In 1971, he enrolled at "Shaw Brothers Southern Drama School" and instantly drew the attention of director Chang Cheh. Upon graduation, the studio offered him a (3) years contract at HK $650 (US $130) a month and shortened his name to "Fu Sheng". Director Chang would eventually take him under his wing and gave cameos in a few of his films before casting him in his first feature called Police Force. He gets killed halfway through the movie and his friend (Wang Chung) avenges him by becoming a member of the police force. This was to be the first of (20) consecutive films under director Chang Cheh.

As the market for youth themes (drugs, generation gap, etc) faded, the release of Fu Sheng's second film Friends was postponed. Chang Cheh decided to use Fu Sheng in his kung-fu films, so he underwent (6) months of intensive training with kung-fu master Liu Chia-Liang , the choreographer of Chang's martial-arts films.

He learned the various "Southern Styles" of kung-fu but in particular the "Hung Style" (Hung Gar), which he later displayed in Disciples of Shaolin. Chang Cheh teamed him up with Chen Kuan-Tai in Heroes 2 and Disciples of Death, both based on the adventures of Shaolin disciples. The (2) films established him as a top draw. In June 1974, he received the "Icing on the cake" when he won the "Most Hopeful Young Actor Award" for Friends at the Asian Film Festival.

The next 2 1/2 years had him working in Taiwan under Chang Cheh's Chang's Film Co. (Long Bow), a semi-independent company linked to the parent Shaw Brothers. Fu Sheng and another rising star Chi Kuan-Chun became Cheh's "3rd Generation" of fighting stars. (David Chiang and Ti Lung were the first; Chen Kuan-Tai and Wang Chung were the 2nd). He became synonymous with the character "Fang Shih-Yu", a hero of the Shaolin Temple as the Shaolin series itself launched a wave of similar films, which brought out Shaolin history, training, and teaching.

When he returned to Hong Kong, his first order of business was to get married to his sweetheart - Jenny Tseng , a native of Macao, who he had met through Ti Lung and Amy Tao. Jenny was a multi-talented individual who combines TV work, films, Dress-designing, as well as being an accomplished Singer. The two married December 4, 1976, after a (3) year romance. Wang Chung was his Best Man and Lily Li the Maid-of-honor.

There was no time for a honeymoon as he rushed back to the studios to start work on Chang's ambitious screen adaptation of the martial-arts novel The Brave Archer. Eventually, he and Jenny had to settle for a working honeymoon in San Francisco while shooting the movie - The Chinatown Kid (they would later take an extended honeymoon in the Manila). In 1977, with the release on this movie, he would now be known as "Alexander Fu-Sheng".

By 1977, Chang Cheh had groomed his "4th Generation" of stars, who would later become known as The Venoms. They virtually took over productions like Life's Gambles and Heaven and Hell with Fu Sheng taking on co-starring roles as opposed the leading roles he was accustomed to getting from Chang Cheh. This was the time that he would began working with Sun Chung and Chu Yuan , two directors known for their "Swordplay" films.

He teamed up with his close friend Ti Lung in 1978 for his two immensely successful hits - Avenging Eagle and Deadly Breaking Sword. In Treasure Hunters, 18 Legendary Weapons of China, and Brave Archer-4, he seemed to be moving away from serious fighting roles. Perhaps it was the frequent accidents that he'd suffered. He had put on weight and his movements weren't as crisp as before the accidents.

His first serious injury came on the set of Deadly Breaking Sword in which he fell (8) feet head first into a wine urn. He suffered recurring dizzy spells for several months and even went to England to see a specialist for treatment. He completed The Proud Twins the first half of 1979, which later became his most successful films. In September of that year, while working on Heroes Shed No Tears, a wire suspending him in the air snapped and he fell (10) feet.

Bones in his right leg were shattered and subsequent X-rays showed that his ankle had not healed properly from another injury he suffered a month earlier. It was expected that he’d be out of action for at least (9) months. He grew bitter when it became apparent that Shaw Bros' were more concerned about the (5) films that had to suspend shooting (Heroes Shed No Tears, Return of the Sentimental Swordsman, Brave Archer-3, A Generation of Kung Fu, and Mark of the Eagle).

What about Sir Run Run Shaw? "He treats me fine", Fu Sheng replied. "After my injury, he visited me twice and ask me if I needed his American doctor. If the injury had been really serious, not even the best doctor in the world could help me", he said. He has blamed Shaw Brothers for its double standard, stars like Ti Lung and David Chiang can accept offers to do films for independent companies, but he is not allowed to. One company (Seasonal) offered him - HK $1.2 million for one film. Salary is another issue. His contract ( which was to expire in 1980) pegged him at HK $950 per month (or US $190) which is a paltry sum to risk his life and limb for.

What is the explanation for his popularity? It is likely the endearing child-like quality which he has conveyed through his films from the very beginning and was very much part of his character. He was a kid trapped in a man’s body, (on one of Jenny’s TV specials he was shown at home playing with his model rocket ships). But his actions were very much influenced by Jenny, of whom he’s maniacally jealous. He was a 3-pack a day man until Jenny told him to quit smoking. The tragic side of an otherwise beautiful marriage was her inability to have children (at that time), as she had two miscarriages.

Another kind of brutal reality was the grueling demands made on martial-artists in films at that time. Even superstars like Fu Sheng would do their own stunt-work and injuries were an occupational hazard. His parents had pressured him to quit and take a normal desk job with his father’s company, but the urge to prove himself and to make it on his own became overpowering.

He dreamed of setting up his own film company and working with his younger brother, also a martial-arts expert. Before long, he had to deal with two questions that would ultimately decide his future - (1) Would Shaw Brothers agree to his terms or would it be good-bye? (2) Could he recover from his injuries, both physical and psychological?

Throughout his short charismatic life, he did a lot for Kung-fu movies (and Shaw Bros), and for fans all around the world. It's safe to say that his place in the genre will never be forgotten. There were even rumors that his ghost still haunts the ground of Shaw Bros' studios to this day (probably looking for all the money they owed him).

Though, not as popular as Bruce Lee , he still held ties to Lee, as he moved into Lee's house after the superstar's death. The house was said to have had bad Feng Shui (luck) and whether he knew this or even believed it, it didn't matter. To him, he had moved into a part of history. When he died, people would always point to the fact that he had lived in that house.

But, he had the type of career that few stars could attest to and his popularity is still something that is only shared even fewer stars that worked at Shaw Bros'. As far as the male (martial-arts) stars go, he is in the "Top 5" as far as popularity goes. And the mystic of his stardom is still something that legions of fans are still in awe of. He will always remain, one of kung-fu cinema's most loved (and missed) stars.