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Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo ( Chinese: 赵文卓; born 10 April 1972), sometimes credited as Vincent Chiu or Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. He is best known for portraying Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in both film and television, most notably '' Once Upon a Time in China IV'' (1993) and its 1994 sequel in the '' Once Upon a Time in China'' film series, the '' Wong Fei Hung'' series (1995-1996), and '' Kung Fu League'' (2018). Trained in various
wushu Wushu may refer to: Martial arts * Chinese martial arts, the various martial arts of China * Wushu (sport) Wushu () (), or kung fu, is a competitive Chinese martial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern ...
techniques, such as Tongbeiquan and
tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...
, especially the Chen and Yang styles, Zheng won many national championships while studying at the Beijing Sport University. After being spotted by Hong Kong filmmaker
Corey Yuen Corey Yuen Kwai (; 15 February 1951 – 2022) was a Hong Kong film director, film producer, action choreographer, and actor. Yuen attended the China Drama Academy and was one of the Seven Little Fortunes. In Hong Kong, he worked on several ...
, he made his acting debut as the antagonist in the martial arts film '' Fong Sai-yuk'' (1993), opposite
Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...
's character. He went on to play leading roles in many Hong Kong and Chinese films, such as '' The Blade'' (1995), ''Mahjong Dragon'' (1996), ''The Blacksheep Affair'' (1998), '' Fist Power'' (2000), and ''Invisible Tattoo'' (2019), among others. He portrayed Zheng Chenggong in '' The Sino-Dutch War 1661'' (2001), Zhao Shuo in ''
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
'' (2010), So Chan in '' True Legend '' (2010), and
Qi Jiguang Qi Jiguang (, November 12, 1528 – January 17, 1588), courtesy name Yuanjing, art names Nantang and Mengzhu, posthumous name Wuyi, was a Chinese military general and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is best known for leading the defense on th ...
in ''
God of War A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheism, polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been portrayed in their ...
'' (2017). He starred in his directorial debut ''Counter Attack'' (2021). He has appeared in numerous television series, such as '' Hero of the Times'' (1999-2000), ''
Huo Yuanjia Huo Yuanjia (18 January 1868 – 14 September 1910),wushu.org.cn
states that the Chin Woo Athletic Associa ...
'' (2001), '' Drunken Hero'' (2002), '' Lost City in Snow Heaven'' (2005), '' Seven Swordsmen'' (2006), '' The Master of Tai Chi'' (2008), '' Invincible Knights Errant'' (2011), and ''Heroes'' (2020), among others.


Early life

Zhao was born in
Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
,
Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...
, China the youngest of three boys. His father was a martial arts practitioner, and his mother was a professional sprinter, who broke the record for being the fastest female sprinter of Harbin. Under the instruction of his father, Zhao attended martial arts lessons at the age of eight but he never completely devoted himself to his lessons as he was more interested in singing. In the early 1980s, Zhao was sent to a martial arts academy in Harbin and began to train vigorously, where he started to love the sport. He soon became the youngest member of the Harbin
wushu Wushu may refer to: Martial arts * Chinese martial arts, the various martial arts of China * Wushu (sport) Wushu () (), or kung fu, is a competitive Chinese martial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern ...
team, which was established in 1985. Trained in various wushu techniques, Zhao mastered Tongbeiquan,
tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...
, especially the Chen and Yang styles. Zhao maintained high academic standards, and in 1990, he was accepted by Beijing Sport University to study martial arts. Throughout his university career, he joined many national championships, winning first place titles and gold medals for the National Junior Championship, the National All-Around Championship, and also the National Martial Arts Championship. He was also qualified to be in China's national martial arts team, and his classmates gave him the nickname, "Kungfu King".


Career


''Fong Sai-yuk''

In 1992, Hong Kong film producer
Corey Yuen Corey Yuen Kwai (; 15 February 1951 – 2022) was a Hong Kong film director, film producer, action choreographer, and actor. Yuen attended the China Drama Academy and was one of the Seven Little Fortunes. In Hong Kong, he worked on several ...
went to Beijing Sport University to find a martial artist to play the role of the antagonist for his 1993 film '' Fong Sai-yuk''. Yuen found Zhao through the latter's instructor and was immediately impressed with Zhao. Initially, Zhao was uninterested, but Yuen insisted on offering him the role because he had "the skill and looks." After further encouragement from peers and mentors, Zhao accepted the offer and shooting began in the same year. Zhao was often teased for looking too nice and young for the role of the villain, the Governor of Nine Gates, but under the instruction of Yuen and other directors, he learned the easiest way to "look evil". He said,
"The director told me: Chiu Man-cheuk, when you look at people, don't look at them like how you usually do. You must look at them from the corner of your eyes with your profile facing them. That way, you will look evil."
During filming, Zhao also enrolled in acting classes for three months. ''Fong Sai-yuk'' was released in March 1993 and became a box office hit in Hong Kong, grossing HK$30,666,842.


''Once Upon a Time in China''

After only a month into the filming of ''Fong Sai-yuk'', contract problems between
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, , born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong (), is a Hong Kong filmmaker. A major director in the Golden Age of Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cinema, Tsui gained critical and commercial success with films such as ''Zu Warriors from ...
and
Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...
caused Li to back out from the fourth installment of the '' Once Upon a Time in China'' saga. Tsui met Zhao on the set of ''Fong Sai-yuk'' and was impressed with Zhao's performance that he quickly recruited Zhao to replace Li in playing the role of Wong Fei-hung. Tsui also encouraged Zhao to sign a three-year contract to be a full-time actor, but Zhao rejected the offer, stating that he felt that his education was more important. Zhao continued to devote himself to filming during school vacations for '' Green Snake'' (1993) and '' Once Upon a Time in China IV'' (1994). During filming for Green Snake, Zhao was hung high up in the air during a stunt with two steel wires supporting him but during an incident one of the steel wires broke and Zhao stated that if the other wire were to also break that he could have lost his life as well. Zhao was ultimately very frightened especially after filming this scene. During the filming of one of the Wong Fei Hung movies, he seriously injured his ankle to the point where it hadn't healed until the year 2012. He stated that some of the bones in his ankle still hasn't healed yet and that before this injury he was okay with doing the majority of his stunts even jumping from third or second story high buildings. The injury has also affected his flexibility as well. Although ''Once Upon a Time in China IV'' grossed less in the box office than the first three installments, it was significant enough to continue the franchise with a fifth installment, '' Once Upon a Time in China V'' (1995). While shooting a scene, Zhao slipped during a fighting sequence and injured his head. He was rushed to the hospital and got stitches. He recovered quickly and shooting continued after several weeks. ''Once Upon a Time in China V'' was Zhao's last role as Wong Fei-hung in the films, as Jet Li returned for the sixth and last installment, '' Once Upon a Time in China and America'' (1997). Zhao continued playing Wong Fei-hung in the television drama '' Wong Fei Hung Series'', also produced by Tsui Hark. The series was aired on ATV in Hong Kong for two years and received high ratings (although ''Wong Fei Hung Series: The Final Victory'' only had moderate ratings).


1997–1999

In 1997, Zhao signed a management contract with China Star, a Hong Kong talent agency, after which he began to work on more films, such as ''The Blacksheep Affair'' (1998), ''Body Weapon'' (1999) and '' Fist Power'' (1999–2000). Many considered him as "the next Jet Li".


2000–2010

Zhao's contract with China Star ended in 1999, and he decided to turn his focus to the mainland Chinese market in hope of making more money (probably due to economic differences), working on television series and films such as '' The Sino-Dutch War 1661'', '' Wind and Cloud'' and '' Seven Swordsmen''. In 2006, Zhao returned to Hong Kong and began working on '' The Master of Tai Chi'', produced by
TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong. The company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Canton ...
. During an interview concerning his career and the transition from movie actor to television actor. He said tactfully "at the beginning of the transition, my heart felt like it was in a uncomfortable state." Reviews for Zhao's performance in television series were mixed, and many criticized him for giving up big productions and the silver screen. Zhao explained:
"I never took professional acting classes. The only thing I could do back then were sports and martial arts. In order to train myself, I must accept more television series to touch up my acting."
While working on ''The Master of Tai Chi'', Zhao was given a script for a new martial arts film and he accepted the lead role. Zhao signed with Hollywood agency CAA in 2006 with help from
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
. He was originally selected to play the lead villain in ''
Rush Hour 3 ''Rush Hour 3'' is a 2007 American Buddy Cop film, buddy cop action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner, written by Jeff Nathanson. It is the third installment in the Rush Hour (franchise), ''Rush Hour'' franchise and sequel to ''Rush Hour 2'' ...
'', but the role was eventually given to Hiroyuki Sanada. After spending one year and a half in America, Zhao returned to
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
and went into an obvious physical breakdown. In September 2008 he returned to Beijing to prepare for his next film, '' True Legend''. ''True Legend'' opened up to mixed reviews and was a failure at the box office. It nevertheless won the Best Asian Action Movie award. In April 2010 Zhao joined ''
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
s star-studded cast and was only given a minor role.


2011–present

Zhao starred alongside
Yang Mi Yang Mi ( zh, s= 杨幂, t=, p=, born 12 September 1986), also known as Mini Yang, is a Chinese actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress in '' Tang Ming Huang'' (1990) and transitioned to adult roles in the 2000s, gaining recogni ...
, Louis Fan, Xu Jiao and Dennis To in the 2012 martial arts fantasy film '' Wu Dang'' that was directed by Patrick Leung, written by Chan Khan, and action choreographed by
Corey Yuen Corey Yuen Kwai (; 15 February 1951 – 2022) was a Hong Kong film director, film producer, action choreographer, and actor. Yuen attended the China Drama Academy and was one of the Seven Little Fortunes. In Hong Kong, he worked on several ...
. On 19 January 2012, in a press conference held in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, it was announced that Zhao would be starring with
Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan ( zh, c=甄子丹, p=Zhēn Zǐdān, j=, first=j; born 27 July 1963) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Fi ...
in the film ''Special Identity''. However, on 29 February, Zhao left the production due to changes in the script by Yen. Since March 1, 2017, Zhao is employed as Health Qigong ambassador. In 2021, he joined the cast of '' Call Me By Fire'' as a contestant.


Personal life

Zhao graduated from Beijing Sport University in 1994 and decided to remain there as a martial arts instructor. However, due to his busy filming schedule, he only taught classes for three months before resigning. During his time at Beijing Academy, Zhao signed on for two months of dancing classes and won the National College Dance Championship Competition. He was once linked with
Anita Mui Anita Mui Yim-fong (; 10 October 1963 – 30 December 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actress who made major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and received numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout her career, and i ...
in early 1995 but the pair broke apart in 1996. Zhao had a son from a previous relationship with a
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
college student known as "Xiao Lian" () studying in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and a reported pianist in 2001. His son, named "Zhao Yuanda" (), English name "Joseph", was born in August 2002. The reason for their break up is unknown. In 2004, Zhao Yuanda and his mother moved back to Beijing, where she opened a yoga center in the luxury apartments of Beijing Suburbs. Zhao married his girlfriend Zhang Danlu, whom he met in 2002, in June 2006, and their daughter was born in September 2007. In November 2007, Zhao brought his family back to Beijing. At the airport, when interviewed, Zhao said his daughter is named "Rosita", Chinese name "Zhao Ziyang" (). His daughter shares the same name as the late politician Zhao Ziyang, whose name has been a taboo subject in China since 1989. On 15 July 2011, Zhao's wife gave birth in Hong Kong to their second son, who is named "Zilong" after the
courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
of Zhao Yun, a famous general of the
Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...
period. On 14 September 2016, Zhao and Zhang welcomed their third child (Zhao's fourth), a daughter named Luna Zhao.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* *
Vincent Zhao's blog
on Sina.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao, Vincent 1972 births Male actors from Harbin Chinese wushu practitioners Living people Sportspeople from Harbin Chinese male film actors Chinese male television actors Chinese Buddhists 21st-century Buddhists