Kung Fu
A usual assumption is thatBruce Leewas the first soldierlike humanities whiz , but that ’s an accomplishment that actually belongs toLo Lieh . Lo Lieh , who break in 2002 at the historic period of 63 , was an Indonesian actor and a skilled martial artist who appeared in well over a hundred picture show .
Lo Lieh get his commencement in the mid-1960s workings as an actor for Shaw Brothers , which evolved into the biggest kung fu studio apartment in the kung fu industriousness . In the latter part of the decade , Shaw Brothers began producing sword - fighting movies rig in ancient China , with Lo often act supporting role alongside some of their bigger stars , such as Jimmy Wang Yu and Cheng Pei - pei . As studios began leaning toward actors with real warlike arts experience , Lo was able to put his skills to use .
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ThoughBruce Lee ’s purpose in 1973’sEnter the Dragonis often credit with making the kung fu literary genre so popular internationally , what really started it all was Lo Lieh . In 1972 , Lo Lieh play the lead character in the Shaw Brothers’Five finger of Death(also known asKing Boxer ) . In the moving picture , Lo played a martial creative person whose master sends him off to memorise a mystical kung fu technique so that he can win a tournament and defeat a gang of criminals . The movie , which performed well in Hong Kong , attracted the care of Warner Bros. Even though Bruce Lee was already making motion picture at this full stop , kung fu picture were n’t popular in the West yet . As a test , Warner Bros. acquiredFive Fingers of Deathand released it in the United States . The resolution were striking . The flick made Brobdingnagian wafture at the box part , as the fight scenes with Lo Lieh left a braggy impression on audience , who had never seen anything like it before .
WhenFive Fingers of Deathproved to be massive hit , studios realized there was a hunger for kung fu film in the West . That ’s when Warner Bros. made anoffer to Bruce Lee to star inEnter the Dragon . Lee choose what Lo Lieh and Shaw Brothers started and made it even bounteous . As for how the movie impacted Lo Lieh ’s calling , it greatly increase his popularity and solidify his status as one of Hong Kong ’s top stars . AfterFiveFingers of destruction , Lo received major roles in multiple motion picture every year .
Lo would meet the hero again in several more movies likeThe Dragon Missile , but as time clear , Shaw Brothers bank more and more on actors likeTi Lung , David Chiang , the Venom Mob , Fu Sheng , and Gordon Liu to lead their films . However , Lo Lieh stay on a primal player at the studio for quite some time before going freelance . He was cast in many of Hong Kong ’s boastful and most gamey - visibility films , includingThe 36thChamber of Shaolin . Studios observe that the talented Lo could be the submarine , the baddie , a supporting fiber , or sometimes , the comedy rilievo .
It ’s authoritative to note that it was Lo Lieh who vulgarise the evil , whitened - hairy kung fu master original that was used so oft in the 1970s and eighties . Lo became so close associated with these variety of character that he would end up donning the white beard and wig numerous time over the track of his long career as a kung fu star . Arguably his most renowned outing as a villain was when he go up against Gordon Liu inClan of the White Lotus . With an impressive legacy that embrace more than a hundred kung fu film , Lo Liehleft a lasting chump on the soldierly arts writing style .
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