Chiang Sheng

江生
Chiang Sheng
Chinese name 江生 (simplified)
Pinyin jiang1 sheng1 (Mandarin)
Birth name 邵康生 (Chiu Kang Sang)
Born (1951-04-27)April 27, 1951
Taiwan
Died August 18, 1991(1991-08-18) (aged 40)
Other name(s) Cutie Pie

Chiang Sheng was a martial art actor, one of the Venom Mob, renowned for their acrobatic and martial arts skills. He joined the Chang Cheh's Cohorts as an actor, and also worked with Chang Cheh as an assistant director and choreographer. Along with Alexander Fu Sheng, Chiang Sheng was one of the Chang Cheh's favorites.[1][2]

Biography

Chiang Sheng was born in Taiwan in 1951. His family was too large and his parents could not take care of all the children, therefore he was sent to the Fu Sheng Opera School in Taipei, Taiwan. Chiang Sheng met his lifelong friends like Lu Feng, Kuo Chui and Robert Tai in the school.
He was a boy of vivid and somewhat mischievous nature and eventually was expelled from school for smoking in the principal's office. But he had learned enough to start working as a stuntman.

In the mid 70's the renowned Shaw Brothers Studio's director Chang Cheh went to Taiwan looking for new talents. He met Chiang Sheng, Kuo Chui and Lu Feng there. In the 1976 those three together with Lo Mang took part in their pre-starting movie Shaolin Temple (not to be confused with the movie with the same title released in 1982 starring Jet Li). Two years later, in 1978, Chang Cheh presented the film Five Venoms, starring Chiang Sheng, Kuo Chui, Lu Feng, Lo Mang, Sun Chien and Wei Pai. All of them were still newcomers in HK movie industry, Chang Cheh didn't include any great stars of the time in the cast, introducing new faces to the audience and the new formula of martial art movies - in this and subsequent movies not only one hero fights well, but any person of the main cast has his own style and great ability to fight.

The movie had a great success in Hong Kong and also in the West. Since then the first five actors are known as "Venoms". (Wei Pai played The Snake, but he is referred as "sixth venom" because he took part only in a few subsequent "venom" movies, while Chiang Sheng became an integral part of the troupe. He played a disciple learning all five styles and referred as the "hybrid venom" [3])
The team continued with the formula. Chiang Sheng, Kuo Chui and Lu Feng, all with Chinese opera background, became action directors for Chang Cheh's movies. Soon Chiang Sheng also started working as an assistant director. The cast, including the Five venoms, and also Wong Lik, Yu Tai-Ping, Johnny Wang, Ku Feng, sometimes together with Alexander Fu Sheng, Ti Lung and others, appeared in more than a dozen films. Among them there are "kung fu classic" like Crippled Avengers, Shaolin Rescuers, Legend of the Fox, Rebel Intruders, filled with great martial art performance and wuxia entourage. Chiang Sheng could not only enrich the movie with breathtaking acrobatic exercise, but also bring the comic relief to it.[4]

The Venom mob disbanded in 1981. Three of them - Kuo Chui, Chiang Sheng and Lu Feng - founded a new production company in Taiwan. Chiang Sheng acted and choreographed the action scenes in their debut film "Ninja in the Deadly Trap" (aka "Ruthless Tactics") Soon Kuo Chui went back to Hong Kong and wanted Chiang Sheng to go with him, but Chiang Sheng's wife insisted on his staying in Tawan.
Chiang Sheng could not get worthwhile job in Taiwan, later on he divorced his wife, he felt depressed, and became a hard drinker.

One day in August 1991 an old friend of Chiang Sheng, Ricky Cheng Tien Chi, came to see him, but found him dead. It is said that he was lying dead for three days before being found. He died from a heart attack. But Kuo Chui once said "it was more of a broken heart".[5]

Filmography

Title, year Role
Wild Tiger (1973)
aka Kung Fu Revenger		 extra
Fury in Storm (1974) extra
Bruce Takes Dragon Town (1974)
aka Dare You Touch Me?		 extra
The Guy!! The Guy!! (1974) extra
Traitorous (1976) extra
The Hand of Death (1976)
aka Grandmaster of Death
aka Strike of Death		 extra
The Shaolin Avengers (1976)
aka Incredible Kung Fu Brothers 		actor
Shaolin Temple (1976)
aka Death Chambers		 actor
New Shaolin Boxers (1976)
aka Demon Fist of Kung Fu
aka Grandmaster of Death		 actor
The Condemned (1976) extra
Chinese Connection 2 (1977)
aka Fist of Fury 2		 extra
The Naval Commandos (1977)
aka Navy Descentors		 actor
The Brave Archer (1977)
aka Kung Fu Warlord		 actor
Chinatown Kid (1977) actor
Magnificent Wanderers (1977)
aka Magnificent Kung Fu Warriors		 actor
Shaolin Monk (1977) actor
The Brave Archer 2 (1978)
aka Kung Fu Warlord 2		 actor, assistant director
Invincible Shaolin (1978)
aka Unbeatable Dragon		 actor, assistant director
Crippled Avengers (1978)
aka Avengers Handicapped		 actor, assistant director, action director
The Five Venoms (1978) actor, assistant director
Life Gamble (1979)
aka Life Combat		 actor, assistant director
Ten Tigers of Kwantung (1979) actor, assistant director, action director
The Magnificent Ruffians (1979)
aka The Destroyers		 actor, assistant director, action director
Kid with the Golden Arm (1979) actor, assistant director, action director
Shaolin Rescuers (1979)
aka Avenging Warriors of Shaolin		 actor, assistant director, action director
The Daredevils (1979)
aka Shaolin Daredevils		 actor, assistant director, action director
Heaven and Hell (1980)
aka Shaolin Hell Gate		 actor, assistant director
Legend of the Fox (1980) actor, assistant director, action director
Rebel Intruders (1980)
aka Killer Army		 actor, assistant director, action director
Two Champions of Shaolin (1980) actor, assistant director, action director
War of the Shaolin Temple (1980)
aka Monks Go Crazy		 actor
The Flag of Iron (1980)
aka Spearmen of Death		 actor, assistant director, action director
Masked Avengers (1981) actor, assistant director, action director
The Brave Archer 3 (1981)
aka Blast of the Iron Palm		 actor, assistant director, action director
Imperial Sword, Crouching Devil (1981) actor, action director
The Thrilling Sword (1981)
aka Heaven Sword		 actor, action director
Ninja in the Deadly Trap (1981)
aka Hero Defeating Japs
aka Ruthless Tactics		 director, actor
Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1981) actor, assistant director, action director
The Brave Archer and His Mate (1982)
aka Mysterious Island		 actor, assistant director, action director
Ode to Gallantry (1982) actor, assistant director, action director
Ninja Kids (1982) actor
House of Traps (1982) actor, assistant director, action director
Raiders (1982) actor
Sword with the Windbell (1983)
aka Warriors from Shaolin		 actor
Attack of the Joyful Goddess (1983)
aka The Ghost		 director, actor, action director
Five Fighters from Shaolin (1984)
aka Possession of Ghost		 actor
Shanghai 13 (1984)
aka All the Professionals		 actor, assistant director, action director
Fight Among the Supers (1984) actor
The Demons (1984)
aka The Nine Demons		 executive director, actor, action director
Exciting Dragon (1985)
aka Drunken Dragon		 actor
Ninja in USA (1985) actor
Ode to Gallantry (1985) actor
Vampire Kid II (1988) actor
The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1988) actor

See also

Chang Cheh
Venom Mob

References

  1. ↑ http://www.beijingvideo.com/d2b.html
  2. ↑ http://changcheh.0catch.com/ar/art6.htm
  3. ↑ http://thevenoms.tribe.net/thread/94001eb4-c5bf-4472-88b6-6a9c3892cd8e
  4. ↑ http://www.beijingvideo.com/bjv/ven3.html
  5. ↑ http://changcheh.0catch.com/kuo-int.htm

External links

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