Ronny Yu Yan-tai, born in Hong Kong in 1950, is a director and screenwriter who has worked in both Hong Kong and the United States. Educated at a Hong Kong primary school, then in Britain and later in the United States, where he studied business administration in Ohio and took film courses at the University of Southern California, he has walked with difficulty since childhood because of polio. He entered the film industry in 1976 as a producer on Jumping Ash and directed his first feature in 1979, becoming one of the directors of the Hong Kong New Wave. In 1982 he directed The Postman Strikes Back starring Bryan Leung, with Chow Yun-fat, Phillip Ko and Cherie Chung. His 1986 Legacy of Rage was the first starring vehicle for Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, and earned Lee a Best New Performer nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards. In 1993 he directed The Bride with White Hair and its sequel, known for a distinctive visual style and romanticism. He made The Phantom Lover in 1995, then Warriors of Virtue in 1997. Bride of Chucky (1998) took about US$32.4 million at the North American box office. He directed The 51st State (2002) starring Samuel L. Jackson, and Freddy vs. Jason (2003) grossed US$116.6 million worldwide, opening at number one in North America and earning him the nickname 'Ghost King' in Hollywood. In 2006 he directed Jet Li in Fearless, which took about HK$30.2 million in Hong Kong, and he later developed and directed Saving General Yang (2013). He now lives mainly in Sydney, Australia.
Ronny Yu is one of the few Hong Kong directors to have crossed successfully into Hollywood, moving from local action films to American horror; The Bride with White Hair reshaped martial-arts romance visually, while Bride of Chucky and Freddy vs. Jason established him at the North American box office.
Achievements
- 1979 · Directed his first feature, becoming one of the Hong Kong New Wave directors
- 1986 · Directed Legacy of Rage, Brandon Lee's first starring film
- 2003 · Freddy vs. Jason grossed US$116.6 million worldwide
- 2006 · Directed Jet Li in Fearless, which took about HK$30.2 million in Hong Kong