WONG Yue

Although not well known today outside of classic kung fu fan circles, Wong Yue was once one of Shaw Brothers’ top stars of the mid-1970s in Hong Kong. He helped pioneer the fusion of comedy and kung fu before Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan achieved even greater success doing the same thing at Golden Harvest. He had his first starring role in the 1974 drama THIRTEEN but enjoyed his greatest success as a tricky kung fu comedian beginning with THE SPIRITUAL BOXER in 1975 and ending with CRAZY SHAOLIN DISCIPLES in 1985.

[minislides]

AKA
Wong Yu
Wang Yue
Young Wong Yu
Yung Wong Yu
汪禹
GENDER
Male
BIRTH
1955.07.22
DEATH
2008.05.05

Wong Yue was born in 1955 as Wong Chi-kuen. Sources differ on the exact date and list either October 26th or July 22nd. He was a graduate of Shaw Brothers’ acting school in the early 1970s. Like many contract players, he stayed with the studio until its retreat from filmmaking in the mid-1980s even though he did occasionally stray into the independent arena.

Wong’s stage name was given to him by his godfather, director Li Han-hsiang, who also gave the youthful actor his first bit part in FACETS OF LOVE (1973). Several roles followed before Wong had his first leading role in Sung Chuen-sau’s modern-day drama THIRTEEN.

In 1975, director Lau Kar-Leung was looking for a young actor to cast in the lead role in his directorial debut, a groundbreaking mix of comedy and authentic kung fu that became THE SPIRITUAL BOXER. The role was ideal for Alexander Fu Sheng, another future kung fu comedy actor who was already a student of Lau. It might have gone to him to if he hadn’t been off working for director Chang Cheh at the time. Lau trained Wong Yue in martial arts and cast him in the lead. Wong would also add his own youthful touch of comic flair to the role of Hsiao Chien, a con artist with kung fu skills who passes himself off as a magician who knows “spiritual boxing.” The film was a hit for Shaw Brothers and signaled the beginning of a successful run for Lau and his newest protégé.

Wong continued to mix kung fu and comedy in films such as EXECUTIONERS OF SHAOLIN and HE HAS NOTHING BUT KUNG FU. However, he did still play serious roles in films such as THE FLYING GUILLOTINE and CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS.

In 1979, Wong got a lead role in another Lau Kar-Leung film, as the titular DIRTY HO. This put him opposite Lau’s adopted brother, Gordon Liu, who by this time had worked with Wong on two other films, the aforementioned HE HAS NOTHING BUT KUNG FU and Liu’s breakthrough film, THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN. DIRTY HO went to become a fan favorite that is still regarded as one of Wong Yue’s best.

In the early ’80s, Wong continued his versatile mix of comedy kung fu films, straight out martial arts action films, historical dramas, and more. One of his memorable roles pitted him against the Korean superkicking legend Hwang Jang-lee in Hwang’s only film for Shaw Brothers, THE KID FROM KWANGTUNG.

Tragedy struck the actor’s life and the entire Hong Kong film world on July 7th, 1983 when Wong, his fellow comic kung fu star Alexander Fu Sheng and Fu Sheng’s brother were involved in a fatal car accident. Fu Sheng was the only one involved to perish in the crash and Wong, a close friend was devastated. Years earlier, the two had been at odds when Wong was chosen over Fu Sheng to star in THE SPIRITUAL BOXER. They eventually settled their differences and became friends. Two years later, Wong effectively paid homage to his fallen friend by taking on a role that Fu Sheng previously made famous. Wong portrayed Fong Sai-yuk, the legendary southern Shaolin folk hero in CRAZY SHAOLIN DISCIPLES. The film was one of the last theatrical productions made by Shaw Brothers shortly before they abandoned filmmaking. With the closure of Shaw studios came the end of the classic kung fu era amid dwindling popularity and with it Wong Yue’s place as one of Hong Kong’s leading men.

After the closure of the Shaw studio in 1986, Wong received smaller roles in television and the emerging wire-fu film genre. He would have roles in dramas such as Stanley Kwan’s ROUGE (1987) and CENTER STAGE (1992) and appear in action films starring Japanese powerhouse Yukari Oshima such as FRAMED (1989) and THE GODFATHER’S DAUGHTER MAFIA BLUES (1991).

In 1993, Wong worked in Category-III adult films like THE POWER OF LOVE and SLEEPING WITH TWO SISTERS. In 1994, he made his final film appearance in EASY MONEY, a comedy featuring Law Kar-ying and Francis Ng.

Wong subsequently went through major personal troubles once his film career ended. He was said to have worked at an insurance agency and then a vendor on Hong Kong’s famous temple street. He suffered a series of financial, legal and health-related setbacks before succumbing to a terminal illness amid unsubstantiated initial rumors in the media that he had committed suicide. Wong Yue died on May 5th, 2008. His passing was announced by his brother-in-law, famed action director Ching Siu-tung.

Despite the hardships and tragic end that befell him, Wong Yue enjoyed a full decade in the limelight during the high point of Shaw Brothers martial arts film output. He also managed to leave his mark on the martial arts film world as Hong Kong’s first mischievous kung fu rascal with his uniquely boyish looks and spirited performances.

SELECT FILMOGRAPHY
Actor
1994 – The Three Swordsmen
1992 – Swordsman 2
1992 – Handsome Siblings
1988 – Dragons Forever
1986 – The Seventh Curse
1985 – The Master Strikes Back
1985 – Crazy Shaolin Disciples
1985 – The Young Vagabond
1984 – The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter
1983 – The Lady is the Boss
1983 – Tales of a Eunuch
1982 – Kid from Kwangtung
1982 – Mercenaries from Hong Kong
1981 – The Battle for the Republic of China
1981 – Lion vs. Lion
1981 – Notorious Eight
1980 – The Kid with the Tattoo
1980 – The Young Avenger
1980 – Swift Sword
1980 – Rendezvous with Death
1979 – The Shadow Boxing
1979 – Dirty Ho
1979 – The Kung Fu Instructor
1978 – The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
1978 – The Proud Youth
1978 – Dirty Kung Fu
1977 – He Has Nothing but Kung Fu
1977 – Executioners from Shaolin
1976 – Challenge of the Masters
1976 – Emperor Chien Lung
1976 – The Snake Prince
1975 – Big Brother Cheng
1975 – The Spiritual Boxer
1975 – The Flying Guillotine
1974 – The Tea House
1972 – The Bloody Fists

(Co-written by Mark Pollard)

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