Bryan Leung

Bryan Leung Kar-yan (Chinese: , born 20 January 1948) is a Hong Kong film and television actor and film director who has played roles in numerous acclaimed martial arts films. He is affectionately known as "Beardy" due to his trademark facial hair. He also has characteristic hyper-extendable fingers, which can be observed when he has his palms open and his fingers outstretched. Despite being one of the most well-known faces in Hong Kong action cinema, he had no formal martial arts training, relying on his talents at mimicry to imitate the moves shown to him by the action directors. He had Taiwan Nationality starting from 1985, & became Taiwanese. His nephew is the actor Oscar Leung.

Career Leung's action film career began in 1969. His good looks and natural athleticism took him to Shaw Brothers, where he appeared in several renowned period kung fu films, although he was rarely offered leading roles. His big-break came under the direction of Sammo Hung, with whom he fought in Enter the Fat Dragon (1978), and co-starred in the seminal Warriors Two (1978). His performance in Warriors Two, as Mr. Tsan, a real-life historical doctor and master of Wing Chun, is described as "the best performance of his career" by Mark Pollard of Kung Fu Cinema, who goes on to write: Leung Kar-yan is brilliant in his role as the teacher. He adds just the right amount of austerity and presence without overdoing it. It is also obvious why he was chosen for this role over an older actor. To the layman, he really looks like a Wing Chun expert and his physical grace is undeniable.

Leung continued to work with Sammo Hung, achieving further success with a string of highly rated kung-fu comedies, including Knockabout (1979), where he and Yuen Biao played crooks being harassed by a kung-fu beggar played by Hung.

In Dreadnaught (1981), he played Wong Fei-hung's student (without his trademark beard). The film again featured Yuen Biao, as well as veteran kung-fu star Kwan Tak-hing playing Wong Fei-hung. It also marked Leung's first collaboration with director Yuen Woo-ping, and he would go on to star in several acclaimed Yuen Woo-ping directed films, including Legend of a Fighter (1982), in which he portrayed historical figure Fok Yuen-gap, and The Miracle Fighters (1982).

During this same period, Leung also enjoyed some success in television acting, appearing as Kiu Fung in TVB's 1982 adaptation of Louis Cha's Wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and as Kwok Ching in the 1983 adaptation of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Despite this acting success, Leung's 1984 directorial debut, Profile in Anger, was relatively unsuccessful. This marked a lowering of his star profile, as he began to take more supporting roles and less leading roles. He continues to act and direct into the 2000s, occasionally appearing in high-profile films like Last Hero in China (1993), where he co-starred with Jet Li and reprised the role he had played in 1981's Dreadnaught, and several Stephen Chow vehicles including Legend of the Dragon (1990).

In 2009, Leung is to direct once again in a new martial arts action film tentatively titled Blood Relations. He will also star in the film alongside his son Leung Ho-yee and martial arts film actor Gordon Liu.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role 1969 Return of the One-Armed Swordsman 1974 Shaolin Martial Arts Pa Kang 1974 Five Shaolin Masters Chien San 1975 Marco Polo Tai Dadlu / Caldalu 1975 Boxer Rebellion 1976 Shaolin Avengers 1977 Iron Monkey Captain Yi 1977 Eagle's Claw 1978 Enter the Fat Dragon Bearded fighter 1978 Warriors Two Mr. Tsan 1978 My Life's on the Line Chow Sau-tung 1978 Ways of Kung Fu Shang king 1979 Sleeping Fist Kam Tai-fat 1979 The Thundering Mantis Chi 1979 Knockabout Dai Pao / Big John 1979 Odd Couple Laughing Bandit 1979 His Name Is Nobody Koo the Iron Heart 1979 Cantonen Iron Kung Fu Leung Kwan 1979 Ten Brothers of Shaolin Commander Tsao 1979 Demon Strike Master Kiu 1980 The Victim Leung Chung-yau 1980 Two on the Road Lively Dragon 1981 Dreadnaught Leung Foon 1981 Eagle's Claw and Butterfly Palm 1982 Legend of a Fighter Fok Yuen-gap 1982 The Postman Strikes Back Courier Ma 1982 The Miracle Fighters Kei Moon / Old Man 1984 Secret Service of the Imperial Court Zhao Bufa 1984 New Tales of the Flying Fox Wu Yat-do 1984 Profile in Anger Leung Chun-yue 1984 Shanghai 13 Tao Daye 1985 Danger Has Two Faces Kam Chi-kin 1985 Hong Kong Godfather Mad Wai 1988 Tiger Cage Brother Lung 1990 Legend of the Dragon Yan 1991 The Tigers Lam Hoi-tim 1992 The Shootout Inspector Ma 1992 Shogun and Little Kitchen Mr. Tong Ching 1993 Last Hero in China Leung Foon 1993 Fight Back to School III Officer Lai 1993 Flirting Scholar Mo Chong-yuen 1994 Kung Fu Cult Master Lu Zhangke 1994 The Kung Fu Scholar Lee Tai-chun / Lee Man-lung 1995 Don't Give a Damn No-nonsense cop 1995 Out of the Dark Mr. Wu 2000 Conman in Tokyo Turkey 2008 Kung Fu Dunk Master Fei 2010 True Legend Su Wankun 2010 Legend of the Swordsman 2010 Just Call Me Nobody Wu Di's father / General Lee 2010 Kung Fu Master 2011 Empire of Assassins Emperor Wang Shi Chong 2011 Hong Kong Ghost Story 2011 BMW Rhapsody 2012 The Man with the Iron Fists Hyena Chief 2012 Promise Time 2013 Saving General Yang Pan Ren-mei 2013 Lucky Dog 2013 7 Assassins Chan 2013 Badges of Fury Uncle Lucky 2013 Game of Assassins 2013 Kung Fu Family 2014 Ameera 2014 The Scroll of Wing Chun White Crane 2015 Bloody Destiny 2015 Ip Man 3 Tin Ngo-san 2019 Legend of the Demon Seal 2019 Bright Mountain at Night 2019 Table Tenets 2019 The Big Explosion 2019 Southern Mao Northern Ma 2019 Jade Dynasty 诛仙 Zeng Shuqiang

Television Year Title Role Notes 1982 Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils Kiu Fung TVB production 1983 The Return of the Condor Heroes Kwok Ching TVB production 1984 State of Divinity TTV production 1986 Fate of Two Heroes CTS production 1987 Return the Pearl to Thee Ma Jun TTV production 1989 War of the Dragon Lee Kwan TVB production 1990 Twin Flying Doves TTV Production 1992 Revelation of the Last Hero Hak-lin Mung-seun TVB production 1996 Wong Fei Hung Series 1998 Legend of Sky and Earth TTV production 1998 The Return of the Condor Heroes Hong Qigong 2002 Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge Yuan Shixiao The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra Lee Ching 2004 The Dragon Heroes Wang Jili 2005 Real Kung Fu Leung Yee-tai TVB production Seven Swordsmen Liu Jingyi La Femme Desperado Ko Wing-tim TVB production 2007 The Ultimate Crime Fighter Wong Po TVB production 2008 Huo Yuanjia Huo Endi Legend of the Fist: Chen Zhen Huangfu Yizhen The Legend of the Condor Heroes Hong Qigong D.I.E. Yue Tai-hoi TVB production 2009 The Book and the Sword Yuan Shixiao 2013 The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils Xiao Yuanshan Swordsman Feng Qingyang Ip Man Master Hong