Lo Lieh
(Wang Lap-Tat)
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Biography
It's hard to watch any kung-fu movie and not see this man's face. He has got to be, the top character actor in the entire kung-fu genre - adding something different to each character he's played. Moving from China to Hong Kong in his teens, he was one of a handful of people chosen by Shaw studios, in an open audition (others included Wang Yu, Yueh Hua, and Cheng Lei). He started out playing villains in The Chinese Boxer - (often, said to be the first kung-fu film ever made) - the film everyone in America would see, saw him in a different light.
5 Fingers Of Death started production the same year as The Chinese Boxer using (virtually) the same cast and similar elements (Chinese vs Japanese, and some being blinded by an eye strike), yet it was not released first in Asia. Shaw Bros' actually decided to use this film to test the Overseas market in an attempt to go global and they had no idea what they were unleashing. The film exploded and started a new trend in movie-making - the Kung Fu Craze. It brought him an International fame, as he was known on American screens months before Bruce Lee's film career, would also take the world by storm.
5 Fingers Of Death started production the same year as The Chinese Boxer using (virtually) the same cast and similar elements (Chinese vs Japanese, and some being blinded by an eye strike), yet it was not released first in Asia. Shaw Bros' actually decided to use this film to test the Overseas market in an attempt to go global and they had no idea what they were unleashing. The film exploded and started a new trend in movie-making - the Kung Fu Craze. It brought him an International fame, as he was known on American screens months before Bruce Lee's film career, would also take the world by storm.
He was an accomplished actor, who could play just about any part. Ask just about any kung-fu fan, to name their #1 favorite villain and (9 out of 10 times) they'll come back with the words - Pai Mei. Since, he portrayal of Pai Mei in the Executioners From Shaolin, he is often remembered by that character, just as Gordon Liu is known as "Master Killer" (by fans). Basically, he took a conventional villain and made him into an Icon. It was very rare, to have people rooting for the villain (yet) his portrayal of this character led to a frenzy. He would play the character again in Shaolin Abbot. He, actually, played the classmate of Pai Mei in Fist Of The White Lotus - but, that hasn't stopped fans from for thinking otherwise (I think it had to do with the same look).
It's not rare to find him in mediocre movies, but it is rare to find him giving a mediocre performance. He's added a little something extra, to just about every (swordplay/kung-fu) film he's ever appeared in. And, though, he didn't possess the high-flying, fast-kicking dexterity as most top-notch villains did - he more than made up for it, with fine acting and an intensity that he seemed to turn on or off (Human Skin Lanterns) whenever it was called for. Other actor/villains such as Tommy Lee and Chang Yi must have studied his style closely, as they were true chameleons as well, but (often) fell just short, of his excellent portrayals.