Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and

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 city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

martial arts film star.

Background

A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in

Shaw Brothers 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 ...

productions, and was one of the first solid trained, martial arts stars employed by the company. One of his first roles in a Shaw work was in the 1969 film after high school '' The Chinese Boxer'', along with

Jimmy Wang Yu Jimmy Wang Yu (; born Wang Zheng Quan; 28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring ...

. Chen branched out as an actor with '' Boxer from Shantung'' a box-office smash in Hong Kong. His roles in ''

The Tea House ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' and its sequel '' Big Brother Cheng'', both directed by Chih-hung Kwei increase His fame. These films gave Chen status as a "legitimate actor". After starring in the box office successes ''

Challenge of the Masters ''Challenge of the Masters'' () is a 1976 martial arts-action film released in Hong Kong by Shaw Brothers, and directed by Lau Kar Leung. Plot After his father refuses to teach him kung fu and he is constantly being beaten by rival school stu ...

'' and '' Executioners from Shaolin'', both helmed by the legendary martial arts director

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 ...

, Chen left the Shaw Brothers Studio. While away from Shaw, Chen directed and starred in the 1977 film '' Iron Monkey''. Chen later returned to the Shaw Brothers in the films '' Crippled Avengers'' (directed by

Chang Cheh Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a 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 with the Shaw ...

), '' Killer Constable'' (directed by Chih-hung Kwei), and '' 3 Evil Masters'' (co-starring Yuen Tak of the Seven Little Fortunes). To date Chen has starred in over 100 films, around 80 of which were with Shaw Brothers. He appeared in Wilson Yip's 2006 martial arts-fantasy '' Dragon Tiger Gate'', and in the 2007 remake of the King Hu classic, '' The Valiant Ones New''. He recently played the role of Gold Lion in the

Rza Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

's directorial debut ''

The Man with the Iron Fists ''The Man with the Iron Fists'' is a 2012 American martial arts film directed by RZA and written by RZA and Eli Roth. The film stars RZA, Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu, Byron Mann, Rick Yune, Dave Bautista, and Jamie Chung. Set in ...

''.

Personal life

Chen married at least four times. In 1976, he married a fellow Shaw Brothers actress Cai Zhen-ni (蔡珍妮), better known under her stage name of

Ying Ying Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

(盈盈), and had a daughter, Chen Yong-xi (陈泳希), with her. Chen and Cai divorced in the following year. He later married a Taiwanese actress and singer

Fong Yee-chun Fong may refer to: *the Beti-Pahuin#Bulu, Bulu tribe of the Beti–Pahuin people of Cameroon *various Chinese surnames **the Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation, Hong Kong Government Cantonese romanization of the surname Fang (surname), Fā ...

(方怡珍) and had a son, Chen Jun-xiang (陈骏祥), with her in 1978. Chen and Fong later divorced. In 1990, he married Zhao Ting-ting (赵婷婷) in Australia, but they divorced a few years later. In 2017, at the age of 73, Chen married a 43 year old Tang Liping (汤利萍).Currently Chen resides in Kolkata,India and is the owner of the reputed 'Jimmy's Kitchen'.

Filmography

Chen Kuan-tai at chinesemov.com
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Kuan-Tai 1945 births Living people Shaw Brothers Studio Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong male television actors Male actors from Guangdong 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male actors