FACEBOOK Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2013. He was particularly renowned for his collaboration with director Chang Cheh during that time on films such as The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and The Boxer From Shantung (1972). This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lau-Kar-leung.

By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. HONG KONG – Martial artist, action choreographer and film director Lau Kar-leung died on Tuesday morning following a two-decade battle with cancer. In the 1960s he joined Shaw Brothers Studios, where he demonstrated his knack for organizing authentic and rhythmic combat scenes on several martial arts films by director Chang Cheh, notably The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and Boxer from Shantung (1972). Lau was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2010 for his contribution to the martial arts film genre. He survived the disease and made a directorial comeback in 2003 with Drunken Monkey, which he starred in along with his martial arts protégé Liu. Lau Kar-leung, (Liu Chia-Liang; Liu Jialiang), Hong Kong motion-picture action choreographer and director (born July 28, 1934, Canton [now Guangzhou], China—died June 25, 2013, Hong Kong, China), was the first action choreographer to transition into being a director. He began (1950) his career in the film industry as an extra and a stuntman. He was involved—as an actor, a director, or an action choreographer—with more than 100 films, including The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) and Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1983), both of which featured actor Liu Chia-Hui (Gordon Liu), and The Legend of Drunken Master (Drunken Master II; 1994), starring Jackie Chan. Lau Kar-leung, (Liu Chia-Liang; Liu Jialiang), Hong Kong motion-picture action choreographer and director (born July 28, 1934, Canton [now Guangzhou], China—died June 25, 2013, Hong Kong, China), was the first action choreographer to transition into being a director. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC is a subsidiary of Prometheus Global Media, LLC. The latter movie in 1995 won Lau the best action choreography award at the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony. Omissions? by © 2020 The Hollywood Reporter Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Who played the old Spock in the 2009 movie, Jet Li, Chinese film actor noted for his superlative martial arts skills and for his portrayals of virtuous, humble heroes. He continued his work as action choreographer and director until 1994, when he made Drunken Master II and III and was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Born into a family that had practiced martial arts for generations, Lau started his own training at an early age. The film proved a hit and was the seventh-highest-grossing movie of the year in Hong Kong. In 2007, at the age of 70, he served as action choreographer and in a supporting role in Tsui Hark’s Seven Swords. Lau began his career in film in 1950 as an extra and stuntman in the popular Wong Fei-Hung movies. HONG KONG – Martial artist, action choreographer and film director Lau Kar-leung died on Tuesday morning following a two-decade battle with cancer. He was 76.

Lau Kar-leung, also known as Liu Chia-liang, was a Hong Kong-based Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer and martial artist.
Lau, a fourth-generation direct disciple of martial arts legend Wong Fei-Hung and a lifelong practitioner of the Hung Kuen discipline, was most famous for his directorial efforts The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), starring Kill Bill’s Gordon Liu, and Drunken Master II with Jackie Chan, which also won him the Best Action Choreography Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1994. He was the first action choreographer to have transitioned to directing. Lau made his directorial debut with The Spiritual Boxer (1975).
Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Lau’s directing work was characterized by a strict adherence to the principles of martial arts.