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Yuen Woo Ping (; born 1945 in Guangzhou
Guangzhou

'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
) is a Chinese
Chinese people

The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People who reside in and hold citizenship of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China ....
 martial arts choreographer
Stage combat

Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions....
 and film director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema

Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Cinema of Hong Kong's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Cinema of the United States, with Chinese culture storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural appeal....
. He is enshrined as one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars
Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong

The Avenue of Stars , modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honours celebrities of the Cinema of Hong Kong....
 in Hong Kong.

978 he achieved his first directing credit on the seminal Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' is a Hong Kong films of 1978 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts Hong Kong action cinema. It was the directorial debut of Yuen Woo-ping, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey , Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series and Kill Bi...
, starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, Silver Bauhinia Star, Member of the Order of the British Empire is an actor, Stage combat, film director, film producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer from Hong Kong....
, then quickly followed with the similar Drunken Master
Drunken Master

Drunken Master is a Hong Kong films of 1978 Cinema of Hong Kong Martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema-comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, billed as "Jacky Chan", Yuen Siu Tien , and Hwang Jang-Lee....
. The films were smash-hits, launching Jackie Chan as a major film-star, turning Seasonal Films into a major independent production company, and starting a trend towards comedy in martial arts films that continues to the present day.

He went on to work with such figures as Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung

Sammo Hung is a Chinese people actor, Film producer and film director from Hong Kong, known for his work in many Chinese martial arts Martial arts film and Hong Kong action cinema....
 in Magnificent Butcher
Magnificent Butcher

Magnificent Butcher is a Hong Kong films of 1979 kung fu film-comedy film directed by Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo Ping. The film is based on the story of Lam Sai Wing, one of the students of the legendary Han Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung....
 (1979), Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao

Yuen Biao is an actor from Nanjing, China. He specialises in martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and stage combat. Along with Peking Opera School "brothers" at the China Drama Academy, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes....
 in Dreadnaught
Dreadnaught (film)

Dreadnaught aka Yong zhe wu ju is a Hong Kong films of 1981 Hong Kong kung fu film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Yuen Biao, Leung Kar Yan, and Kwan Tak-Hing as Wong Fei Hung....
 (1981), Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen Chi-Tan is a China martial artist and actor, film director, stage combat, and film producer. He is a well known film and television actor in Hong Kong and, more recently, in the West, having been featured in many movies with prominent, internationally known actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh....
 in several films including Iron Monkey (1993), and Jet Li
Jet Li

Li Lianjie , better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a China Chinese martial arts, actor, Wushu champion, and international film film star....
 and Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh

Malay titles#Dato.27 Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award-nominated actor and dancer, well known for performing her own stunts in the Hong Kong action cinema that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
 in several films including Tai Chi Master
Tai Chi Master

Tai Chi Master A version of the film dubbed into English was released on DVD in the US and UK with the title Twin Warriors in 2000....
 (1993) and Wing Chun
Wing Chun (film)

For other uses see Wing Chun Wing Chun is a Hong Kong films of 1994 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema. It was directed by Yuen Woo-ping and stars Michelle Yeoh as the eponymous character Yim Wing-Chun, a tofu maker and martial artist who tries to protect her village's inhabitants from a group of bandits....
 (1994).

His work, particularly his action choreography on Fist of Legend
Fist of Legend

Fist Of Legend is a Hong Kong films of 1994 Hong Kong action cinema martial arts film starring Martial Artist Jet Li. It was directed by Gordon Chan and features stage combat by Yuen Woo Ping....
 (1994), attracted the attention of the Wachowski brothers, who hired him as the kung-fu choreographer on The Matrix
The Matrix

The Matrix is a science fiction film-action film written and directed by Wachowski brothers and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving....
 (1999).






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Encyclopedia


Yuen Woo Ping (; born 1945 in Guangzhou
Guangzhou

'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
) is a Chinese
Chinese people

The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People who reside in and hold citizenship of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China ....
 martial arts choreographer
Stage combat

Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions....
 and film director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema

Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Cinema of Hong Kong's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Cinema of the United States, with Chinese culture storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural appeal....
. He is enshrined as one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars
Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong

The Avenue of Stars , modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honours celebrities of the Cinema of Hong Kong....
 in Hong Kong.

Works

In 1978 he achieved his first directing credit on the seminal Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' is a Hong Kong films of 1978 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts Hong Kong action cinema. It was the directorial debut of Yuen Woo-ping, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey , Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series and Kill Bi...
, starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, Silver Bauhinia Star, Member of the Order of the British Empire is an actor, Stage combat, film director, film producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer from Hong Kong....
, then quickly followed with the similar Drunken Master
Drunken Master

Drunken Master is a Hong Kong films of 1978 Cinema of Hong Kong Martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema-comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, billed as "Jacky Chan", Yuen Siu Tien , and Hwang Jang-Lee....
. The films were smash-hits, launching Jackie Chan as a major film-star, turning Seasonal Films into a major independent production company, and starting a trend towards comedy in martial arts films that continues to the present day.

He went on to work with such figures as Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung

Sammo Hung is a Chinese people actor, Film producer and film director from Hong Kong, known for his work in many Chinese martial arts Martial arts film and Hong Kong action cinema....
 in Magnificent Butcher
Magnificent Butcher

Magnificent Butcher is a Hong Kong films of 1979 kung fu film-comedy film directed by Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo Ping. The film is based on the story of Lam Sai Wing, one of the students of the legendary Han Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung....
 (1979), Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao

Yuen Biao is an actor from Nanjing, China. He specialises in martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and stage combat. Along with Peking Opera School "brothers" at the China Drama Academy, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes....
 in Dreadnaught
Dreadnaught (film)

Dreadnaught aka Yong zhe wu ju is a Hong Kong films of 1981 Hong Kong kung fu film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Yuen Biao, Leung Kar Yan, and Kwan Tak-Hing as Wong Fei Hung....
 (1981), Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen Chi-Tan is a China martial artist and actor, film director, stage combat, and film producer. He is a well known film and television actor in Hong Kong and, more recently, in the West, having been featured in many movies with prominent, internationally known actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh....
 in several films including Iron Monkey (1993), and Jet Li
Jet Li

Li Lianjie , better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a China Chinese martial arts, actor, Wushu champion, and international film film star....
 and Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh

Malay titles#Dato.27 Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award-nominated actor and dancer, well known for performing her own stunts in the Hong Kong action cinema that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
 in several films including Tai Chi Master
Tai Chi Master

Tai Chi Master A version of the film dubbed into English was released on DVD in the US and UK with the title Twin Warriors in 2000....
 (1993) and Wing Chun
Wing Chun (film)

For other uses see Wing Chun Wing Chun is a Hong Kong films of 1994 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema. It was directed by Yuen Woo-ping and stars Michelle Yeoh as the eponymous character Yim Wing-Chun, a tofu maker and martial artist who tries to protect her village's inhabitants from a group of bandits....
 (1994).

His work, particularly his action choreography on Fist of Legend
Fist of Legend

Fist Of Legend is a Hong Kong films of 1994 Hong Kong action cinema martial arts film starring Martial Artist Jet Li. It was directed by Gordon Chan and features stage combat by Yuen Woo Ping....
 (1994), attracted the attention of the Wachowski brothers, who hired him as the kung-fu choreographer on The Matrix
The Matrix

The Matrix is a science fiction film-action film written and directed by Wachowski brothers and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving....
 (1999). The success of this collaboration, plus his action choreography on the following year's hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a Chinese-language film in the wuxia style, released in 2000. A China-Hong Kong-Taiwan-United States coproduction , the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of Zhonghua minzu actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen....
, made him a highly sought after figure in Hollywood. He went on to work on the Matrix sequels and Kill Bill
Kill Bill

Kill Bill is the fourth film by writer-Film director Quentin Tarantino. Originally conceived as one film, it was released in two separate volumes due to its running time of approximately four hours....
 (2003).

More recent action choreography duties in Hong Kong cinema
Cinema of Hong Kong

The Movie theater of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language film, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan....
 have included Kung Fu Hustle
Kung Fu Hustle

Kung Fu Hustle is a Hong Kong films of 2004 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts film comedy film co-written, co-produced, directed by and starring Stephen Chow....
 (2004), starring Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow Sing-Chi???, born 22 June 1962 , is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, scriptwriter, film director and film producer.Chow is a well-known, top-tier comedian and superstar of Cinema of Hong Kong....
, and Fearless
Fearless (2006 film)

Fearless, known in Chinese language as Huo Yuanjia and Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and the United States is a Chinese films of the 2000s Cinema of China martial arts film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li....
 (2006), starring his long time friend Jet Li.

He also choreographed the action sequences in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), a Hollywood martial arts-adventure film. It is the first film to star together two of the best-known names in the martial arts film genre, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, Silver Bauhinia Star, Member of the Order of the British Empire is an actor, Stage combat, film director, film producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer from Hong Kong....
 and Jet Li
Jet Li

Li Lianjie , better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a China Chinese martial arts, actor, Wushu champion, and international film film star....
. He is set to become stunt coordinator for the Tamil Nadu cinema epic Endhiran directed by S. Shankar
S. Shankar

S. Shankar is a critically accaimed award winning Tamil people film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has made many Tamil movies which have social themes with a commercial narration ....
 released in 2010.

In late 2008, Woo-Ping began working on his first film as director since 1996, True Legend, starring Vincent Zhao
Vincent Zhao

Vincent Zhao , also credited as Chiu Man-Cheuk, is a Chinese people Martial arts and a television and film actor. He is best known for his potrayal of the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the Once Upon a Time in China television series and films ....
 and Jay Chou
Jay Chou

Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. He is well-known for composing all his own songs and songs for other singers....
.

Filmography


As director:

  • Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
    Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

    'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' is a Hong Kong films of 1978 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts Hong Kong action cinema. It was the directorial debut of Yuen Woo-ping, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey , Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series and Kill Bi...
      (1978) (Cantonese title: Se ying diu sau)
  • Drunken Master
    Drunken Master

    Drunken Master is a Hong Kong films of 1978 Cinema of Hong Kong Martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema-comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, billed as "Jacky Chan", Yuen Siu Tien , and Hwang Jang-Lee....
     (1978) (Cantonese title: Jui kuen)
  • Dance of the Drunk Mantis
    Dance of the Drunk Mantis

    Dance of the Drunk Mantis aka South North Drunk Fist is a 1979 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts film starring Korean kicking expert Hwang Jang Lee and Yuen Siu Tien , father of famed choreographer Yuen Woo Ping, reprising his role of the drunken beggar Su Hua Chi....
      (1979) (Mandarin title: Nan bei zui quan)
  • Magnificent Butcher
    Magnificent Butcher

    Magnificent Butcher is a Hong Kong films of 1979 kung fu film-comedy film directed by Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo Ping. The film is based on the story of Lam Sai Wing, one of the students of the legendary Han Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung....
         (1979) (Mandarin title: Lin shi rong)
  • The Buddhist Fist (1980) (Mandarin title: Fo Zhang luo han quan)
  • Dreadnought (1981) (Mandarin title: Yong zhe wu ju)
  • Exciting Dragon (1981) (Long fa wei)
  • Miracle Fighters (1982) (Qi men dun jia)
  • Oriental Voodoo (1982)
  • Legend of a Fighter (1982) (Huo Yuan-Jia)
  • Shaolin Drunkard
    Shaolin Drunkard

    Shaolin Drunkard is a 1983 Kung Fu comedy directed by Yuen Woo-ping, written by Yuen Woo-ping and Chung Hing Chiu, and starring Cheung-Yan Yuen, Eddy Ko, and Shun-Yee Yuen....
      (1983) (Tian shi zhuang xie)
  • Drunken Tai-Chi (1984) (Xiao tai ji)
  • Mismatched Couples (1985) (Qing feng di shou)
  • Dragon Vs. Vampire (aka The Close Encounters of Vampire) (1986) (Jiang shi pa pa)
  • Tiger Cage (1988) (Te jing tu long)
  • Huang jia shi jie zhi IV: Zhi ji zheng ren (1989)
aka In the Line of Duty
In the Line of Duty

In the Line of Duty may refer to*In the Line of Duty *In the Line of Duty ...
aka In the Line of Duty IV
aka Yes, Madam 4
  • Xi hei qian (1990)
aka Tiger Cage (UK)
aka Tiger Cage 2
  • Leng mian ju ji shou (1991)
aka Tiger Cage 3
  • Last Hero in China
    Last Hero in China

    Last Hero in China is a Hong Kong films of 1993 Cinema of Hong Kong screen writer and Film director by Wong Jing. It was released after the original Once Upon a Time in China trilogy....
     (1993)
  • Su qi er (1993)
aka Fist of the Red Dragon (USA: video title)
aka Heroes Among Heroes
  • Iron Monkey (1993)
  • Tai Chi Master
    Tai Chi Master

    Tai Chi Master A version of the film dubbed into English was released on DVD in the US and UK with the title Twin Warriors in 2000....
     (1993)
  • Wing Chun
    Wing Chun (film)

    For other uses see Wing Chun Wing Chun is a Hong Kong films of 1994 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema. It was directed by Yuen Woo-ping and stars Michelle Yeoh as the eponymous character Yim Wing-Chun, a tofu maker and martial artist who tries to protect her village's inhabitants from a group of bandits....
     (1994)
  • Huo yun chuan qi (1994)
aka Fire Dragon
Fire Dragon

Fire Dragon is a 1986 in film comedy film/action film. It is comprised mostly of stock footage from the film Fantasy Mission Force, including scenes of Brigitte Lin and Jackie Chan....
  • Hu meng wei long (1995)
aka The Red Wolf
  • Jie tou sha shou (1996) (as Jua Lu-Jiang)
aka Iron Monkey 2
  • Tai ji quan (1996)
aka Tai Chi Boxer (Hong Kong: English title) (UK: literal English title)
aka Tai Chi 2
Tai Chi 2

Tai Chi 2 is a traditional Hong Kong martial arts film. It is the 1996 sequel to Tai Chi Master which starred Jet Li.Tai Chi 2 was made without Li and introduced a new actor to Kung Fu films Wu Jing ....
  • True Legend (2010)
aka True Legend of Beggar Su (Woking title)


Selected filmography as action choreographer/fight advisor:


  • The Bloody Fists
    The Bloody Fists

    The Bloody Fists , aka Deadly Buddhist Raiders or Death Beach, is a Hong Kong films of 1972 Hong Kong action movie directed by See-Yuen Ng and starring Chen Siu Sing and Kuan Tai Chen....
     (1972)
  • Fist of Legend
    Fist of Legend

    Fist Of Legend is a Hong Kong films of 1994 Hong Kong action cinema martial arts film starring Martial Artist Jet Li. It was directed by Gordon Chan and features stage combat by Yuen Woo Ping....
     (1994)
  • The Matrix
    The Matrix

    The Matrix is a science fiction film-action film written and directed by Wachowski brothers and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving....
     (1999)
  • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a Chinese-language film in the wuxia style, released in 2000. A China-Hong Kong-Taiwan-United States coproduction , the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of Zhonghua minzu actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen....
     (2000)
  • The Matrix Reloaded
    The Matrix Reloaded

    The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 in film film, the second installment in The Matrix , written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros....
     (2003)
  • The Matrix Revolutions
    The Matrix Revolutions

    The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 in film film and the third and final installment of The Matrix . The film, a combination of philosophy and action, sought to conclude the questions raised in the preceding film, The Matrix Reloaded....
     (2003)
  • Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
  • Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
  • Kung Fu Hustle
    Kung Fu Hustle

    Kung Fu Hustle is a Hong Kong films of 2004 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts film comedy film co-written, co-produced, directed by and starring Stephen Chow....
     (2004)
  • Danny the Dog (film)
    Unleashed (film)

    Unleashed , is a 2005 in film action film/thriller , film director by Louis Leterrier and screenwriter by Luc Besson. It is set in Glasgow, Scotland....
     (a.k.a. Unleashed
    Unleashed (film)

    Unleashed , is a 2005 in film action film/thriller , film director by Louis Leterrier and screenwriter by Luc Besson. It is set in Glasgow, Scotland....
    ) (2005)
  • House of Fury
    House of Fury

    House of Fury is a Hong Kong films of 2005 Cinema of Hong Kong martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema directed by the film's co-star Stephen Fung....
     (2005)
  • Fearless
    Fearless (2006 film)

    Fearless, known in Chinese language as Huo Yuanjia and Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and the United States is a Chinese films of the 2000s Cinema of China martial arts film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li....
     (2006)
  • The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
  • Endhiran (Tamil film) (2010)


Popular Culture


In the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft, often referred to as WoW, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game . It is Blizzard Entertainment's fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994 in video gaming....
, the Weapon Master that resides in the Alliance Human major city of Stormwind is named Woo Ping, after the choreographer himself.

External links

  • about Yuen including quotes from Ronny Yu and Jet Li