1. Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for other actors such as Kim Tai-chung, Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Yuen Wah.
Sammo Hung is widely credited with assisting many of his compatriots, giving them their starts in the Hong Kong film industry, by casting them in the films he produced, or giving them roles in the production crew.
Sammo Hung's grandmother was archetypal martial art actress Chin Tsi-ang and his grandfather was film director Hung Chung-ho.
Sammo Hung joined the China Drama Academy, a Peking Opera School in Hong Kong, in 1961.
Sammo Hung was enrolled for a period of seven years, beginning at the age of 9, after his grandparents heard about the school from their friends.
The opera school was run by Master Yu Jim Yuen and as was customary for all students, Sammo Hung adopted the given name of his sifu as his family name whilst attending.
At the age of 14, Sammo Hung was selected by a teacher who had connections to the Hong Kong film industry to perform stunts on a movie.
Shortly before leaving the Academy at the age of 16, Sammo Hung suffered an injury that left him bedridden for an extended period, during which time his weight ballooned.
Many years later, in 1988, Sammo Hung starred in Alex Law's Painted Faces, a dramatic re-telling of his experiences at the China Drama Academy.
Sammo Hung appeared as a child actor in several films for Cathay Asia and Bo Bo Films during the early 1960s.
The majority of Sammo Hung's performance was alongside another actor portraying Zhou Tong, Yue's elderly military arts tutor.
In 1966, at the age of just 14, Sammo Hung began working for Shaw Brothers Studio, assisting the action director Han Yingjie, on King Hu's film Come Drink with Me thanks to the fact that Han was his master's son-in-law.
Between 1966 and 1974, Sammo Hung worked on dozens of films for Shaw Brothers, their two main rivals Golden Harvest and Cathay, as well as numerous independent production companies, progressing through the roles of extra, stuntman, stunt co-ordinator and ultimately, action director.
In 1970, Sammo Hung began working for Raymond Chow and the Golden Harvest film company.
Sammo Hung was initially hired to assist Han Yingjie in choreographing the action scenes for the very first two Golden Harvest films, The Invincible Eight and The Angry River.
Sammo Hung was the Shaolin student Lee faces in the opening sequence.
In 1975, Sammo Hung choreographed the action for The Man from Hong Kong, the first Australian co-production undertaken by Golden Harvest.
When it came time to direct his first film, The Iron Fisted Monk, Sammo Hung made sure to lean into the comedy, delivering what many feel to be the first out-and-out kung fu comedy film.
Sammo Hung has impersonated Lee on film twice more - in the final fight scene against Cynthia Rothrock in Millionaire's Express, and throughout the 1990 Lau Kar-wing film Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon.
The film was The Magnificent Butcher, which Sammo Hung co-directed with Yuen Woo-ping.
In 1978 and 1981, Sammo Hung made two films that contain fine examples of the Wing Chun style.
The release of The Prodigal Son, along with another film directed by and co-starring Sammo Hung, Knockabout, elevated his fellow Opera schoolmate Yuen Biao to stardom.
Sammo Hung was responsible for the Lucky Stars comedy film series in the 1980s.
Sammo Hung directed and co-starred in the original trilogy, Winners and Sinners, My Lucky Stars and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars.
Sammo Hung produced and played a supporting role in the fourth film, Lucky Stars Go Places, and made a cameo appearance in the sixth and final film, How to Meet the Lucky Stars.
Sammo Hung had produced the thriller Into the Fire, but Sammo Hung felt Golden Harvest had withdrawn the film from cinemas too soon.
The disagreement led to Sammo Hung parting company with Golden Harvest in 1991, after 21 years with the company.
Whilst continuing to produce films through his own company Bojon Films Company Ltd, Sammo Hung failed to equal his early successes.
Sammo Hung's fortunes improved somewhat as the helmer of Mr Nice Guy, a long-awaited reunion with Chan.
In 1994, Sammo Hung coordinated the fight sequences in Wong Kar-wai's wuxia epic, Ashes of Time.
Sammo Hung had the idea of producing a martial arts epic with Chen Lung Jackie Chan in the lead role, but the film was never made.
Sammo Hung's plans were detailed on his website, but after a year the announcement was removed.
Sammo Hung found renewed success in the Hong Kong film industry in the 2000s, beginning with The Legend of Zu, the long-awaited sequel to the 1983 hit Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain.
Chow has since responded that Sammo Hung left for personal reasons and not because of speculated tensions.
In 2004, Sammo Hung again worked with Jackie Chan, in a brief but notable appearance in Disney's Around the World in 80 Days as the legendary folk hero Wong Fei Sammo Hung, a character played by Chan in the Drunken Master series.
In 2005, Sammo Hung was involved in Daniel Lee's Dragon Squad and Wilson Yip's SPL: Sha Po Lang.
Sammo Hung appeared alongside Wu Jing again in 2007's Twins Mission with stars, the Twins.
In early 2008, Sammo Hung starred in Fatal Move, in which he and Ken Lo played a pair of rival triad gang leaders.
Antony Szeto's film, Wushu, which stars Sammo Hung premiered in Beijing in October 2008.
Sammo Hung then worked again with director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen, as the action director for the 2008 film Ip Man.
In 2010, Sammo Hung was given a lifetime achievement award at the New York Asian Film Festival, where four of his films were shown.
That year Sammo Hung appeared in Ip Man 2, which he choreographed.
Sammo Hung's role is that of a Hung Gar master who challenges Ip Man.
In between films and special appearances, Sammo Hung has appeared in several East Asian television series.
Sammo Hung co-starred in the series alongside Yuen Biao, Nicholas Tse and his youngest son, Sammy Hung.
Sammo Hung appeared as a guest judge on the China Beijing TV Station reality television series The Disciple, which aired in mainland China and was produced by, and featured, Jackie Chan.
Sammo Hung has starred in 75 films, and worked on over 230, beginning as a child actor whilst still attending the China Drama Academy.
In 1978 Sammo Hung formed Gar Bo Motion Picture Company, a subsidiary of Golden Harvest, with director Karl Maka and former actor-choreographer Lau Kar Wing.
Sammo Hung responded by starting his own production company, Bo Ho Film Company Ltd.
Sammo Hung operated until 1992 and produced a total of 68 Hong Kong films:.
In 1980, Sammo Hung formed a production company, Bojon Films Company Ltd.
Sammo Hung produced 12 films, 8 of which starred Hung:.