Sammo Hung facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sammo Hung
洪金寶
Hung at the press conference of the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards after receiving his Hong Kong Film Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 14 April 2024
Born	Hung Kam-bo (1952-01-07) 7 January 1952 (age 73) Hong Kong
Other names	Dai Goh Dai (大哥大) Yuen Lung (元龍) Chu Yuen Lung (朱元龍)
Occupation	Martial artist actor director choreographer producer playwright
Years active	1961–present
Spouse(s)	Jo Eun-ok ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1994)​ Joyce Godenzi ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	Timmy Hung (son) Jimmy Hung (son) Sammy Hung (son) Stephanie Hung (daughter)
Relatives	Chin Tsi-ang (grandmother) Hung Chung-ho (grandfather)
Family	Lee Chi-kit (brother)
Awards	Asia-Pacific Film Festival – Best Actor 1988 Painted Faces Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Actor 1983 Carry On Pickpocket 1989 Painted Faces Best Action Choreography 1983 The Prodigal Son 2009 Ip Man 2011 Ip Man 2 2018 Paradox Lifetime Achievement 2024 Asian Film Awards – Best Supporting Actor 2011 Ip Man 2 Golden Horse Awards – Best Action Choreography 2009 Ip Man 2010 Ip Man 2
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	洪金寶
Simplified Chinese	洪金宝
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hóng Jīnbǎo Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Hung4 Gam1-bou2
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Sammo Hung (born January 7, 1952) is a famous Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and film director. He is well-known for his work in action movies and for creating exciting fight scenes. Sammo Hung has choreographed fights for many actors, including Jackie Chan.

Hung was a key figure in the "Hong Kong New Wave" of the 1980s. He helped make martial arts movies popular and introduced the "jiangshi" (Chinese zombie) film style. He also helped many new actors and crew members start their careers in the film industry.

Both Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan were called "Dai Goh," meaning "Big Brother." Because Hung was older and started in the industry first, he earned the nickname "Dai Goh Dai," which means "Biggest Big Brother."

Early Life and Training

Sammo Hung was born in Hong Kong. His parents worked in the film industry, so his grandparents raised him. His grandmother, Chin Tsi-ang, was a famous martial arts actress. His grandfather, Hung Chung-ho, was a film director.

Joining the China Drama Academy

In 1961, when he was 9, Hung joined the China Drama Academy. This was a Peking Opera School in Hong Kong. He trained there for seven years. Like all students, he took his teacher's name, Yu Jim Yuen, as his own. He was known as Yuen Lung.

Hung became a top student in the "Seven Little Fortunes" performing group. He had a friendly rivalry with a younger student named Yuen Lo, who later became the international star Jackie Chan.

First Steps into Film

At 14, Hung got his first stunt job in a movie. This made him interested in filmmaking, especially how cameras worked. As the oldest, he shared his earnings with his younger friends at the academy.

Before leaving the academy at 16, Hung got injured and gained weight. When he started working as a stuntman in films, he was nicknamed "Sam-mo." This name came from a well-known Chinese cartoon character.

Painted Faces Film

In 1988, Hung starred in Painted Faces. This movie showed what his life was like at the China Drama Academy. It featured many acrobatic moves and tough exercises. Hung and the other "Seven Little Fortunes" felt the film was a softer version of their real experiences.

Film Career Highlights

Sammo Hung has had a long and successful career in movies. He started as a child actor and grew into a director, choreographer, and star.

1960s and 1970s Films

Hung appeared in films as a child actor in the early 1960s. His first movie was Education of Love in 1961. In 1962, he appeared with Jackie Chan in Big and Little Wong Tin Bar. He also played the young Yue Fei, a famous Chinese general, in The Birth of Yue Fei.

At 14, in 1966, Hung started working for Shaw Brothers Studio. He helped with action scenes on the film Come Drink with Me. From 1966 to 1974, he worked on many films. He moved from being an extra to a stuntman, then a stunt co-ordinator, and finally an action director.

In 1970, Hung joined Golden Harvest film company. He helped choreograph action for their first two films. Golden Harvest sent him to Korea, where he learned hapkido and earned a black belt. He became a martial arts director for several films there. His talent for fight choreography grew, and he worked with director King Hu on The Fate of Lee Khan (1973).

In 1973, Hung appeared in the classic Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon. He was the Shaolin student Lee fights at the beginning. In 1975, he choreographed action for The Man from Hong Kong.

By the mid-1970s, martial arts films were less popular. Golden Harvest signed the Hui Brothers, who made popular comedies. When Hung directed his first film, The Iron Fisted Monk (1977), he added a lot of comedy. Many people see this as the first true kung fu comedy.

In 1978, Hung finished the fight scenes for Game of Death, a film Bruce Lee could not complete before he died. Hung also directed his second film, Enter the Fat Dragon, in 1978. In this movie, he played a character who looked up to Bruce Lee.

1980s Film Success

As Hung became more famous, he helped his friends from the China Drama Academy. Actors like Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, and Lam Ching-ying often appeared in his films.

In the 1980s, Hung's martial arts films changed how fight scenes were shown. Instead of old-fashioned fantasy fights, his choreography was more realistic and fast-paced. Films like Winners and Sinners (1982) and Wheels on Meals (1985) helped define 1980s martial arts movies.

In 1983, Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao teamed up for Chan's film Project A. They were known as the "Three Dragons" and worked together for five years. Their last film together was Dragons Forever in 1988.

Hung also created the Lucky Stars comedy film series. He directed and starred in the first three films: Winners and Sinners (1983), My Lucky Stars (1985), and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985). Chan and Biao had supporting roles in these movies.

Hung also helped make the "jiangshi" (hopping vampire) film style very popular in the 1980s. Films like Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) and The Dead and the Deadly (1983) showed these hopping vampires and Taoist priests who could control them. These films led to the popular Mr. Vampire (1985) series, which Hung also produced. He also helped bring back female-led martial arts films, like Yes, Madam (1985), which introduced stars Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock.

1990s Films and TV

In the early 1990s, Hung left Golden Harvest after 21 years. He continued to make films with his own company, Bojon Films. In 1997, he reunited with Jackie Chan for the film Mr. Nice Guy.

In 1998, the US TV network CBS launched Martial Law. This action-drama starred Hung as the main character. It was a big success and made Hung the only East Asian actor to lead a prime-time network series at the time.

2000s and Beyond

Hung continued to find success in the 2000s. He appeared in The Legend of Zu (2001). In 2004, he did some early work on the martial arts choreography for Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle. He also had a brief but notable role with Jackie Chan in Disney's Around the World in 80 Days.

In 2005, Hung played a villain for the first time in over 25 years in SPL: Sha Po Lang (also known as Kill Zone). He also had his first fight scene against Donnie Yen in this movie.

Hung worked with director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen again as the action director for the 2008 film Ip Man. In 2010, Hung received a lifetime achievement award at the New York Asian Film Festival. That same year, he appeared in Ip Man 2, where he also choreographed the fights. He played a Hung Gar master who challenges Ip Man. He also appeared in The Legend Is Born: Ip Man as Ip Man's teacher, Chan Wah-shun.

In 2021, Hung was one of six famous Hong Kong filmmakers who directed a short film for the anthology series "Septet: The Story of Hong Kong" (2022). This series celebrates the city's history.

Television Appearances

Besides films, Hung has appeared in several East Asian TV series. In 2003, he was in Dragon Laws. More recently, he played a master con-artist in Coming Lies. He also played Wing Chun master Wong Wah-bo in Wing Chun, a role he first played over 20 years earlier in The Prodigal Son. His youngest son, Sammy Hung, also starred in this series.

Hung was a guest judge on the Chinese reality TV show The Disciple. This show aimed to find a new star skilled in acting and martial arts to become Jackie Chan's "successor."

In another Chinese TV series, The Shaolin Warriors, Hung played Big Foot, a Shaolin warrior monk. He helped defend China against Japanese pirates. His son, Sammy Hung, also played Big Foot's student in the series.

Filmography

Sammo Hung has starred in 75 films and worked on over 230 movies. He started as a child actor and has worked as an extra, stuntman, fight choreographer, action director, actor, writer, producer, and director. His most recent film is the 2017 action film God of War.

Film Production Companies

Sammo Hung has been involved in creating several film production companies, giving him more control over his movies.

Gar Bo Motion Picture Company

In 1978, Sammo Hung started Gar Bo Motion Picture Company with director Karl Maka and actor-choreographer Lau Kar Wing. The company released two films:

• Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog (1978)
• Odd Couple (1979)

The company closed in 1980.

Bo Ho Film Company Ltd.

In 1980, Hung started his own company, Bo Ho Film Company Ltd. This allowed him to have more control over his films. Golden Harvest still distributed the movies. Bo Ho released 44 films, including:

D&B Films Company Ltd

In 1983, Hung co-founded D&B Films Company Ltd. This company operated until 1992 and produced 68 films, including:

Bojon Films Company Ltd

In 1980, Hung also formed Bojon Films Company Ltd. This company produced 12 films, with Hung starring in 8 of them:

• Two Toothless Tigers (1980)
• Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars (1985)
• Spooky, Spooky (1988)
• Pedicab Driver (1989)
• Into the Fire (1989)
• Encounters of the Spooky Kind II (1990)
• Pantyhose Hero (1990)
• License to Steal (1990)
• Slickers vs. Killers (1991)
• Banana Spirit (1992)
• Lover's Tear (1992)
• Don't care (1995)

Personal Life

• Sammo Hung's grandmother was the martial arts actress Chin Tsi-ang. His grandfather, Hung Chung Ho, was a film director and writer.
• Hung's younger brother, Lee Chi-kit, has also worked in films, often with Sammo. He is mainly a supporting actor and action director.
• In 1973, Hung married Jo Eun-ok. They had three sons: Tin-Ming "Timmy" Hung (born 1974), Tin Cheung "Jimmy" Hung (born 1977), Tin Chiu "Sammy" Hung (born 1979), and a daughter, Chan Yu "Stephanie" Hung (born 1983). They divorced in 1994.
• In 1995, he married model and actress Joyce Godenzi. She appeared in several of his films, like Eastern Condors (1986) and She Shoots Straight (1990).

Hung's star, hand prints and autograph on the Avenue of Stars

• His son Timmy Hung has appeared with his father in films like SPL: Sha Po Lang and in the TV series Martial Law.
• His son Sammy Hung appeared with his father and Yuen Biao in the 2007 TV series Wing Chun.
• Sammo Hung has a star on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong, honoring his contributions to film.
• Despite his large size, Hung is known for being a very quick and skilled martial artist.
• He has a scar on his face above his lip from a street fight when he was younger.
• In 2009, Hung had heart surgery during the filming of Ip Man 2. He recovered quickly and returned to work.

See also

• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong action cinema