Bolo Yeung

Bolo Yeung
Bolo Yeung in 2010
BornYeung Sze
(1946-07-03) July 3, 1946 (age 78)
Guangzhou, Guangdong, Republic of China
Native name楊斯
Other namesYang Si
Yang Sze
Chinese Hercules[1]
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[2][3]
Years active1970–present
OccupationActor, martial artist, bodybuilder
Children3

Yeung Sze (simplified Chinese: 杨斯; traditional Chinese: 楊斯; pinyin: Yáng Sī; Jyutping: Yeung4 Si1; born July 3, 1946[4]), better known as Bolo Yeung, is a Hong Kong former competitive bodybuilder, martial artist, and actor. Primarily known for playing villains in action and martial arts films, he is regarded as one of the most influential actors in martial arts cinema.[5]

Born in Guangzhou, Sze learnt kung fu, namely Tai chi and Wing Chun, from the age of 10. After relocating to Hong Kong to escape the famine and communism of mainland China, he developed an interest in bodybuilding and in 1970 he was crowned Mr. Hong Kong, a title he would hold for 10 years. He would become an actor and stuntman for the Shaw Brothers with notable early performances in films like The Heroic Ones (1970) and The Deadly Duo (1971). In 1973, he appeared as the henchman "Bolo" in Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon, which catapulted him to international fame.[6] Throughout the 1970s and 80s he appeared in many Bruceploitation films, including The Clones of Bruce Lee (1977) and Enter the Game of Death (1978). He made his directorial debut in 1977 with the film Fists of Justice.[7]

He would later surface in the Golden Harvest action comedies of the 1980s including the Sammo Hung films My Lucky Stars (1985) and Millionaires Express (1986), and duelled with Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee, in the action film Legacy of Rage (1986). He gained further popularity in the West following the international success of the 1988 martial arts film Bloodsport, in which he played the villain Chong Li, opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme. His work in Hollywood also includes the 1991 films Double Impact, also opposite Van Damme, and Breathing Fire, Ironheart (1992) and work with Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker Jalal Merhi, beginning with Fearless Tiger (1991).[8]

  1. ^ "Profile of Bolo Yeung". April 3, 2014.
  2. ^ "Profile of Bolo Yeung". April 3, 2014.
  3. ^ Freese, Gene (September 11, 2017). Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914-1989. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-2935-3.
  4. ^ Bolo Yeung reveals his real age at Budo Gala 2010 in Basel on YouTube
  5. ^ "Actor Spotlight: Bolo Yeung". January 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Actor Spotlight: Bolo Yeung". January 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "Profile of Bolo Yeung". April 3, 2014.
  8. ^ "Actor Spotlight: Bolo Yeung". January 16, 2024.