Yuen Biao, born Ha Ling-chun in Hong Kong in 1957, was sent at five to study Peking opera under Yu Jim-yuen and became a member of the Seven Little Fortunes. In the early 1970s he worked as a stuntman and double for his senior Sammo Hung at Golden Harvest, appearing as an extra in Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (1972) and Enter the Dragon (1973), and in Shaw Brothers' new-school period martial-arts films such as The Magic Blade (1976). In 1979 he took his first leading role in Hung's Knockabout, praised for his agile tumbling and kicking; his lead in The Prodigal Son (1981) was a box-office success and made him a star in his own right, often doubling as action director. He headlined the big-budget Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983), saw The Champions released in Japan the same year, and co-starred with Jackie Chan and Hung in Project A, which made him popular in Japan. He went on to appear in many Hung productions, including Wheels on Meals (1984), My Lucky Stars (1985), Millionaires' Express (1986) and Eastern Condors (1987), and starred in the Japanese co-productions Peacock King (1989) and Saga of the Phoenix (1990). As action director he shared Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Action Choreography for The Prodigal Son (1981) and Winners and Sinners (1983) with Hung, Lam Ching-ying and Yuen Wah. In the mid-1980s he and Yuen Kwai formed the production company Bo Ho Films, whose first film he starred in; later hits included Iceman Cometh (1989) and Once Upon a Time in China (1991). In the early 1990s he set up his own company and directed himself in The Young Taoism Fighter (1992). After leaving Golden Harvest in 1993 he appeared in films and on television, and continued to act into the 2010s.
A member of the Seven Little Fortunes, Yuen Biao was an action star known for agile tumbling and powerful kicks. Starring and choreographing in Sammo Hung's films such as The Prodigal Son, he won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography twice and became a leading figure of Golden Harvest action cinema in the 1980s.
Achievements
- 1979 · Took his first leading role in Sammo Hung's Knockabout
- 1983 · Won Best Action Choreography at the 2nd Hong Kong Film Awards for The Prodigal Son
- 1992 · Directed and starred in The Young Taoism Fighter