spouse(s)	Jo Yun Ok (1973–1994) Joyce Godenzi (1995–present)
Children	Timmy Hung Tin Ming Jimmy Hung Tin Cheung Sammy Hung Tin Chiu Stephanie Hung Chao Yu
Parents	Hung Shen (father)
Awards Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor 1983 Carry On Pickpocket 1989 Painted Faces Best Action Choreography 1983 The Prodigal Son 2009 Ip Man 2011 Ip Man 2 Golden Horse Awards Best Action Choreography 2009 Ip Man 2010 Ip Man 2 Other awards Asia-Pacific Film Festival Best Actor 1988 Painted Faces

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Sammo Hung (born Hung Kam Po, 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema. He has been a fight choreographer for, amongst others, Jackie Chan, King Hu, and John Woo.

Hung is one of the pivotal figures who spearheaded the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the 1980s, helped reinvent the martial arts genre and started the vampire-like Jiang Shi genre. He is widely credited with assisting many of his compatriots, giving them their starts in the Hong Kong film industry, by casting them in the films he produced, or giving them roles in the production crew.

In East Asia, it is common for people to address their elders or influential people with familial nouns as a sign of familiarity and respect. Jackie Chan, for example, is often addressed as "Dai Goh" (Chinese: 大哥; pinyin: dà gē), meaning Big Brother. Hung was also known as "Dai Goh", until the filming of Project A, which featured both actors. As Hung was the eldest of the kung fu "brothers", and the first to make a mark on the industry, he was given the nickname "Dai Goh Dai" (Chinese: 大哥大; Mandarin Pinyin: dà gē dà; Jyutping: daai6 go1 daai6), meaning, Big, Big Brother or Biggest Big Brother.^[1]

Early years[link]

Hung's ancestral hometown is Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Born Hung Kam Po in Hong Kong, both of his parents worked as wardrobe artists in the local film industry and guardianship was thrust upon his grandparents. His grandmother was archetypal martial-arts actress Chin Tsi-ang^[2] and his grandfather was film director Hung Chung-Ho.

Hung joined the China Drama Academy, a Peking Opera School in Hong Kong, in 1961. He was enrolled for a period of seven years, beginning at the age of 9, after his grandparents heard about the school from their friends.^[3] The opera school was run by Master Yu Jim Yuen and as was customary for all students, Hung adopted the given name of his sifu as his family name whilst attending. Going by the name Yuen Lung, Hung became the foremost member of the Seven Little Fortunes (七小福) performing group,^[4] and would establish a friendly rivalry with one of the younger students, Yuen Lo. Yuen Lo would go on to become international superstar Jackie Chan. At the age of 14, Hung was selected by a teacher who had connections to the Hong Kong film industry to perform stunts on a movie. This brief foray into the industry piqued his interest in film and he took particular interest in the operation of film cameras.^[3] As the eldest of the troupe, Hung would give his opera school brothers pocket money from his earnings, endearing him greatly to his young friends.^[5] Shortly before leaving the Academy at the age of 16, Hung suffered an injury that left him bedridden for an extended period, during which time 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).

Many years later, in 1988, Hung starred in Alex Law's Painted Faces, a dramatic re-telling of his experiences at the China Drama Academy. Among the exercises featured in the film 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 film a toned-down version of their actual experiences.

Film career[link]

1960s and 1970s[link]

Hung appeared as a child actor in several films for Cathay Asia and Bo Bo Films during the early 1960s. His film debut was in the 1961 film Education of Love.^[4] In 1962, he made his first appearance alongside Jackie Chan in the film Big and Little Wong Tin Bar, followed by a role in The Birth of Yue Fei,^[6] in which he played the ten year old Yue Fei, the historical figure from the Song Dynasty who would go on to become a famous Chinese general and martyr. The majority of Hung's performance was alongside another actor portraying Zhou Tong, Yue's elderly military arts tutor. In 1966, at the age of just 14, Hung began working for Shaw Brothers Studio, assisting the action director Han Yingjie, on King Hu's film Come Drink with Me. Between 1966 and 1974, Hung worked on over 30 wuxia films for Shaw Brothers, progressing through the roles of extra, stuntman, stunt co-ordinator and ultimately, action director.

In 1970, Hung began working for Raymond Chow and the Golden Harvest film company.^[4] He was initially hired to choreograph the action scenes for the very first Golden Harvest film, The Angry River (1970).^[7] His popularity soon began to grow, and due to the quality of his choreography and disciplined approach to his work, he again caught the eye of celebrated Taiwanese director, King Hu. Hung choreographed two of Hu's films, A Touch of Zen (1971) and The Fate of Lee Khan (1973).

In the same year, Hung went to South Korea to study the martial art Hapkido under master Ji Han Jae.

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

In 1975, Hung appeared in The Man from Hong Kong, billed as the first Australian martial arts film.

Toward the late 1970s, Hong Kong cinema began to shift away from the Mandarin-language, epic martial arts films popularised by directors such as Chang Cheh. In a series of films, Hung, along with Jackie Chan, began reinterpreting the genre by making comedic Cantonese kung fu. While these films still strongly featured martial arts, it was mixed with a liberal dose of humour.

In 1977, Hung was given his first lead role in a Golden Harvest production, in the film Shaolin Plot. His next film, released the same year, was also his directorial debut, The Iron-Fisted Monk, one of the earliest kung fu comedies.^[4]

In 1978, Raymond Chow gave Hung the task of completing the fight co-ordination for the re-shoot of Game of Death, the film Bruce Lee was unable to complete before his death in 1973.

In 1979, Hung directed his second film, the comedy Enter the Fat Dragon, for H.K. Fong Ming Motion Picture Company, also playing the lead role Ah Lung; a character who idolises and impersonates Bruce Lee.^[4] Hung has impersonated Lee on film twice more - in the final fight scene against Cynthia Rothrock in Millionaire's Express (1986),^[7] and throughout the 1990 Lau Kar Wing film Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon.

After Jackie Chan's success with Drunken Master (1978), Hung was scheduled to make a similar film featuring Drunken Master's "Beggar So" character played by Yuen Siu Tien (aka Simon Yuen). As his elder, Sammo's films were expected to surpass Chan's in popularity. The film was Magnificent Butcher (1979), which Hung co-directed with Yuen Woo-ping. However, during filming Yuen Siu Tien died of a heart attack. He was replaced by Fan Mei Sheng and Yuen's absence may have led to low ticket sales.

1980s[link]

As Hung's fame grew, he used his newly-found influence to assist his former China Drama Academy classmates, as well as the former students of "rival" school, The Spring and Autumn Drama School. Aside from regular collaborations with Chan, others such as Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Lam Ching-ying and Mang Hoi also began to make regular appearances in his films.

In 1978 and 1981, Hung made two films that contain fine examples of the Wing Chun style. The first, Warriors Two was the most significant role to date for South Korean super kicker Casanova Wong, who teamed up with Hung in the final fight. The second film was The Prodigal Son, in which the Wing Chun fighting was performed by Lam Ching-Ying. The release of The Prodigal Son, along with another film directed by and co-starring Hung, Knockabout (1979) also shot his fellow Opera schoolmate Yuen Biao to stardom.

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

In 1983, the collaboration between the triumverate of Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao began with Chan's Project A. Hung, Chan and Yuen were known as the 'Three Dragons' and their alliance lasted for 5 years. Although Yuen continued to appear in the films of Hung and Chan, the final film to date starring all three was 1988's Dragons Forever.

Hung was also responsible for the Lucky Stars comedy film series in the 1980s. He directed and co-starred in the original trilogy, Winners and Sinners (1983), My Lucky Stars (1985) and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985). These first three films featured Chan and Biao in supporting roles. Hung also produced and played a supporting role in the fourth film, Lucky Stars Go Places (1986), and made a cameo appearance in the sixth and final film, How to Meet the Lucky Stars (1996).

During the 1980s, Hung was instrumental in the creating the genre of Jiang Shi (Chinese: 僵屍 or 殭屍; literally "stiff corpse"), the Jiang Shi being hopping re-animated corpses - a Chinese equivalent to Western vampires. Two landmark films, Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) and The Dead and the Deadly (1983) feature Jiang Shi who move in standing jumps towards their victims, as well as Taoist priests with the ability to quell these vampires (and at times, each other) through magical spells and charms. These films meld Chinese folklore with special effects and kung fu action to create a genre that is uniquely Chinese. Hung's Jiang Shi films would pave the way for films such as the popular Mr. Vampire (1985), which he also produced, and its sequels. He revitalised the sub-genre of female-led kung fu films, producing cop films such as Yes, Madam aka Police Assassins (both 1985), which introduced stars Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock.

1990s[link]

Film[link]

After some relatively poor performances at the domestic box-office, Hung had a dispute with studio head, Raymond Chow. Hung had produced the thriller Into the Fire (1989), but Hung felt Golden Harvest had withdrawn the film from cinemas too soon. The disagreement led to Hung parting company with Golden Harvest in 1991, after 21 years with the company.

Whilst continuing to produce films through his own company Bojon Films Company Ltd, Hung failed to equal his early successes. His fortunes improved somewhat as the helmer of "Mr. Nice Guy" (1997), a long-awaited reunion with Chan.

In 1994, Hung coordinated the fight sequences in Wong Kar-wai's wuxia epic, Ashes of Time.

Television[link]

In 1998, US television network CBS began to broadcast Martial Law (1998–2000) on Saturday nights, an action-drama built around Hung. The hour-long shows were a surprise success and installed Hung as the only East Asian headlining a prime time network series. The television series was executive produced and occasionally directed by Stanley Tong, and co-starred Arsenio Hall. Hung reportedly recited some of his English dialogue phonetically. The show was an eastern remake of Due South, which starred Paul Gross.

2000s[link]

Film[link]

During 2000-2001, Hung expressed interest in creating a film adaptation of the video game Soulcalibur. The production agreement for the film was made around April 2001 with an estimated budget of $50 million. Hung had the idea of producing a martial arts epic with Chen Lung Jackie Chan in the lead role, but the film was never made. Hung's plans were detailed on his website, but after a year the announcement was removed. The film rights have since been acquired by Warren Zide, the producer of American Pie and Final Destination.

Hung found renewed success in Hong Kong film industry in the 2000s, beginning with The Legend of Zu (2001), the long-awaited sequel to the 1983 hit Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain. In 2004, Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle was released. Though Yuen Woo-ping was credited for the martial arts choreography on Kung Fu Hustle, Hung actually did the preliminary work but left the film midway through, and Yuen filled in to complete it. Because of his departure from the film, there was tabloid speculation that he and Chow had strong differences over the film, resulting in their separation. Chow has since responded that Hung left for personal reasons and not because of speculated tensions. In 2004, Hung again worked with Jackie Chan, in a brief but notable appearance in Disney's Around the World in 80 Days as the legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hung, a character which, curiously, had been played by Chan himself in the Drunken Master series.

In 2005, Hung was involved in Daniel Lee's Dragon Squad and Wilson Yip's SPL: Sha Po Lang (aka Kill Zone). In the latter, Hung played a villain for the first time in over 25 years, and had his first ever fight scene against Donnie Yen. One of the key relationships in SPL had been Hung's role as the adoptive father of Wu Jing's character. However, these scenes were dropped from the final film as the director couldn't find a way to fit them into the film. In response to this, a prequel film was planned. Hung appeared alongside Wu Jing again in 2007's Twins Mission with stars, the Twins. In early 2008, Hung starred in Fatal Move, in which he and Ken Lo played a pair of rival triad gang leaders.^[1] He also starred in, and performed action choreography for, Daniel Lee^{[disambiguation needed ]}'s Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, with Andy Lau and Maggie Q. The film, was based on the book Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Antony Szeto's film, Wushu, which stars Hung premiered in Beijing in October, 2008. The film was unveiled by Golden Network at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Jackie Chan was the film's executive producer, and worked on the film in an advisory capacity, assisting with marketing and casting.^[8] Hung then worked again with director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen, as the action director for the 2008 film Ip Man.

In 2010, Hung was given a lifetime achievement award at the New York Asian Film Festival, where four of his films were shown.^[9] Hung appears in and choreographed Ip Man 2 (2010). His role is that of a Hung Gar master who challenges Ip Man.

Television[link]

In between films and special appearances, Hung has appeared in several East Asian television series. In 2003 he was in two mainland Chinese series - Undercover Cop with Fan Bingbing, followed by The Valley of Lost Vengeance (aka End Enmity Hollow). More recently, he played a master con-artist in the Taiwanese series Coming Lies and Wing Chun master Wong Wah-bo in Wing Chun, reprising the role he played in The Prodigal Son over 20 years earlier. He co-starred in the series alongside Yuen Biao, Nicholas Tse and his youngest son, Sammy Hung.^[10]

Hung 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 announced in Beijing.^[11]

In another mainland Chinese television series, The Shaolin Warriors, set during the Ming Dynasty, Hung played Big Foot, a Shaolin warrior monk joining General Qi Jiguang's marines to help defend the nation against Japanese pirates. Sammy Hung also has a role, as Big Foot's disciple.^[1]

Future[link]

Forthcoming film roles for Hung include starring roles in another Daniel Lee film, entitled Duel and in Vincent Kok's horror comedy, V for Vampire. These will be followed by a co-starring role alongside Bruce Liang in He Who Would Be King produced by Ju Long's new film studio^[12] and Kevin Munroe's War Monkeys for Dark Horse Indie, a branch of Dark Horse Entertainment.^[13] Hung is also expected to work once again with Stephen Chow, playing a role in the director's forthcoming wuxia comedy film. The film is currently in the script-writing phase and is as-yet unnamed.^[14]

Hung has also directed and starred in another martial arts epic entitled Howling Arrow. According to Hung's official website, it stars Aaron Kwok, Wu Jing, and Zhou Xun and was filmed for Tsui Siu-Ming’s Sundream Motion Pictures. Filming was supposed to begin in 2007, but the film appears to have been delayed indefinitely.

Filmography[link]

Hung has starred in 75 films, and worked on over 230, beginning as a child actor whilst still attending the China Drama Academy. Upon leaving the opera school, he worked as an extra and stuntman, and progressed through other roles including fight choreographer, stunt co-ordinator, action director, actor, writer, producer and director.

Film production[link]

Gar Bo Motion Picture Company[link]

In 1978 Sammo Hung formed Gar Bo Motion Picture Company, a subsidiary of Golden Harvest,^[15] with director Karl Maka and former actor-choreographer Lau Kar Wing (brother of actors Lau Kar-leung and Gordon Liu). The company's name consists of the "Gar" sound from Lau Kar Wing and Karl Maka (Mak Kar), and "Bo" from Hung Kam Bo.).^[16] The company disbanded in 1980, when Maka moved on to form Cinema City & Films Co. with Raymond Wong and Dean Shek.^[17] Gar Bo released two films, both starring Hung and Lau:

• Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog (1978)
• Odd Couple (1979)

Bo Ho Film Company Ltd[link]

1980 saw Raymond Chow pull one of Hung's films from local cinemas after just two weeks. Hung responded by starting his own production company Bo Ho Film Company Ltd, allowing him to have greater control to produce Hong Kong films.^[18][19] Whilst Bo Ho produced, Golden Harvest still operated as distributors. In all, 40 films were released by Bo Ho, several of which starred Hung:

• Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980)
• Long Arm of the Law (1984)
• Pom Pom (1984)
• Hocus Pocus (1984)
• Mr. Vampire (1985)
• Heart of Dragon (1985)
• Those Merry Souls (1985)
• Lucky Stars Go Places (1986)
• Millionaire's Express aka Shanghai Express (1986)
• Paper Marriage (1986)
• Righting Wrongs aka Above the Law (1986)
• Rosa (1986)
• The Strange Bedfellow (1986)
• Mr. Vampire Part 2 (1986)
• Eastern Condors (1987)
• Mr. Vampire Part 3 (1987)
• The Final Test (1987)
• The Happy Bigamist (1987)
• My Cousin, the Ghost (1987)
• Scared Stiff (1987)
• Sworn Brothers (1987)
• To Err is Humane aka To Err is Human (1987)
• China's Last Eunuch aka Lai Shi, China's Last Eunuch (1988)
• Mr. Vampire Saga 4 (1988)
• On the Run (1988)
• Picture of a Nymph aka Portrait of a Nymph (1988)
• One Husband Too Many (1988)
• Blonde Fury (1989)
• Three Against the World (1989)
• A Fishy Story (1989)
• Doctor's Heart (1990)
• Her Fatal Ways (1990)
• Mortuary Blues (1990)
• Shanghai, Shanghai aka Shanghai Encounter (1990)
• She Shoots Straight aka Lethal Lady (1990)
• Queens Bench III (1990)
• The Top Bet (1991)
• Lover at Large (1992)
• Scorpion King aka Operation Scorpio (1992)

D&B Films Company Ltd[link]

In 1983, Hung co-founded another production company, D&B Films Company Ltd ("D&B" being short for "Duk-Bo"), with Dickson Poon and John Shum.^[7] The company operated until 1992 and produced a total of 77 Hong Kong films:^[20]

• Hong Kong 1941 (1984)
• The Owl vs Bumbo aka The Owl vs Bombo (1984)
• The Return of Pom Pom (1984)
• The Island (1985)
• It's a Drink, It's a Bomb (1985)
• Mr. Boo Meets Pom Pom (1985)
• Yes, Madam aka Police Assassins (1985)
• Night Caller (1985)
• Dream Lovers (1986)
• Silent Love (1986)
• Passion (1986)
• Legacy of Rage (1986)
• My Family (1986)
• Pom Pom Strikes Back (1986)
• Conduct Zero (1986)
• In the Line of Duty aka Royal Warriors (1986)
• Brotherhood (1986)
• From Here to Prosperity (1986)
• The Lunatics (1986)
• Caper (1986)
• Devoted to You (1986)
• On the Red (1986)
• Where's Officer Tuba? (1986)
• Kiss Me Goodbye (1986)
• It's a Mad Mad World (1987)
• Porky's Meatballs (1987)
• The Wrong Couple aka The Wrong Couples (1987)
• Wonder Women (1987)
• Magnificent Warriors aka Yes, Madam 3 (1987)
• You're OK, I'm OK! (1987)
• The Final Victory (1987)
• Easy Money (1987)
• The Gang Don't Shoot Straight aka The Goofy Gang (1987)
• An Autumn's Tale (1987)
• In the Line of Duty 3 aka Yes, Madam 2 (1987)
• Sapporo Story (1987)
• Heart To Hearts (1988)
• It's A Mad Mad World 2 (1988)
• Tiger Cage (1988)
• Fury (1988)
• Classmate Party aka Student Union (1988)
• In the Blood (1988)
• Double Fattiness (1988)
• Vengeance is Mine (1988)
• Keep on Dancing (1988)
• Bless This House (1988)
• Women's Prison (1988)
• Darkside Of Chinatown (1989)
• Happy Together (1989)
• In the Line of Duty 4 aka In the Line of Duty aka Yes, Madam 4 (1989)
• Mr. Fortune (1989)
• Unfaithfully Yours (1989)
• It's A Mad Mad World 3 (1989)
• The Nobles (1989)
• Funny Ghost (1989)
• You Bet Your Life (1989)
• A Bite of Love (1990)
• Love is Love (1990)
• Middle Man (1990)
• Tiger Cage 2 (1990)
• Heart Into Hearts (1990)
• BB 30 (1990)
• Brave Young Girls (1990)
• Look Out, Officer! (1990)
• Perfect Girls (1990)
• Vampire Settle on Police Camp (1990)
• Forbidden Arsenal (1991)
• The Perfect Match (1991)
• The Plot (1991)
• Sea Wolves (1991)
• Dreams of Glory, A Boxer's Story (1991)
• Tiger Cage 3 (1991)
• Black Cat (1991)
• His Fatal Ways (1991)
• Will of Iron (1991)
• Black Cat 2 (1992)
• Heart Against Hearts (1992)

Bojon Films Company Ltd[link]

In 1989, Hung formed a new production company, Bojon Films Company Ltd.^[21] The company produced 5 films, all of which starred Hung:

• Pedicab Driver (1989)
• Encounters of the Spooky Kind 2 (1990)
• Pantyhose Hero aka Pantyhose Killer (1990)
• Slickers vs. Killers (1991)
• Don't Give a Damn aka Burger Cop (1995)

Personal life[link]

• Hung's grandmother was martial-arts actress Chin Tsi-ang, who starred in almost 80 films between 1941 and 2002. His grandfather was film director and writer Hung Chung Ho, who directed over 40 films between 1937 and 1950.
• Hung's younger brother, Lee Chi Kit, has worked on almost 40 films, many of which Hung was also involved with. Lee also worked on Hung's Martial Law series. He works primarily as a supporting actor and action director.^[22]
• He has three sons and a daughter, Timmy Hung Tin Ming (洪天明; born 1974), Jimmy Hung Tin Cheung (洪天祥; born 1977), Sammy Hung Tin Chiu (洪天照; born 1979) and Stephanie Hung Chao Yu (洪煦榆; born 1983) with Jo Yun Ok (曹恩玉), whom he grew up with in martial arts training school. He divorced Jo in 1994 and married model and actress Joyce Godenzi in 1995.^[23] Godenzi appeared in several of his films including The Haunted Island, Eastern Condors (both 1986), and Paper Marriage (1988) prior to the pair becoming a couple. She also appeared in Mr. Nice Guy (1997).

Hung's star, hand prints and autograph on the Avenue of Stars

• Timmy Hung has appeared alongside his father in SPL: Sha Po Lang, Legend of the Dragon, and Kung Fu Chefs, as well as having a recurring role in Sammo's series, Martial Law.
• Sammy Hung appeared as the nemesis to Nicholas Tse's character in the 2007 television series Wing Chun, a remake of the original series broadcast in 1994, and the subsequent film Wing Chun. The series also starred Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Sammy will also appear alongside his father in the upcoming film Choy Lee Fut.^[10]
• Hung is one of the celebrities honoured on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong.
• Hung is known for his large frame. Despite this, he is a surprisingly agile and formidable martial artist.
• He has a circular scar on the right-hand side of his face, just above his lip. In the early days of his film career, Hung was involved in a street fight outside a Kowloon nightclub, and was stabbed with a broken cola bottle.
• On 5 August 2009, Hung became unwell during the filming of Ip Man 2 in the Guangdong province of Foshan. He was admitted to hospital and underwent a heart surgery operation. He was discharged and returned to work within days. He cited a combination of his weight, his love of cigars and long filming hours resulting in fatigue and irregular meals as the cause.^[24]

In popular culture[link]

• A pop band from Wales named themselves Sammo Hung after the actor.^[25]
• Master Elehung Kinpo, from Juken Sentai Gekiranger, is named after him. Coincidentally, Yū Mizushima, the voice actor for Elehung Kinpo, did the dubbing for Sammo Hung.
• A martial artist named Samohan Kinpou is frequently referred to in the anime Negima?!

See also[link]

	Hong Kong portal
	Biography portal
	Film portal

• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong action cinema

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sammo Hung Kam-Bo at the Internet Movie Database
• Sammo Hung Profile at subtitledonline.com
• Sammo Hung Kam Bo at Hong Kong Cinemagic
• Sammo Hung Kam-Bo at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
• Sammo Hung Interview at Best For Film