Yuen Biao
by Martin Cleary
Youngest Brother: Yuen
Biao
The youngest of Hong Kong’s legendary ‘three brothers’, Yuen Biao is
probably the least well known in the West but with his amazing
gymnastic flipping and kicking
ability and a talent for both comedy
and serious acting, Yuen Biao has produced some serious work to
equal that of the higher profile Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
School Of Hard Knocks
Born in Hong Kong on 26th July 1957, Ha Ling Tsan was the fifth
child in a large family of eight children, with three older sisters,
one older brother and three younger sisters. After showing an
interest in singing and dancing, he energetic – and sometimes
troublesome – boy was enroled in Yu Jim Yuen’s Chinese Opera Academy
by his parents at the age of just five years old. As was common
practise at the school, the children’s names were changed to ‘Yuen’
out of respect for their Sifu, and Ha Ling Tsan became known from
that time forward as Yuen Biao. While at the school the young Biao
developed his amazing gymnastic ability and at the same time
befriended an older boy,
the eight year old Yuen Lo – who would one day become better known
as Jackie Chan. From his very earliest days at the school Yuen Biao
displayed a natural talent for physical performance. In his
autobiography Jackie Chan describes the impression Yuen Biao made on
his first day:
‘The new kid took a deep breath, ran forward a few quick steps, and
performed an almost perfect somersault. The master looked on with
pride and surprise; the other kids watched with envy… For the rest
of the day, the kid proved that he was a natural, a born acrobat.’
(Taken from I Am Jackie Chan by Jackie Chan, p54)
The two boys Yuen Biao and Yuen Lo became members of the academy’s
‘Seven
Fortunes’ troupe and after the rigorous (and near abusive) training
regimes they performed in shows to earn money to keep the school
running. Other members of the Seven Fortunes troupe included Yuen
Wah (seen recently as the landlord in Kung-Fu Hustle) and Yuen Kwai
(who would change his name to Corey Yuen and become the successful
director and choreographer). Another member of the troupe was the
‘Big Brother’ to the children - a chubby boy called Yuen Lung.
Although the young boys and girls disliked Yuen Lung who they
considered to be a bully, he would later prove to be a massive help
in the boys careers and become famous in his own right – after he
changed his name to Sammo Hung.
Enter The… Film Industry
At the age of fifteen, Yuen Biaos’ ten-year contract at the school
finished and in his search for paid work he decided to visit Sammo
Hung who was at that time working as an action choreographer on a
film set. Sammo helped the young Biao secure work as stuntman and
extra on several films. When Bruce Lee arrived in Hong Kong in 1971
to make what would be his martial arts masterpieces, Sammo was a
part of his team and his involvement meant that Yuen Biao also
worked on the projects. Employed as a stuntman and general assistant
on the films Fist Of Fury, Way Of The Dragon, Enter
The Dragon and the uncompleted Game Of Death, Yuen Biao even
sometimes stunt-doubled for Bruce himself, such was his skill and
ability.
After the death of Bruce Lee in 1973 the Hong Kong film industry
went into a recession and Yuen Biao found it increasingly difficult
to find work so he made the decision to go on a tour of America with
his old Sifu, Yu Jim Yuen. The tour, which consisted of Chinese
Opera and Martial Arts demonstrations, was unfortunately
unsuccessful and was cancelled mid-way through. Biao searched for
alternative work in the U.S., and lived for a while both in Los
Angeles and New York. Around 1976 he was contacted by his father who
told him that there seemed to be a renewed local interest in the
Hong Kong film industry. On his return to Hong Kong he quickly found
work again with his biggest brother, Sammo. Once again, as a
stuntman and an ‘extra’ Biao appeared in many films including the
groundbreaking Hapkido. He also at this time worked on some of
Jackie Chan’s early (and less successful) films such as Shaolin
Chamber of Death and the John Woo directed Hand Of Death (which
featured both Sammo and Jackie in supporting roles). Although not
all of the projects were financial successes, on a personal level
Biao managed to establish himself so successfully that he soon found
lots of new opportunities coming his way. It wasn’t long before he
became an assistant
choreographer on films such as The Snuff Bottle Connection, The
Invincible Armour and Secret Rivals 2. He then even worked on
classmate Jackie’s smash-hit and break-out film Drunken Master as a
stunt double for Yuen Siu Tien. Slowly, Biao’s onscreen roles also
increased in size and in 1978 came his biggest break so far – the
lead role in the film Knockabout. The film wasn’t a massive
box-office success but it showed that Biao could confidently carry a
lead role. In the subsequent years since its release the
reputation of the film has grown, and Knockabout is widely
considered to be a Hong Kong classic.
After working fairly consistently with Sammo in the 70’s, Biao began
the 80’s on a high - finally appearing onscreen as a co-star with
Jackie Chan in The Young Master. In the late 1970’s Jackie had risen
to become the Hong Kong industry’s biggest star and for Biao to be
able to co-star alongside his old friend in the film (Jackie’s
directorial debut for Golden Harvest) was a testament to his own
success and hard work. The film was a record breaking success.
Although Knockabout had been a successful leading-debut for Biao, in
1982 he starred under the direction of Sammo Hung in the film
Prodigal Son. The film - which features a film-stealing performance
from Lam Ching Ying, as well as a powerful appearance from Frankie
Chan – won several film awards and Yuen Biao’s own exceptional
central performance didn’t go unnoticed. With Prodigal Son Yuen Biao
cemented his reputation as a genuine action star.
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