Lau Kar-wing
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (February 2009) |
Lau Kar-wing | |||||||||||
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劉家榮 | |||||||||||
Born | 1944 (age 77–78) | ||||||||||
Occupation | Actor, director, action choreographer | ||||||||||
Years active | 1964–present | ||||||||||
Children | Lau Wing-kin (son) | ||||||||||
Parent(s) |
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Awards | Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Action Choreography 1991 Once Upon a Time in China | ||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 劉家榮 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 刘家荣 | ||||||||||
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Lau Kar-wing (simplified Chinese: 刘家荣; traditional Chinese: 劉家榮; pinyin: Liú Jiārong; born 1944) is a Martial Artist, Hong Kong martial arts film director, action choreographer and actor.[1]
Background[]
Born in the Xinhui District of Jiangmen in Guangdong, China, Lau Kar-wing was the fourth child of Lau Cham (劉湛), a martial arts master who studied under Lam Sai-wing, pupil of the legendary Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung.
Lau began learning kung fu in his early teens, learning in secret at his father's school. When his older brother, Lau Kar-leung, discovered this, he began teaching Kar-wing himself.
Film career[]
Before becoming famous, Lau worked as an extra and choreographer on the black & white Wong Fei-hung films, which starred Kwan Tak-hing as the titular hero. Lau was given his start working under his father and brother in these films, and followed his brother to become a stuntman and assistant choreographer.
In the 1960s he became one of the Shaw Brothers Studio's main action choreographers, working with many directors on films such as King Boxer (1972). Lau evolved to become a director in the late 1970s. By this time he was already an accomplished actor and action choreographer outside of Shaw Brothers.
In the 1970s, Lau formed a partnership with Sammo Hung and Karl Maka. The trio started their own film production company in 1978, Gar Bo Motion Picture Company. They made just two films, before Maka left to start Cinema City. Both films starred Lau, Hung and Maka, Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog (1978) and Odd Couple (1979). During this period, Lau continued to make films for Shaw Brothers Studio. He moved with the times, in the 1980s he alternated between his own work, and that of Sammo Hung. He also found the time to appear in several of his brother, Lau Kar-leung's films.
During the late 1980s and early 90s, Lau's output slowed down. Since 1994 he has virtually retired from the industry. One of his best known efforts from this period is Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon (1990), alongside his old collaborators, Sammo Hung and Karl Maka. Kar-wing worked alongside his brother, Kar-leung, as martial arts choreographer on the film Drunken Monkey (2002), and was an uncredited martial arts advisor on Tsui Hark's Seven Swords (2005). Footage of Wing's performance in the 1976 film Tiger & Crane Fists was utilized for the character Wimp Lo in the 2002 American comedy film Kung Pow! Enter the Fist.
Lau is also a skilled lion dance performer, and has demonstrated this ability in at least two films Why Me? (1985) and Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997).
Personal life[]
Lau is the younger brother of actor, director and action choreographer Lau Kar-leung. Gordon Liu (a.k.a. Lau Kar-fai) is a godson to Lau's parents. He is father to TVB actor Lau Wing-kin. His nephew, Lau Kar-yung (the son of Lau's older sister), is also an actor, action choreographer and director.
Selected filmography[]
As director[]
- He Has Nothing But Kung Fu (1977)
- (1978)
- (1979)
- Odd Couple (1979)
- (1980)
- Treasure Hunters (1981)
- (1982)
- (1982)
- (1983)
- (1984)
- a.k.a. Those Merry Souls (1985)
- Scared Stiff (1987)
- The Dragon Family (1988)
- (1989)
- Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon (1990)
- (1994)
As martial arts choreographer[]
- (1966)
- The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (1967)
- (1968)
- (1968)
- (1969)
- (1970)
- (1970)
- The Heroic Ones (1970)
- (1971)
- (1971)
- Young People (1972)
- Water Margin (1972)
- 5 Fingers of Death a.k.a. King Boxer (1972)
- (1972)
- Delightful Forest (1972)
- Boxer from Shantung (1972)
- (1973)
- Devil and Angel (1973)
- (1973)
- The Private Eye (1973)
- (1973)
- (1973)
- (1973)
- (1973)
- (1973)
- (1974)
- (1974)
- (1974)
- (1974)
- (1974)
- (1974)
- Five Shaolin Masters (1974)
- (1974)
- The Monk (1975)
- The Taxi Driver (1975)
- Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
- He Has Nothing But Kung Fu (1977)
- (1977)
- Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog (1978)
- (1978)
- His Name Is Nobody (1979)
- (1979)
- Odd Couple (1979)
- (1980)
- Treasure Hunters (1981)
- (1982)
- Aces Go Places 2 (1983)
- Shanghai 13 (1984)
- Prison on Fire (1987)
- Armour of God (1987)
- Return of the Lucky Stars (1989)
- Just Heroes (1989)
- Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit (1989)
- (1989)
- Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
- Full Contact (1992)
- (1994)
- Drunken Monkey (2002)
- Seven Swords (2005) (uncredited)
As actor[]
- (1967)
- (1967)
- King Cat (1967)
- (1967)
- (1967)
- (1967)
- The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (1967)
- (1967)
- (1967)
- The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)
- (1967)
- (1968)
- (1968)
- (1968)
- Golden Swallow (1968)
- (1968)
- (1968)
- Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969)
- Dead End (1969)
- (1971)
- The Jade Faced Assassin (1971)
- (1971)
- (1971)
- (1973)
- Devil and Angel (1973)
- (1973)
- (1973)
- (1974)
- The Monk (1975)
- Challenge of the Masters (1976)
- Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
- Savage Killers (1976)
- (1976)
- He Has Nothing But Kung Fu (1977)
- (1977)
- (1977)
- (1977)
- The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
- Shaolin Mantis (1978)
- (1978)
- Warriors Two (1978)
- Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog (1978)
- (1979)
- (1979)
- His Name Is Nobody (1979)
- Odd Couple (1979)
- Knockabout (1979)
- (1980)
- Treasure Hunters (1981)
- Cat vs Rat (1982)
- It Takes Two (1982)
- Legendary Weapons of China (1982)
- (1982)
- (1983)
- Eight-Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)
- My Lucky Stars (1985)
- Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985)
- Millionaire's Express (1986)
- (1987)
- Tiger on Beat (1988)
- The Dragon Family (1988)
- Return of the Lucky Stars (1989)
- Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit (1989)
- Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon (1990)
- Twin Dragons (1992)
- (1994)
- Wong Fei Hung Series (1996)
- Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)
- Fist Power (2000)
- Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002, archival footage)
- Anna in Kungfuland (2003)
- (2004)
References[]
- ^ contact@hkcinemagic.com. "Hong Kong Cinemagic - Lau Kar Wing". Retrieved 30 October 2016.
External links[]
- Hong Kong film directors
- Hong Kong male film actors
- Hong Kong kung fu practitioners
- Shaw Brothers Studio films
- Chinese Hung Gar practitioners
- 1944 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Guangdong
- People from Xinhui District
- Male actors from Guangdong
- Film directors from Guangdong
- Action choreographers
- Chinese male film actors
- Chinese film directors