Lau Kar-wing (born 1944) is a Martial Artist,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

action choreographer Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

Background

Born in the Xinhui District of

Jiangmen Jiangmen (), alternately romanized in Cantonese as Kongmoon, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province in southern China. As of the 2020 census, its three urban districts, plus Heshan City being conurbated, with 2,657,662 inhabitant ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, Lau Kar-wing was the fourth child of Lau Cham (), a martial arts master who studied under Lam Sai-wing, pupil of the legendary Chinese

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...

Wong Fei-hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 9 July 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the subject of numerous martial arts films and televis ...

. Lau began learning kung fu in his early teens, learning in secret at his father's school. When his older brother,

Lau Kar-leung Lau Kar-leung (28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013), was a Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer, and martial artist from Hong Kong. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. His most famous wor ...

, discovered this, he began teaching Kar-wing himself.

Film career

Before becoming famous, Lau worked as an extra and choreographer on the black & white Wong Fei-hung films, which starred

Kwan Tak-hing Kwan Tak-hing, MBE (27 June 1905 – 28 June 1996) was a Hong Kong martial artist and actor best known for his portrayal of martial artist folk hero Wong Fei-hung in at least 77 films, between the 1940s and the 1980s. No one else in cinema his ...

as the titular hero. Lau was given his start working under his father and brother in these films, and followed his brother to become a

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

and assistant choreographer. In the 1960s he became one of the

Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

's main action choreographers, working with many directors on films such as '' King Boxer'' (1972). Lau evolved to become a director in the late 1970s. By this time he was already an accomplished actor and action choreographer outside of Shaw Brothers. In the 1970s, Lau formed a partnership with

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for ...

and Karl Maka. The trio started their own film

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

in 1978, Gar Bo Motion Picture Company. They made just two films, before Maka left to start Cinema City. Both films starred Lau, Hung and Maka, '' Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog'' (1978) and '' Odd Couple'' (1979). During this period, Lau continued to make films for

. He moved with the times, in the 1980s he alternated between his own work, and that of Sammo Hung. He also found the time to appear in several of his brother, Lau Kar-leung's films. During the late 1980s and early 90s, Lau's output slowed down. Since 1994 he has virtually retired from the industry. One of his best known efforts from this period is '' Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon'' (1990), alongside his old collaborators,

and Karl Maka. Kar-wing worked alongside his brother, Kar-leung, as martial arts choreographer on the film '' Drunken Monkey'' (2002), and was an uncredited martial arts advisor on

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as '' Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...

's ''

Seven Swords ''Seven Swords'' is a 2005 ''wuxia'' film produced and directed by Tsui Hark, starring Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung, Sun Honglei, Lu Yi and Kim So-yeon. An international co-production between Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Netherla ...

'' (2005). Footage of Wing's performance in the 1976 film ''

Tiger & Crane Fists ''Tiger & Crane Fists'' () (AKA ''Savage Killers''). Accessed 2 November 2009. is a 1976 kung fu movie, starring 70s Hong Kong star Jimmy Wang Yu. The story concerns the Tiger and the Crane martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and t ...

'' was utilized for the character Wimp Lo in the 2002 American comedy film ''

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist ''Kung Pow! Enter the Fist'' is a 2002 American martial arts comedy film that parodies Hong Kong action cinema. Written, directed by and starring Steve Oedekerk, it uses footage from the 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film '' Tiger & Crane Fists' ...

''. Lau is also a skilled

lion dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Y ...

performer, and has demonstrated this ability in at least two films '' Why Me?'' (1985) and ''

Once Upon a Time in China and America ''Once Upon a Time in China and America'', also known as ''Once Upon a Time in China VI'', (Chinese: 黃飛鴻之西域雄獅) is a 1997 Hong Kong martial arts western film directed by Sammo Hung in his last directorial effort until 2016, w ...

'' (1997).

Personal life

Lau is the younger brother of actor, director and action choreographer

Gordon Liu Gordon Liu (Lau Kar-fai ); born Sin Kam-hei () August 22, 1951) is a Chinese martial arts film actor and martial artist. He played the lead role of San Te in ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' (1978) and its sequels, and later played two roles in Q ...

(a.k.a. Lau Kar-fai) is a godson to Lau's parents. He is father to TVB actor Lau Wing-kin. His nephew, Lau Kar-yung (the son of Lau's older sister), is also an actor, action choreographer and director.

Selected filmography

As director

* ''

He Has Nothing But Kung Fu ''He Has Nothing But Kung Fu'' aka. ''Kung Fu's Deadly Duo'' () is a 1977 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lau Kar-wing, starring Gordon Liu and Wong Yue. It was Lau Kar-wing's first film as a director. Plot Yung Wang Yu stars as Sha S ...

'' (1977) * '' Dirty Kung Fu'' (1978) * '' Fists and Guts'' (1979) * '' Odd Couple'' (1979) * '' Shaolin Warrior'' (1980) * ''

Treasure Hunters Treasure hunter is the physical search for treasure. For example, treasure hunters try to find sunken shipwrecks and retrieve artifacts with market value. This industry is generally fueled by the market for antiquities. The practice of treasure ...

'' (1981) * ''

Till Death Do We Scare image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

'' (1982) * '' The Fake Ghost Catchers'' (1982) * '' Play Catch'' (1983) * '' Wits of the Brats'' (1984) * ''

From the Great Beyond From may refer to: * From, a preposition * From (SQL), computing language keyword * From: (email message header), field showing the sender of an email * FromSoftware, a Japanese video game company * Full range of motion, the travel in a rang ...

'' a.k.a. ''Those Merry Souls'' (1985) * '' Scared Stiff'' (1987) * ''

The Dragon Family ''The Dragon Family'' () is a 1988 Hong Kong action film directed by Lau Kar-wing starring Andy Lau, Alan Tam and Max Mok. Plot Lung Ying (Ko Chun-hsiung), patriarch of the Lung family and leader of the four triad families have decided to stop d ...

'' (1988) * '' City Cops'' (1989) * '' Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon'' (1990) * '' Innocent Killer'' (1994)

As martial arts choreographer

* '' The Elusive Golden Butterfly'' (1966) * ''

The Story of a Discharged Prisoner The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (英雄本色; lit. "True Colors of a Hero"), also called ''Upright Repenter'', is a 1967 Hong Kong film directed by Patrick Lung Kong. The film partially inspired the 1986 John Woo film '' A Better Tomorrow' ...

'' (1967) * '' The Strange Sword'' (1968) * '' Three Young Girls'' (1968) * '' Let's Sing and Dance to Celebrate a Peaceful Year'' (1969) * ''

Valley of the Fangs A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

'' (1970) * '' The Young Girl Dares Not Homeward'' (1970) * '' The Heroic Ones'' (1970) * '' The Swift Knight'' (1971) * '' The Oath of Death'' (1971) * ''

Young People Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

'' (1972) * ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is ...

'' (1972) * '' 5 Fingers of Death'' a.k.a. ''King Boxer'' (1972) * '' Prodigal Boxer'' (1972) * ''

Delightful Forest ''Delightful Forest'' is a Hong Kong films of 1972, 1972 Hong Kong film directed by Chang Cheh. Cast *Ti Lung *Tin Ching *Zhu Mu *Lee Man Tai *Chiang Nan *Nam Wai Lit *Wong Kwong Yue *Wong Ching Ho *Yue Fung *Kong Ling References External ...

'' (1972) * '' Boxer from Shantung'' (1972) * '' Black Guide'' (1973) * '' Devil and Angel'' (1973) * '' Death on the Docks'' (1973) * ''

The Private Eye ''The Private Eye'' was a science fiction mystery digital comic written by Brian K. Vaughan, drawn by Marcos Martín and colored by Muntsa Vicente. The first issue was published by Panel Syndicate in March 2013. In 2015, the series won an Ei ...

'' (1973) * '' The Inheritor of Kung Fu'' (1973) * '' The Mandarin'' (1973) * '' Return of the Assassin'' (1973) * '' The Young Tiger'' (1973) * '' Breakout from Oppression'' (1973) * '' The Escaped Convict'' (1974) * '' The Concrete Jungle'' (1974) * '' The Drug Addict'' (1974) * '' A Mad World of Fools'' (1974) * '' Five Tough Guys'' (1974) * '' The Thunder Kick'' (1974) * '' Five Shaolin Masters'' (1974) * '' Young Lovers on Flying Wheels'' (1974) * '' The Monk'' (1975) * ''

The Taxi Driver ''The Taxi Driver'' (Greek: ''To soferaki'') is a 1953 Greek comedy film directed by Yorgos Tzavellas and starring Mimis Fotopoulos, Smaroula Giouli, and Nikos Rizos.Karalis p.62 Cast * Mimis Fotopoulos as Vangos * Smaroula Giouli as Lela ...

'' (1975) * '' Master of the Flying Guillotine'' (1976) * ''

'' (1977) * '' One Arm Chivalry Fights Against One Arm Chivalry'' (1977) * '' Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog'' (1978) * '' Dirty Kung Fu'' (1978) * '' His Name Is Nobody'' (1979) * '' Fists and Guts'' (1979) * '' Odd Couple'' (1979) * '' Shaolin Warrior'' (1980) * ''

'' (1981) * '' The Fake Ghost Catchers'' (1982) * ''

Aces Go Places 2 ''Aces Go Places 2'' (Chinese: 最佳拍檔大顯神通) is a 1983 Hong Kong action-comedy film directed by Eric Tsang and starring Sam Hui, Karl Maka, Sylvia Chang. The film has also been dubbed into English and re-edited and was released ove ...

'' (1983) * '' Shanghai 13'' (1984) * ''

Prison on Fire ''Prison on Fire'' is a 1987 Hong Kong prison film directed by Ringo Lam and starring Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Yiu (Tony Leung Ka Fai) is a young advertising executive in Hong Kong. One night, defending his father from attack, he acci ...

'' (1987) * ''

Armour of God The phrase "Armor of God" (, ''panoplian tou Theou'') is derived from Ephesians 6:11: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." ( King James Version).Bible Gateway Passage Lookup: Armour of Go ...

'' (1987) * ''

Return of the Lucky Stars ''Return of the Lucky Stars'' (Alternative: "Lucky Stars Triad Society") is a 1989 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Stanley Fung. It is the fifth film out of the ''Lucky Stars'' series. Plot Hong Kong Police Supt. Walter Tso arrests ...

'' (1989) * ''

Just Heroes ''Just Heroes'' () is a 1989 Hong Kong crime film, directed by John Woo and Wu Ma. The film stars Danny Lee, David Chiang and Stephen Chow. Plot Following the death of a triad leader, there is conflict within the Hong Kong organised crime ...

'' (1989) * '' Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit'' (1989) * '' City Cops'' (1989) * '' Once Upon a Time in China'' (1991) * '' Full Contact'' (1992) * '' Innocent Killer'' (1994) * '' Drunken Monkey'' (2002) * ''

'' (2005) (uncredited)

As actor

* '' The Professionals'' (1967) * '' The Thundering Sword'' (1967) * ''

King Cat ''King Cat'' is a 1967 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Hsu Tseng Hung and produced by Shaw Brothers Studio. The story is loosely based on the 19th-century Chinese novel ''The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants''. The title refers to a nickna ...

'' (1967) * '' The Black Killer'' (1967) * '' The Sword and the Lute'' (1967) * '' Lady in Distress: The Invincible Fighter'' (1967) * ''

'' (1967) * '' The Assassin'' (1967) * ''

Girl in Red Marie Ulven Ringheim (born 16 February 1999) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her indie pop project Girl in Red (stylized as girl in red). Her early EPs ''Chapter 1'' (2018) and ''Chapter 2'' (2019) were recorded i ...

'' (1967) * '' The One-Armed Swordsman'' (1967) * ''

Trail of the Broken Blade A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

'' (1967) * '' Red Lamp Shaded in Blood'' (1968) * '' The Magnificent Five'' (1968) * '' The White Dragon'' (1968) * ''

Golden Swallow The golden swallow (''Tachycineta euchrysea'') is a swallow endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and was once native to Jamaica, but is now extirpated there. It is restricted to is ...

'' (1968) * '' The Silver Fox'' (1968) * '' The Sword of Swords'' (1968) * '' Return of the One-Armed Swordsman'' (1969) * '' Dead End'' (1969) * '' The Oath of Death'' (1971) * ''

The Jade Faced Assassin ''The Jade Faced Assassin'' is a 1971 Hong Kong film adapted from Gu Long's novel '' Juedai Shuangjiao''. The film was directed by Yan Jun, produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, and starred Lily Ho and Kao Yuen as the lead characters. Plot The ...

'' (1971) * '' The Swift Knight'' (1971) * '' Hooded Swordsman'' (1971) * '' The Inheritor of Kung Fu'' (1973) * '' Devil and Angel'' (1973) * ''

The Devil's Treasure ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1973) * '' The Mandarin'' (1973) * '' Kung Fu on the Bosphorus'' (1974) * '' The Monk'' (1975) * ''

Challenge of the Masters ''Challenge of the Masters'' () is a Hong Kong films of 1976, 1976 martial arts film, martial arts-Hong Kong action cinema, action film released in Hong Kong by Shaw Brothers, and directed by Lau Kar Leung. Plot After his father refuses to teac ...

'' (1976) * '' Master of the Flying Guillotine'' (1976) * '' Savage Killers'' (1976) * '' The Good, the Bad and the Loser'' (1976) * ''

'' (1977) * '' Iron Fists'' (1977) * '' One Arm Chivalry Fights Against One Arm Chivalry'' (1977) * '' The Secret of the Shaolin Poles'' (1977) * '' The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' (1978) * ''

Shaolin Mantis ''Shaolin Mantis'' ( zh, c=螳螂, j=tong4 long4, l=praying mantis), also released as ''The Deadly Mantis'', is a 1978 Shaw Brothers film directed by Lau Kar-leung, starring David Chiang and Liu Chia Hui. Plot Wei Fung (David Chiang), a young ...

'' (1978) * '' Dirty Kung Fu'' (1978) * '' Warriors Two'' (1978) * '' Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog'' (1978) * '' Spiritual Boxer II'' (1979) * '' Fists and Guts'' (1979) * '' His Name Is Nobody'' (1979) * '' Odd Couple'' (1979) * '' Knockabout'' (1979) * '' Shaolin Warrior'' (1980) * ''

'' (1981) * ''

Cat vs Rat Cat Vs. Rat is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts-comedy film directed by Lau Kar Leung, starring Alexander Fu, Adam Cheng, Kara Hui and Hsiao Ho. The plot is loosely based on the 19th century wuxia classic novel ''The Seven Heroes and Five Gal ...

'' (1982) * '' It Takes Two'' (1982) * '' Legendary Weapons of China'' (1982) * ''

'' (1982) * '' Play Catch'' (1983) * '' Eight-Diagram Pole Fighter'' (1984) * ''

My Lucky Stars ''My Lucky Stars'' () is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, written by Barry Wong, and starring Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. It was released as ''5 Lucky Stars'' in Japan and as ''Ninja Encounter'' in the Philippines ...

'' (1985) * '' Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars'' (1985) * ''

Millionaire's Express Millionaires Express (, also known as ''Shanghai Express''; released in the Philippines as ''China Warriors'') is a 1986 Hong Kong martial arts western comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung. The film stars Hung, Yuen Biao, Rosamund K ...

'' (1986) * '' Trouble Couples'' (1987) * '' Tiger on Beat'' (1988) * ''

'' (1988) * ''

'' (1989) * '' Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit'' (1989) * '' Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon'' (1990) * ''

Twin Dragons ''Twin Dragons'' (also known as ''Shuang long hui'' and ''Brother vs. Brother'') is a 1992 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, and starring Jackie Chan in a double role as identical twin brothers separated at ...

'' (1992) * '' Innocent Killer'' (1994) * ''

Wong Fei Hung Series The ''Wong Fei Hung Series'' is a 1995 to 1996 Hong Kong–Chinese television film series of five stories about Wong Fei-hung, a Chinese martial artist and folk hero, each told in four episodes. The series was produced by Tsui Hark and starred Vin ...

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Fist Power'' (2000) * ''

'' (2002, archival footage) * '' Anna in Kungfuland'' (2003) * '' Ultimate Fight'' (2004)

References

External links

*
Lau Kar-wing's filmography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Kar-wing Hong Kong film directors Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong kung fu practitioners Shaw Brothers Studio films Chinese Hung Gar practitioners 1944 births Living people Sportspeople from Guangdong People from Jiangmen People from Xinhui District Male actors from Guangdong Film directors from Guangdong Action choreographers Chinese male film actors Chinese film directors