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
Signature

Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo (Chinese: 洪金寶; Jyutping: Hung⁴ Gam¹-bou²; born 7 January 1952) is a famous Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer, and director. He is well-known for his work in martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema. He has also worked as a fight choreographer for many other actors, including Jackie Chan.

Sammo Hung was a key figure in the "Hong Kong New Wave" film movement of the 1980s. He helped make martial arts movies popular again and introduced the "jiangshi" (Chinese hopping vampire) genre to many viewers. He is also known for helping many other actors and crew members get their start in the Hong Kong film industry.

Both Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan were often called "Dai Goh," which means "Big Brother." Because Sammo was the oldest of their kung fu "brothers" and became famous first, he was given the special nickname "Dai Goh Dai," meaning "Biggest Big Brother."

Early Years and Training

Childhood and Family Background

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 well-known martial arts actress. His grandfather, Hung Chung-ho, was a film director.

Joining the China Drama Academy

In 1961, when he was 9, Sammo joined the China Drama Academy, a Peking Opera School in Hong Kong. He trained there for seven years. Like all students, he used his teacher's name, Master Yu Jim Yuen, as his own while at the school. He was known as Yuen Lung (元龍).

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

First Steps into Film

At 14, Sammo was chosen to do stunts in a movie. This sparked his interest in filmmaking, especially how cameras worked. As the oldest, he often shared his earnings with his younger opera schoolmates. Before leaving the Academy at 16, he got an injury that kept him in bed for a while. After that, he started working as a stuntman in movies. He was given the nickname "Sam-mo" (三毛; Three Hairs) after a famous Chinese cartoon character.

Years later, in 1988, Sammo Hung starred in Painted Faces. This movie told the story of his experiences at the China Drama Academy. Even though the film showed some tough training, Sammo and the other "Seven Little Fortunes" felt it was a milder version of what they actually went through.

Film Career Highlights

Starting in the 1960s and 1970s

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

In 1966, at just 14, Sammo started working for Shaw Brothers Studio. He helped with action scenes on films like Come Drink with Me. From 1966 to 1974, he worked on many films as an extra, stuntman, and eventually, an action director.

In 1970, he 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 skills and hard work made him very popular.

In 1973, he appeared in the classic Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon, playing the Shaolin student Lee fights at the beginning. In 1977, Sammo directed his first film, The Iron Fisted Monk. Many people consider this to be the first true kung fu comedy film.

In 1978, Raymond Chow asked Sammo to finish the fight scenes for Game of Death, a film Bruce Lee could not complete before he passed away. Sammo also directed his second film, Enter the Fat Dragon, where he played a character who looked up to Bruce Lee.

The 1980s: A Golden Era

As Sammo's fame grew, he helped his friends from the China Drama Academy, like Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah, get roles in his films.

In 1981, Sammo directed The Prodigal Son, which showed amazing Wing Chun fighting. This film, along with Knockabout (1979), helped make his schoolmate Yuen Biao a star.

Sammo's martial arts films in the 1980s changed how action was shown on screen. Instead of old-fashioned settings, his films often had realistic, fast-paced fights in modern cities. Movies like Winners and Sinners (1982) and Wheels on Meals (1985) became examples of 1980s martial arts films.

In 1983, Sammo, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao started working together in films like Project A. They were known as the 'Three Dragons' and made movies together for five years. Their last film together was Dragons Forever in 1988.

Sammo also created the popular Lucky Stars comedy film series in the 1980s. He directed and starred in the first three films: Winners and Sinners (1983), My Lucky Stars (1985), and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985).

He also played a big part in making the jiangshi genre popular. Jiangshi are like Chinese hopping vampires. Films like Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) and The Dead and the Deadly (1983) showed these hopping creatures and Taoist priests who could control them. Sammo also produced the very popular Mr. Vampire (1985). He also helped bring back female-led martial arts films, producing movies like Yes, Madam, which introduced stars Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock.

The 1990s: Film and Television

After some changes in the film industry, Sammo left Golden Harvest in 1991 after 21 years. He continued to produce films through his own company, Bojon Films. He also had a successful reunion with Jackie Chan in the film Mr. Nice Guy (1997).

In 1998, Sammo became the star of an American TV show called Martial Law on CBS. This action-drama was a big success and made him the only East Asian actor to lead a prime-time network series at that time.

The 2000s and Beyond

Hung in 2005

Sammo found new success in Hong Kong films in the 2000s. He appeared in The Legend of Zu (2001) and worked on Kung Fu Hustle (2004). He also had a small but memorable role with Jackie Chan in Disney's Around the World in 80 Days, playing the legendary hero Wong Fei Hung.

In 2005, Sammo played a villain for the first time in over 25 years in SPL: Sha Po Lang (also known as Kill Zone), where he had his first fight scene against Donnie Yen. He continued to work with Donnie Yen as the action director for the 2008 film Ip Man.

In 2010, Sammo 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 action. He played a Hung Gar master who challenged Ip Man. He also appeared in The Legend Is Born: Ip Man as Chan Wah-shun, Ip Man's martial arts teacher.

In April 2021, Sammo 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). Each film in the series tells a nostalgic story about Hong Kong.

Television Appearances

Besides films, Sammo Hung has appeared in several East Asian TV series. In 2003, he was in the Chinese TV film series Dragon Laws. More recently, he played a master con-artist in the Taiwanese series Coming Lies. He also played Wing Chun master Wong Wah-bo in Wing Chun, a role he had played in The Prodigal Son many years before. His youngest son, Sammy Hung, also starred in this series.

Sammo was a guest judge on the Chinese reality TV show The Disciple, which aimed to find a new martial arts star to be Jackie Chan's "successor." In another Chinese TV series, The Shaolin Warriors, Sammo played Big Foot, a Shaolin warrior monk.

Filmography

Sammo Hung has starred in 75 films and worked on over 230 movies in total. He started as a child actor and moved through many roles, including stuntman, fight choreographer, action director, actor, writer, producer, and director.

His most recent film appearance was in the 2017 historic action film God of War.

Film Production Companies

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)

Bo Ho Film Company Ltd.

In 1980, Sammo started his own production company, Bo Ho Film Company Ltd., to have more control over his films. Golden Harvest still distributed them. Bo Ho released 44 films, including:

D&B Films Company Ltd

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

Bojon Films Company Ltd

In 1980, Hung formed another production company, Bojon Films Company Ltd. This company produced 12 films, including:

• 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 and Family

Sammo Hung's grandmother was the martial arts actress Chin Tsi-ang. His grandfather, Hung Chung Ho, was a film director and writer. His younger brother, Lee Chi-kit, has also worked in films as an actor and action director.

Sammo has three sons: Tin-Ming "Timmy" Hung (born 1974), Tin Cheung "Jimmy" Hung (born 1977), and Tin Chiu "Sammy" Hung (born 1979), and one daughter, Chan Yu "Stephanie" Hung (born 1983). His sons, Timmy and Sammy, have also appeared in films and TV shows with him.

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

Sammo Hung is honored with a star, handprints, and autograph on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong. He is known for being a very agile and strong martial artist, despite his larger size. He has a circular scar on his face from a street fight when he was younger.

In 2009, Sammo had heart surgery during the filming of Ip Man 2. He recovered quickly and returned to work within days.

See also

In Spanish: Sammo Hung para niños

• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong action cinema