The multi-talentedLau Kar-Leungwas not only an actor, fight choreographer, and director of multiple hit Hong Kong kung fu films, he was also a martial arts instructor who trained some of the genre’s biggest stars in the southern Hung Gar discipline. Lau began his career in the 1960s choreographing fight sequences at thelegendary Shaw Brothers martial arts studio, where he was the primary collaborator of director Chang Cheh. He became the first ever fight choreographer to transition to directing, crafting films that were less bloody and machismo than much of Cheh’s works, and focused more on kung fu as a practice not only of the body but also of the mind and spirit.
To say that Lau lived and breathed martial arts would be a gross understatement.His passion for kung fu is evident in every film he made, especially when viewing the stunning performances of his actors. His teaching style was often intense and strict, and not every performer could hack it, making him very much a grandmaster in this regard. Those that Lau personally molded into the fighters we see on screen are not only actors on a film set, they are his pupils, and their rigorous training under Lau shows through in every single frame.
5Mark Houghton
The White Tiger Of Kung Fu
One of the most popular white actors in kung fu cinema history, English-born Hong Kong transplant Mark Houghton (known as Ho-Mak in China) began studying under Lau Kar-Leung in 1989. He appeared in the Lau filmsMad Mission V: The Terracotta Hit, Tiger on the Beat 2, andDrunken Master IIstarring Jackie Chan, as well as numerous other titles. In 2005, with the blessing of Lau, Houghton opened the Lau Family Hung Kuen School in Fanling, where he is still the grandmaster, teaching Lau’s specialized Hung Gar technique.
Asked byKung Fu Kingdomwhat it was like working with Lau, Houghton stated:
“…he was very, very demanding.That Sifu character you see in the movies, he’d wear that exact same countenance in real lifeas you’d see when he’d be teaching on film. It was actually his real life character… So, when he’d be working on a movie, he’d be very, very, tough on people. He was 100% like that on everybody. But once the movie work was done then he’d show his jokey side, he’d sit and joke and fool around with you too.”
4Hsiao Ho
The Rebellious Young Man
Hsiao Ho (also known as Hsiao Hou) appeared in numerous films directed by Lau Kar-Leung, includingDisciples of the 36th Chamber, My Young Auntie, Cat Vs. Rat, Legendary Weapons of China, andMad Monkey Kung Fu, in which Hsiao had his breakout role opposite Lau. Hsiao began studying Hung Gar under Lau sometime after appearing inMad Monkey Kung Fu. As he was very young at the time,Lau often cast Hsiao as the rebellious young man.
Hsiao also enjoyed long careers as a stuntman and action director on several films predominantly released in the 1990s. He also appeared in the 1993 movieIron Monkeyplaying the “disfigured swordsman.” His last film role was in 2004’sOne Night in Mongkok, in which he appeared in the first 10 minutes of the movie. Not much is known about Hsiao’s whereabouts now.
3Kara Hui
Lau Kar-Leung’s Favorite Leading Lady
Often described as Lau Kar-Leung’s favorite leading lady, Kara Hui (also known as Kara Wai) starred in some of Lau’s most popular films, in particularMy Young Auntie, Lady is the Boss, andThe Eight Diagram Pole Fighter. Hui states (viaYouTube) that Lau cast her in their first project together,Dirty Ho, after the original lead actress bowed out of the production, feelingthe strenuous fight sequences were too difficult and painful.Hui, who was an extra on the film, was bumped up to the lead after Lau remembered seeing her audition footage forThe Brave Archer, another Shaw Brothers production from 1977.
10 Best Kung Fu Movies Directed By Lau Kar-Leung
Lau Kar-leung is highly influential in the martial arts world and Hong Kong cinema, having directed a handful of awe-inspiring kung fu films.
Hui also states that Lau allowed her to style her own fight scenes, which brought a graceful femininity to the choreography. She believes her training in dance and Northern-influenced fighting style complimented rather than clashed with Lau’s Southern approach to kung fu.
2Alexander Fu Sheng
A Young Star Taken Too Soon
Alexander Fu Sheng might not be as big of a name as Bruce Lee, but his popularity among fans of Hong Kong kung fu cinema is just as fervent.Fu Sheng’s life was also tragically cut short at a young age— he was just 28 when he died in a car accident. In addition to training in the Hung Gar style under Lau Kar-Leung, Fu Sheng was a protegé of prolific Shaw Brothers director Chang Cheh.
Because he passed away before filming could be completed, Fu Sheng’s character is missing from the film’s climactic battle.
Alexander Fu Sheng’s kung fu filmswith Lau includeCat Vs. Rat, Legendary Weapons of China, andThe Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, which would prove to be Fu Sheng’s final screen appearance. Because he passed away before filming could be completed, Fu Sheng’s character is missing from the film’s climactic battle.
1Gordon Liu
An Ideal Actor/Director Pair
Perhaps best known to American audiences for playing two roles in Quentin Tarantino’sKill Billfilms — the leader of the Crazy 88s inVol. 1and martial arts master Pai Mei inVol. 2— Gordon Liu got his big break in 1978 playing the Shaolin hero San Te in Lau Kar-Leung’sThe 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Liu played a different role in the film’s loose sequelReturn of the 36th Chamber, but returned to portray San Te again in the third movie in the trilogy,Disciples of the 36th Chamber.
Liu began studying martial arts at a very young age, often skipping school to do so (viaGordon Liu). This passion for kung fu eventually led him to train in the Hung Gar discipline under Lau Cham, Lau Kar-Leung’s father. Liu and Lau Kar-Leung would collaborate on numerous films: in addition to the36th Chambertrilogy, the pair madeHeroes of the East, Dirty Ho, The Lady is the Boss, My Young Auntie, Legendary Weapons of China, andThe Eight Diagram Pole Fighter.They are the Hong Kong kung fu version of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.
