Wu Ma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wu Ma
午馬
Born	Fung Wang-yuen (1942-09-22)22 September 1942 Tianjin, China
Died	4 February 2014(2014-02-04) (aged 71) Hong Kong
Other names	Ng Ma
Occupation	Actor, director
Years active	1964–2014
Spouse(s)	Ma Yan ​ (m. 1995)​
Partner(s)	Agassi Wang (former)
Children	1 daughter
Awards	Golden Horse Awards – Best Supporting Actor 1987 A Chinese Ghost Story
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	午馬
Simplified Chinese	午马
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wǔ Mǎ Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Ng5 Maa5
Fung Wang-yuen
Traditional Chinese	馮宏源
Simplified Chinese	冯宏源
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Féng Hóngyuán Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Fung4 Wang4jyun4

Fung Wang-yuen (born September 22, 1942 – died February 4, 2014), known by his stage name Wu Ma, was a famous actor, director, producer, and writer from Hong Kong. He started his acting career in 1963. Over 50 years, he appeared in more than 240 movies and directed 49 films. He is best known for playing the Taoist ghost hunter in the movie A Chinese Ghost Story.

Early Life and Career Start

Wu Ma was born Feng Hongyuan in Tianjin, China. When he was 16, he moved to Guangzhou and worked as a machinist. In 1960, he moved to Hong Kong.

In 1962, Feng joined the acting program at Shaw Brothers, a big film studio. He finished the course a year later and started working for the studio. His first movie was Lady General Hua Mu-lan. He also appeared in films like Temple of the Red Lotus (1965) and The Knight of Knights (1966). He chose the stage name 'Wu Ma' because 'Ma' means horse, which was his birth year animal. He thought it was easy to remember.

Wu Ma once shared that he became a director by accident. He was offered a trip to Japan for a movie because the original assistant director couldn't get his visa. After this experience, Wu Ma decided he wanted to direct movies.

His Film Career

Becoming a Director in the 1970s

In 1970, Wu Ma directed his first movie, Wrath of the Sword. The next year, he released The Deaf and Mute Heroine, which became one of his important works. During the 1970s, he focused on directing many films. These included Young Tiger (1973) and Wits to Wits (1974). Wits to Wits is seen as an early example of the funny kung fu movies that later became popular with stars like Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan.

Wu Ma also directed Manchu Boxer (1974), which featured a young Sammo Hung. This movie started a strong working relationship between them. Wu Ma also co-directed several movies with his former teacher, Chang Cheh, such as The Water Margin (1972) and The Pirate (1973).

Even though he directed a lot, Wu Ma still acted in his own movies and others. His roles were usually small. In the mid-1970s, he left Shaw Brothers to become an independent director. He still worked with some Shaw Brothers stars, like Ti Lung.

Rising as an Actor in the 1980s

As the popularity of martial arts films slowed down a bit, Wu Ma directed fewer movies. But his acting career grew a lot! He became a very well-known character actor. He started working closely with Sammo Hung in the early 1980s, appearing in films like Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980).

Throughout the 1980s, Wu Ma and Sammo Hung often worked together. Wu Ma would direct, and Hung would produce. Wu Ma also worked as a production manager for Hung's company and acted in many of Hung's films, including Millionaire's Express (1986) and Wheels on Meals (1984).

By the mid-1980s, Wu Ma was one of the busiest character actors in Hong Kong. He was great at showing many different feelings with his expressive face. He was nominated three times for the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. These nominations were for Righting Wrongs (1986), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), and The Last Eunuch in China (1988). He won the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Yin Chek-Ha in A Chinese Ghost Story, which is considered a classic film.

After A Chinese Ghost Story, which he said was one of his favorite movies, Wu Ma started focusing on supernatural films. Many of the movies he directed after 1987 were in this genre, like Picture of a Nymph (1988) and Fox Legend (1991). He also co-directed Just Heroes (1989) with John Woo.

The 1990s and Beyond

Wu Ma continued to work with director Tsui Hark, appearing in Once Upon A Time in China (1991) and The Swordsman (1991). The early 1990s were a very busy time for him; he acted in over 14 movies in just one year!

However, as the Hong Kong film industry faced challenges, Wu Ma's career also slowed down. After appearing in High Risk (1995), he mostly acted in smaller movies or television shows.

Personal Life

Wu Ma had a relationship with actress Agassi Wang from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.

In 1995, while filming in Shenzhen, he met Ma Yan, a real estate agent. They got married, and she later became his agent. They had one daughter together.

Death

Wu Ma was diagnosed with lung cancer. His wife shared that he had been enjoying every moment with his family. He passed away peacefully at his home in Hong Kong on February 4, 2014, at the age of 71.

Filmography

Films

Television

See also

In Spanish: Wu Ma para niños

• Chang Cheh
• Sammo Hung
• Lam Ching-ying