Although he plays one of the good guys in "Kung Fu Hustle", Yuen Wah is known to Hong Kong film fans as "the Magnificent Villain", a title he earned playing evildoers as a fixture of Hong Kong cinema throughout its glorious period from the 1970's until today.
He has appeared in more than 100 movies, working with just about every top Hong Kong director, including John Woo, Tsui Hark, Sammo Hung and Jeff Lau. His co-stars have included Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, among many other major Hong Kong stars.
Yuen Wah is one of the original Seven Little Fortunes the famous Peking Opera school performing group which also included Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. He began his martial arts training at the age of 6, and studied for 10 years. His first movie role was as a stunt man; he was Bruce Lee's stunt double in the early 1970s. (He also fought Lee on occasion; In "Enter the Dragon" Yuen plays the Japanese man who Lee knocks down when he becomes angry about the "No Dogs or Chinese Allowed" sign posted at a park). Yuen Wah first gained notoriety when he played a villain in the 1987 film "Eastern Condors". His career in the film industry has ranged from acting and stunt work, to action choreography and directing. He has been the action choreographer on 20 Hong Kong movies, including "The Iceman Cometh", "Kung Fu vs. Acrobats", and "The Master".
Yuen Wah has previously worked with Stephen Chow in several films including "Fight Back to School", "The Magnificent Scoundrels" and "The Legend of Dragon", on which Yuen Wah was also an action choreographer.
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