Mr Jimmy Wong Yue

1944-

Actor

Actor, director and scriptwriter Jimmy Wong Yue is the screen name of Wong Jing Kuen, a former swimming champion who graduated from the College of Physical Education in Shanghai. When Shaw Brothers launched an open recruitment for the leading actor in an upcoming film, Wong outshone other contestants and landed the role in Tiger Boy (1964). His strong and muscular build was a perfect embodiment of the virility of Chang Cheh’s characters, in particular that of the title character in One-Armed Swordsman (1967). Wong’s stunning martial arts skills and vivid portrayal of chivalrous warriors in films such as The Assassin (1967) and Golden Swallow (1968) made him the leading martial arts star of the 1960s. Wang moved to Taiwan in the 1970s and began directing. Among his directorial works were The Chinese Boxer (1970), which started a kung fu movie trend, as well as Beach of the War Gods (1973) and Four Real Friends (1974). In the 1980s, Wong quit film to set up his own business, appearing occasionally in movies. His recent works include Wu Xia (2011) and Soul (2013); the latter won him Best Actor at the Taipei Film Festival.