Yuen Woo-ping (born 24 August 1945 in Guangzhou), known as 'Eighth Uncle', is a Hong Kong action choreographer and director, the son of Yuen Siu-tien, the first martial-arts director in film history. Born into a martial arts family, he trained from childhood under his father and alongside his brothers Yuen Cheung-yan and Yuen Shun-yi, graduated from Man Tak Middle School in Kowloon in 1958, and from the age of twenty worked as an extra and stuntman before becoming a martial-arts director at twenty-five on The Mad Killer. In 1978, encouraged by Ng See-yuen, he began directing with Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master, two kung fu comedies that proved hugely popular and helped launch Jackie Chan. With his brothers and a team of stuntmen he formed the Yuen Clan, a mainstay of Hong Kong action cinema. His choreography for Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China II (1992) won Best Action Choreography at the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards, and he went on to work on The Tai-Chi Master and Fist of Legend. In 1999 he designed the fights for The Matrix, and in 2000 won Best Action Choreography at the 20th Hong Kong Film Awards and at the Golden Horse Awards for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, also receiving that ceremony's Professional Achievement Award. Further Hong Kong Film Award wins followed for Kung Fu Hustle (2005), Fearless (2007), The Grandmaster (2014) and Ip Man 4 (2020), six in all; in 2016 he received a lifetime achievement award at the 10th Asian Film Awards. He also choreographed Hollywood productions including Kill Bill and the mainland television version of Water Margin, and among the action performers he has mentored is Donnie Yen.
Yuen broke Chinese martial arts down into shootable beats, and his 1978 kung fu comedies set the template for Jackie Chan. From 1999 his fight design for The Matrix and Kill Bill led Hollywood to adopt the Hong Kong action-director system, changing how Western action films were staged and shot.
Achievements
- 1978 · Directed Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master with Jackie Chan
- 1993 · Won Best Action Choreography at the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards for Once Upon a Time in China II
- 2001 · Won Best Action Choreography at the 20th Hong Kong Film Awards for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- 2016 · Received a lifetime achievement award at the 10th Asian Film Awards