Biography
Of all the Venoms, he was the best Kicker of the group. Sometimes Hero, sometimes Traitor, yet, forever up to something. It was always interesting to see which one he'd play next, as he would always leave you guessing. And though he's multi-talented, he never seems to get enough screen-time to show it. In 5 Deadly Venoms, though he played a central character, he didn't really show up until the end of the movie. This was remedied in Kid With The Golden Arm, as he got to play (2) parts and (true-to-form), you didn't know if he was good or evil, until the end of the movie.
He drove me crazy with those glasses he wore in The Chinatown Kid and the fact that he wouldn't fight back (even when pushed), until the end of the movie. It seems that besides kicking, he likes to smile a lot. In just about every movie I've seen him in, he's smiling from ear to ear, no matter what the roles is. Yet, when he's grinning, he's usually up to something as his characters can't always be trusted.
He drove me crazy with those glasses he wore in The Chinatown Kid and the fact that he wouldn't fight back (even when pushed), until the end of the movie. It seems that besides kicking, he likes to smile a lot. In just about every movie I've seen him in, he's smiling from ear to ear, no matter what the roles is. Yet, when he's grinning, he's usually up to something as his characters can't always be trusted.
Later in his career, he would (also) find a variety of roles, that gave fans a chance to see him away from a group setting. Films like Black Lizard, Spirit Of The Sword, and What Price Honesty, were some good examples of his work away from his venomous co-stars. He's appeared, to good effect, with David Chiang in the obscure hit Murder Plot and in Secret Service Of The Imperial Court, where he squared off against John Liang.
He's kind of like his buddy Lo Mang, in that he gets killed often in most of the movies he plays in. They seemed to have stayed in touch after the Venoms disbanded in the early 80's, as they would appear in some of the same movies together such as Clan Feuds, Human Skin Lanterns, and Pursuit Of A Killer. Though he's never been short on talent, as a Venom, he always seemed to get the short end of the stick. When he wasn't getting the best parts in their films, most assumed he was the least talented of the group. In actuality, the skills that each possessed, complimented the others.
He's kind of like his buddy Lo Mang, in that he gets killed often in most of the movies he plays in. They seemed to have stayed in touch after the Venoms disbanded in the early 80's, as they would appear in some of the same movies together such as Clan Feuds, Human Skin Lanterns, and Pursuit Of A Killer. Though he's never been short on talent, as a Venom, he always seemed to get the short end of the stick. When he wasn't getting the best parts in their films, most assumed he was the least talented of the group. In actuality, the skills that each possessed, complimented the others.
With Kicking abilities that would easily rival many of the better kickers of the genre, when he displayed them, they merely seemed to fit into a routine that was "by-the-numbers", instead of a constant, flowing arsenal. His kicks look somewhat smoother when he appeared in Lady Is The Boss compared to a lot of his other film work. He seemed just as at home in Swordplay films as he was doing kung-fu. If films like Emperor & His Brother and Lady Assassin were any indicators of this talent (as a solo performer), then he was definitely far from the One-dimensional character many thought him to be.