Wang Lap Tat (June 29, 1939 – November 2, 2002), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Lo Lieh, was an

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

n-born

Hong Kong film The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of pol ...

actor and

martial artist 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 preserv ...

. Lo was perhaps best known as Chao Chih-Hao in the 1972

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

'' King Boxer'' (a.k.a. ''Five Fingers of Death''), Priest Pai Mei in '' Executioners from Shaolin'' and ''

Clan of the White Lotus ''Clan of the White Lotus'' is a 1980 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Lo Lieh, with action choreography by Lau Kar Leung, and starring Lo Lieh and Gordon Liu. It is released as ''Fists of the White Lotus'' in North America. The film fol ...

'', Miyamoto in the 1977 film ''

Fist of Fury II ''Fist of Fury II'' (, a.k.a. ''Chinese Connection 2'', ''Fist of Fury Part II'' and''Tschang Fu, der Todeshammer'' (''Tschang Fu, the hammer of death'') in Germany), is a 1977 Hong Kong kung fu film directed by Iksan Lahardi and Tso-nam Lee, a ...

'', and General Tien Ta in the 1978 film '' The 36th Chamber of Shaolin''.

Early life

Lo Born in

Pematangsiantar Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PS or ''P. Siantar'', colloquially just Siantar), is an independent city in North Sumatra, Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency, making Pematangsiantar an ...

on June 29, 1939, spent his early life in Indonesia and then his parents sent him back to China and attended acting school in Hong Kong, he began his

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 ...

training in 1962 and joined 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 ...

in the same year and went on to become one of the most famous actors in Hong Kong martial arts and

kung fu films Kung fu film () is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in ''wuxia'', a related martial arts genre that uses historical ...

in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Acting

In 1970 Lo played Kao Hsia in the film '' Brothers Five'', alongside

Cheng Pei-pei Cheng Pei-pei (born 6 January 1946) is a Chinese actress, who is considered cinema's first female action hero. She is known for her performance in the 1966 King Hu ''wuxia'' film '' Come Drink with Me'', as well as her portrayal of Jade Fox in ...

, and co-starred with Jimmy Wang Yu in '' The Chinese Boxer''. Lo starred in the 1972 cult classic '' King Boxer a.k.a. Five Fingers of Death ''. Lo played Ho Chiang in the 1974 film ''

The Stranger and the Gunfighter ''Là dove non batte il sole'', also known as ''The Stranger and the Gunfighter'' and ''El kárate, el Colt y el impostor'', is a 1974 kung fu Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Lo Lieh and Lee Van Cleef. Th ...

'', alongside

Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, parti ...

. In 1977, Lo portrayed

Pai Mei Bak Mei () is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders — survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) — who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial gov ...

in the '' Executioners from Shaolin'' and Miyamoto in ''

'', along with

Bruce Li Bruce Li (; born Ho Chung-tao; 5 June 1950) is a Taiwanese actor, martial artist and Bruce Lee imitator who starred in martial arts films from the Bruceploitation movement. Career He went to play a stuntman in Taiwan and Hong Kong under the na ...

. Lo played General Tien Ta in the 1978 film '' The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'', alongside

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 ...

and Lee Hoi San. In the 1980s, Lo directed and starred in the 1980 film ''

'', along with Gordon Liu. Lo played Triad Gangster Boss in the 1988 film '' Dragons Forever'', alongside

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

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

Yuen Biao Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun; 26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer. He was one of ...

. Lo played Fei in the 1989 film '' Miracles'' along with Jackie Chan,

Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-hon (born 17 December 1939), also known as Richard Woo, is a Hong Kong actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film and television career Ng has appeared in 80 films to da ...

and Billy Chow. In the 1990s, Lo played Choi Kun-lun in the 1991 film '' Sex and Zen'' alongside

Lawrence Ng Lawrence Ng Kai-wah (, ; born 19 May 1964) is a popular TV actor in Hong Kong. His more famous works include the television series '' Healing Hands'' and the films '' Fate Twisters'' and ''Sex and Zen''. Ng's older brother is former Charlie ...

, Amy Yip and Kent Cheng. Lo played The General in the 1992 film '' Police Story 3: Super Cop'' alongside Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh. In the 2000s, Lo played Wei Tung's Uncle in the 2001 film ''The Vampire Combat'', with

Collin Chou Collin Chou (born 11 August 1967), sometimes credited as Ngai Sing, is a Taiwanese actor and martial artist. Personal life Chou attended Pierce Community College in Los Angeles, United States. In addition to his native Mandarin, he also spea ...

and Valerie Chow. Lo's last film was 2001's ''Glass Tears'', before retiring from acting at the age of 62.

Personal life

Lo married Grace Tang Chia-li on April 15, 1976. Lo and his wife later divorced.

Death

Lo died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on November 2, 2002. He was 63 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

Lo Lieh - Fan WebsiteLo Lieh
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lo, Lieh 1939 births 2002 deaths Hong Kong male film actors Indonesian people of Chinese descent Indonesian Cantonese people Indonesian emigrants to Hong Kong People from Pematangsiantar People from North Sumatra Male Spaghetti Western actors Shaw Brothers Studio