Bryan Leung

Bryan Leung
Chinese name 梁家仁 (traditional)
Chinese name 梁家仁 (simplified)
Pinyin Liáng Jiārēn (Mandarin)
Jyutping Leong4 Gaa1 Jan4 (Cantonese)
Ancestry Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
Born (1949-01-20) 20 January 1949
Hong Kong
Occupation Actor, action director, film director, film producer, screenwriter
Years active 1969present
Children Leung Ho-yee
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Leung.

Bryan Leung Kar-yan (born 20 January 1949) is a Hong Kong film and television actor and film director who has played roles in numerous acclaimed martial arts films. He is affectionately known as "Beardy" due to his trademark facial hair. He also has characteristic hyper-extendable fingers, which can be observed when he has his palms open and his fingers outstretched. Despite being one of the most well-known faces in Hong Kong action cinema, he had no formal martial arts training, relying on his talents at mimicry to imitate the moves shown to him by the action directors.[1]

Career

Leung's action film career began in 1969, his good looks and natural athleticism taking him to Shaw Brothers, where he appeared in several renowned period kung fu films, although he was rarely offered leading roles. His big-break came under the direction of Sammo Hung, with whom he fought in Enter the Fat Dragon (1978), and co-starred in the seminal Warriors Two (1978). His performance in Warriors Two, as Mr. Tsan, a real-life historical doctor and master of Wing Chun, is described as "the best performance of his career" by Mark Pollard of Kung Fu Cinema, who goes on to write:

Leung Kar-yan is brilliant in his role as the teacher. He adds just the right amount of austerity and presence without overdoing it. It is also obvious why he was chosen for this role over an older actor. To the layman, he really looks like a Wing Chun expert and his physical grace is undeniable.[2]

Leung continued to work with Sammo Hung, achieving further success with a string of highly rated kung-fu comedies, including Knockabout (1979), where he and Yuen Biao played crooks being harassed by kung-fu beggar Sammo Hung.

In Dreadnaught (1981), he played Wong Fei-hung's student (without his trademark beard). The film again featured Yuen Biao, as well as veteran kung-fu star Kwan Tak-hing playing Wong Fei-hung. It also marked Leung's first collaboration with director Yuen Woo-ping, and he would go on to star in several acclaimed Yuen Woo-ping directed films, including Legend of a Fighter (1982), in which he portrayed historical figure Fok Yuen-gap, and The Miracle Fighters (1982).

During this same period, Leung also enjoyed some success in television acting, appearing as Kiu Fung in TVB's 1982 adaptation of Louis Cha's Wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and as Kwok Ching in the 1983 adaptation of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Despite this acting success, Leung's 1984 directorial debut, Profile in Anger, was relatively unsuccessful.[3] This marked a lowering of his star profile, as he began to take more supporting roles and less leading roles. He continues to act and direct into the 2000s, occasionally appearing in high-profile films like Last Hero in China (1993), where he co-starred with Jet Li and reprised the role he had played in 1981's Dreadnaught, and several Stephen Chow vehicles including Legend of the Dragon (1990).

In 2009, Leung is to direct once again in a new martial arts action film tentatively titled Blood Relations. He will also star in the film alongside his son Leung Ho-yee and martial arts film actor Gordon Liu.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
1969 Return of the One-Armed Swordsman
1974 Five Shaolin Masters
1975 Boxer Rebellion
1976 Shaolin Avengers
1977 Iron Monkey Captain Yi
1977 Eagle's Claw
1978 Enter the Fat Dragon Bearded fighter
1978 Warriors Two Mr. Tsan
1978 My Life's on the Line Chow Sau Tung
1978 Ways of Kung Fu Shang king
1979 Sleeping Fist Kam Tai-fat
1979 The Thundering Mantis Chi
1979 Knockabout Dai Pao / Big John
1979 Odd Couple Laughing Bandit
1979 His Name Is Nobody Koo the Iron Heart
1979 Cantonen Iron Kung Fu Leung Kwan
1979 Ten Brothers of Shaolin Commander Tsao
1980 The Victim Chun Yau
1981 Dreadnaught Leung Foon
1981 Eagle's Claw and Butterfly Palm
1982 Legend of a Fighter Fok Yuen-gap
1982 The Postman Strikes Back Courier Ma
1982 The Miracle Fighters Kei Moon / Old Man
1984 Secret Service of the Imperial Court Zhao Bufa
1984 New Tales of the Flying Fox Wu Yat-do
1984 Profile in Anger Leung Chun Yue
1984 Shanghai 13 Tao Daye
1985 Danger Has Two Faces Kam Chi-kin
1985 Hong Kong Godfather Mad Wai
1988 Tiger Cage Brother Lung
1990 Legend of the Dragon Yan
1992 The Shootout Inspector Ma
1992 Shogun and Little Kitchen Mr. Tong Ching
1993 Last Hero in China Leung Foon
1993 Fight Back to School III Officer Lai
1993 Flirting Scholar Mo Chong-yuen
1994 Kung Fu Cult Master Lu Zhangke
1994 The Kung Fu Scholar Lee Tai-chun / Lee Man-lung
1995 Don't Give a Damn No-nonsense cop
1995 Out of the Dark Leon
2000 Conman in Tokyo Turkey
2008 Kung Fu Dunk Master Fei
2010 True Legend Su Wankun
2010 Legend of the Swordsman
2010 Just Call Me Nobody Wu Di's father / General Lee
2010 Kung Fu Master
2011 Empire of Assassins Emperor Wang Shi Chong
2011 Hong Kong Ghost Story
2011 BMW Rhapsody
2012 The Man with the Iron Fists Hyena Chief
2012 Promise Time
2013 Saving General Yang Pan Ren Mei
2013 Lucky Dog
2013 7 Assassins Chan
2013 Badges of Fury Uncle Lucky
2013 Game of Assassins
2013 Kung Fu Family
2014 Ameera
2014 The Scroll of Wing Chun White Crane
2015 Bloody Destiny
2016 "Ip Man 3" Tin Ngo-san

Television

Year Title Role
1982 Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils Kiu Fung
1983 The Return of the Condor Heroes Kwok Ching
1996 Wong Fei Hung Series
1998 The Return of the Condor Heroes Hong Qigong
2002 Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge Yuan Shixiao
2002 The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra Lee Ching
2004 The Dragon Heroes Wang Jili
2005 Real Kung Fu Leung Yee-Tai
2005 Seven Swordsmen Liu Jingyi
2005 La Femme Desperado Ko Wing-tim
2007 The Ultimate Crime Fighter Wong Bo
2008 Huo Yuanjia Huo Endi
2008 Jingwu Chen Zhen Huangfu Yizhen
2008 The Legend of the Condor Heroes Hong Qigong
2008 D.I.E. Yue Dai-hoi
2009 The Book and the Sword Yuan Shixiao
2013 The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils Xiao Yuanshan
2013 Swordsman Feng Qingyang
2013 Ip Man Master Hong

[4] [5]

References

External links

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