Dick Wei (, born ''Tu Jilong'' 涂吉龍; born April 15, 1953) is a Taiwanese actor, director and writer who specializes in

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

and action films.

Early life and career

Dick Wei was born Tu Jilong in the town of Pingtung in southern Taiwan. He is of

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

ancestry. He began studying martial arts in Junior High School, going on to win numerous competitions. He later served in the Taiwanese army, attaining the rank of captain, and was an instructor in

unarmed combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...

, especially Tae Kwon Do. Prior his movie career, he also worked as a combat instructor for the Taiwanese police force. His first films were made while he was still in the army; most were low budget Taiwanese productions. His earlier movie appearances tended to be quite brief and he often played supporting or tertiary roles.

Discovery

While operating a martial arts studio in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

, he was spotted by

Chang Cheh Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...

who persuaded him to have a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...

which was shown to Sir Run Run Shaw. Impressed with the footage, Shaw signed him with the

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

and he relocated to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

in 1977. Under the stage name "Tu Lung", he made several

films with the studio including '' Five Deadly Venoms'' (1978)'', The Avenging Eagle'' (1978), '' Kid with the Golden Arm'' (1979), and ''The'' ''Kid With a Tattoo'' (1980). In the early 1980s, he moved to Golden Harvest where he joined

Sammo Hung Samuel "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 Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...

's team of actors and stuntmen. Starring in films many of which were helmed by Hung, Dick Wei became known for playing villainous roles such as Suen in '' The Prodigal Son'' (1981), pirate king Lor Sam Pau in '' Project A'' (1983), and mountain bandit number 6 in '' Millionaires Express'' (1986). He also trained actresses

Joyce Godenzi Joyce Mina Godenzi (; born 28 May 1965) is a Hong Kong former actress and winner of the Miss Hong Kong pageant of 1984. Background Born in British Hong Kong in 1965 to an Australian father and a Chinese mother, Godenzi was encouraged to join the M ...

for her role in '' Eastern Condors,'' and

Michelle Yeoh Yeoh Choo Kheng (; born 6 August 1962), known professionally as Michelle Yeoh (), is a Malaysian actress. In a career spanning over four decades, Yeoh has appeared Michelle Yeoh filmography, in projects encompassing a wide array of genres, a ...

when the latter first began making martial arts movies.

Later roles and directing

In 1989, Wei starred in and was action director for the film '' Dragon Fight''. In 1991, he made his directional debut with the action film ''Visa to Hell'' and then, in 1994, directed the

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

, ''A Killing Order''. He starred in and choreographed both projects. Dissatisfied that he was constantly typecast as villains by Hong Kong film companies and directors, Dick Wei eventually returned to Taiwan where he turned his hand to directing and producing. He continued to work in Taiwanese television and starred in a number of movies, including some

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

. The early to mid-2000s saw a rapid decline in his film appearances and eventually, a complete stop altogether. It would not be until 2013 that he would star in another major film project, Hung Yan-yan's '' 7 Assassins'', appearing alongside several veteran actors from the Golden Generation of Hong Kong cinema such as Felix Wong. The following years saw Dick Wei's steady return to filmmaking in which he starred primarily in action or martial arts films from Taiwan and

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

, some of which were exclusively streamed via online platforms. He would also return to directing; in 2016, he directed and starred alongside Tony Liu and

Chen Kuan-tai Chen Kuan-tai (; born 24 September 1945) is a Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Ko ...

in a loose reboot of the 1980 film '' Encounters of the Spooky Kind''. As of 2023, his most recent appearance was in the 2020 martial arts film, ''Chinese People The Soul of Wushu''.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wei, Dick 1953 births People from Pingtung County Taiwanese people of Hakka descent Taiwanese male taekwondo practitioners Taiwanese male film actors Living people