Corey Yuen Kwai | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
元奎 | |||||||
| Born | 15 February 1951 | ||||||
| Died | 2022 (aged 70–71) | ||||||
| Other names | Corey Yuen Yuen Kwai | ||||||
| Occupation(s) | Film director, film producer, action choreographer | ||||||
| Years active | 1971–2022 | ||||||
| Relatives | Freddie Wong (nephew) Jimmy Wong (nephew) | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 元奎 | ||||||
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Corey Yuen Kwai (Chinese: 元奎; pinyin: Yuán Kuí; Cantonese Yale: Yuen4 Kwai1; 15 February 1951 – 2022) was a Hong Kong film director, film producer, action choreographer,[1] and actor. Yuen attended the China Drama Academy and was one of the Seven Little Fortunes. In Hong Kong, he worked on several films such as Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (1972), Hwang Jang-lee's Snuff Bottle Connection, Secret Rivals 2, The Invincible Armour (all 1977), Dance of the Drunk Mantis (1979), Ninja in the Dragon's Den (1982), Millionaire's Express (1986), and Jet Li's Fong Sai-yuk II (1993), The New Legend of Shaolin (1994), High Risk, and My Father Is a Hero (both 1995).
Yuen gained fame in American cinema beginning with his work as an action director on the 1998 film Lethal Weapon 4, followed by the 2000 blockbuster X-Men and six of Jet Li's English-language works: Romeo Must Die (2000), Kiss of the Dragon, The One (both 2001), Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), War (2007), and The Expendables (2010). He also served as director and fight choreographer on Jason Statham's 2002 action film The Transporter.