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Filmography
Above: In Fist of Fury (1972), Wah’s character foolishly insults Bruce Lee, with inevitable results. Left: Wah as the Prince in Mr. Vampire 4 (1988), for which he also served as action director. Far left: As Feng San, taking aim at Yuen Biao’s Ah Ching in Iceman Cometh (1989).
For Yuen Wah’s staggering complete filmography (over 100 films!), please refer to the following sites:
Hong Kong Movie Database: Yuen Wah
The Internet Movie Database: Yuen Wah
For biographical information on Wah, refer to the sites listed below:
Yuen Wah: A Biographical Essay by Yves Gendron
Kung Fu Cinema Profile: Yuen Wah
Some highlights of Wah’s vast filmography:
A young man of action:
Wah got his start in the movie industry the same way that his brothers Sammo, Jackie, and Biao did: stunts and doubling. His physical resemblance to screen legend Bruce Lee combined with his incredible acrobatic skills and talent earned him employment as Lee’s double in movies such as Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. Wah also worked extensively with Shaw Brothers studio and also with Sammo Hung, who had established himself as an action choreographer with Golden Harvest Studios. By the 1980s, Wah had himself become an action director, at the helm of films Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars, Heart of the Dragon, Mr. Vampire, Eastern Condors, Paper Marriage, and many more.
Wah at his villainous best:
The most widely-recognized titles from Wah’s villainous history include many ‘80s and ‘90s films made with his opera school brothers: Eastern Condors, Dragons Forever, Iceman Cometh, The Dragon from Russia, A Kid from Tibet, Police Story 3: Supercop, and Kickboxer. But not to be missed are some of Wah’s earlier villainous roles, such as a young Japanese who foolishly insults Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury (1972) before Bruce beats his character to a pulp and as the Iga Ninja in Shaw’s Clans of Intrigue (1977).
The nicer side of Wah:
Kung Fu Hustle (2004): Wah won Best Supporting Actor at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards for his portrayal of the Landlord of Pig Sty Alley in this Stephen Chow comedy that in 2005, became the highest-grossing Hong Kong-made movie in Hong Kong. For more information about Wah and his co-star and former schoolmate, Yuen Qiu (the Landlady), see Jean Lukitsh's April, 2005 article Two Little Fortunes do the 'Kung Fu Hustle' at Kung Fu Cinema.
The Master (1989): Wah plays the part of Jet Li’s honorable sifu and also served as stunt coordinator for this film.
Hero (1997): Plays the mild-mannered older brother of Takeshi Kaneshiro’s Ma Wing-Jing in this Shaw Brothers movie that also features Yuen Biao and Yuen Kwai (Corey Yuen).
TVB productions: Plain Love II and III, Country Spirit, Gods of Honour, Drunken Angels, A Place of One’s Own, and The Night Journey. Some of Wah’s TVB projects of recent years are featured at a website devoted to The Best Kicker and Flipper – Yuen Wah.