The Chinatown Kid
To say that director Chang Cheh has an eye for talent would be an understatement, especially, when talking about this man. A winner of Shaw Brothers "Fresh New Faces" back in the early 70's should have been an indication of things to come. Yet, it would be a few years before we would see just how talented he really was. His appearance in Police Force (though, not groundbreaking), did give fans a chance to see the type of emotion he put in his performances. When director Chang went to Taiwan and opened his Chang's Films, he took Fu Sheng went him. When he started his "Shaolin" series, he made sure that he had ample roles for him. His characters seemed to standout from the rest in films and on posters for the films.
If you pay attention to a lot of the posters shot for Chang's films that involve Fu Sheng, you'll notice him slightly off to one-side (Example-1) or in the middle (Example-2). Other times, he's shirtless, when others or not, thus making him standout even more. Posters always carried his name above the rest of his fellow stars even those of David Chiang and Ti Lung (who were more popular than him at the time). His roles would also carry more weight than that of his co-stars, whether physically or emotionally. Films like 5 Masters Of Death, Heroes 2, and Shaolin Temple (Death Chamber), allowed him to overshadow the main stars of the films. Chang saw his gift for acting early on and (virtually) took him under his wing, teaching him various aspects of acting and film. Having appeared in a number of films under the director, he also got the chance to work with Shaw Bros' top choreographer Liu Chia-Liang, becoming his first Closed-door (private) student. Practicing Hung-style boxing, he along with another newcomer Chi Kuan-Chun, would become the director's most popular duo of this series of films. Within less than a 5-year span, he had become one of the studio's top performers as well as one of the most well liked individuals at Shaw Brothers. |
After leaving Chang Cheh to work with other directors, he found his career was not running as smoothly as before. He would later encounter a series of accidents that alter the course of his career and his life. When he shot a movie produced by Sun Chung, he fell and injured his head and back. He spent nearly a year trying to recover. After recovery, he got hurt again, falling from hanging wire in a film directed by Chu Yuan (He broke his right leg). This caused him to have (3) surgeries, taking a year and a half to heal this time. After recovery, he was not able to walk normally and even questioned his future as a star.
Later in his career, he was always with director Liu Chia-Liang. He wanted Liang to help him to recover his confidence (which he eventually did). His works with director Liu saw him recovering nicely, yet, the path he'd take now was more in the way of Comedic roles. Films like Legendary Weapons Of China and Cat VS Rat -- saw these talents develop more, as his confidence did. He was gaining notice again and the only thing missing at this time in his life was a child with his wife Jenny Tseng. Yet, on July 7th of 1983, injuries sustained from a car accident would eventually claim his life. Through an excellent body of work, he still remains one of Shaw Bros' most prolific stars.
[ 36 Most Influential ]
Later in his career, he was always with director Liu Chia-Liang. He wanted Liang to help him to recover his confidence (which he eventually did). His works with director Liu saw him recovering nicely, yet, the path he'd take now was more in the way of Comedic roles. Films like Legendary Weapons Of China and Cat VS Rat -- saw these talents develop more, as his confidence did. He was gaining notice again and the only thing missing at this time in his life was a child with his wife Jenny Tseng. Yet, on July 7th of 1983, injuries sustained from a car accident would eventually claim his life. Through an excellent body of work, he still remains one of Shaw Bros' most prolific stars.
[ 36 Most Influential ]