Stephen Fung Tak-lun was born on 9 August 1974 under the name Fung Chun-choi; his mother was the 1960s actress Shek Yin. He studied computer science at the University of Michigan and, after returning to Hong Kong, entered show business; in 1995 he formed the pop duo DRY with Mark Lui, winning a best-newcomer award at a music awards ceremony before the duo broke up in 1998. He then moved to the big screen, playing Jet in Bishonen (1998) and starring in Gen-X Cops (1999) alongside other turns in Metade Fumaca, The Glass Bottle and Sunshine Cops that year, becoming one of the most watched young actors of the late 1990s. In 2004, with Jackie Chan's support, he made his directing debut with Enter the Phoenix, which earned him a nomination for Best New Director at the 5th Chinese Film Media Awards; in 2005 he wrote, directed and starred in House of Fury, nominated for Best New Director at the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2011 he co-founded the film company Diversion Pictures with Daniel Wu, backed by Huayi Brothers, and in 2012 directed Tai Chi Zero and its sequel Tai Chi Hero, action-choreographed by Sammo Hung and starring Tony Leung Ka-fai and Yuan Xiaochao; the films screened in the non-competition section of the Venice Film Festival and at Toronto, blending Chinese martial arts with visual effects. He served as a juror for the 51st Golden Horse Awards in 2014, directed and produced the American series Into the Badlands for the American network AMC in 2015, where it became the channel's top-rated new autumn series and he also served as its martial-arts action director, and wrote and directed the action film The Adventurers in 2017. In 2019 he directed the Netflix series Wu Assassins, which stars the Indonesian martial-arts actor Iko Uwais, becoming the first Chinese director to helm a Netflix American series independently and extending his reach onto global streaming platforms.
Stephen Fung moved from singer and teen idol to director and became a leading figure of Hong Kong's post-1990s new wave. His Tai Chi films blended Chinese martial arts with visual effects and were selected by international festivals, and in 2019 he directed a Netflix series, opening a path for Chinese directors onto global streaming platforms.
Achievements
- 1995 · Formed the pop duo DRY with Mark Lui
- 2004 · Made his directorial debut with Enter the Phoenix
- 2012 · Co-founded Diversion Pictures with Daniel Wu and directed Tai Chi Zero
- 2019 · Directed the Netflix series Wu Assassins