Xiong Xin-xin was born in Liuzhou, Guangxi, on 25 February 1962 and trained in martial arts with the Guangxi wushu team from childhood, becoming a professional martial-arts athlete before moving to Hong Kong. He appeared as a Shaolin disciple in Lau Kar-leung's 'Martial Arts of Shaolin' opposite Jet Li and served for the first time as Li's stunt double; impressed by his skill, Lau invited him to develop his career in Hong Kong. He arrived in 1987 and joined Lau's stunt team as a martial-arts performer, later appearing in films such as 'Tiger on the Beat' (1988). Working on Tsui Hark's 'Once Upon a Time in China' series, he doubled for Jet Li in the famous bamboo-ladder fight of the first film and also played major roles: the villain Nine Palace Taoist in 'Once Upon a Time in China II' (1992) and the hero Ghost Foot Seven in 'Once Upon a Time in China III' (1993), both of which became signature parts and earned him the nickname 'Seventh Brother'; he would play Ghost Foot Seven six times in all. In 1993 he was nominated for Best New Performer at the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards for the second film. In 2000 he was nominated for Best Action Choreography at the 37th Golden Horse Awards for 'Time and Tide', followed by a Hong Kong Film Award nomination in 2001. In 2005 he shared Best Action Choreography at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards for 'Seven Swords' with Lau Kar-leung and Stephen Tung Wai, and was nominated again at the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2006. A regular member of Tsui Hark's action units in the 1990s, he appeared in 'Seven Warriors' (1994), later directed 'Warrior' (2009) and 'Glory Days', and appeared in 'The Master' (2015). He has long worked as an action choreographer on films and television series on the mainland, known for a forceful, realistic style that fuses southern-style martial arts with wire work.
One of the notable mainland-trained martial artists who crossed over to Hong Kong cinema, Xiong Xin-xin made the character Ghost Foot Seven a household name through his acting and choreography on the 'Once Upon a Time in China' series. His forceful, realistic action style, forged in the Tsui Hark era when kung-fu films went global, became part of the wider export of Chinese-language action cinema.
Achievements
- 1987 · Moved to Hong Kong and started as a stuntman with Lau Kar-leung's team
- 1992 · Played the villain Nine Palace Taoist in 'Once Upon a Time in China II'
- 1993 · Nominated for Best New Performer at the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards for the second film and played Ghost Foot Seven in the third
- 2005 · Won Best Action Choreography at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards for 'Seven Swords'