Jimmy Wang Yu

In this Chinese name, the family name is Wang.
Jimmy Wang Yu
王羽
Wang in 1960s
Born
Wang Zhengquan

(1943-03-28)28 March 1943
Shanghai, Republic of China
Died5 April 2022(2022-04-05) (aged 79)
Cheng Hsin Hospital, Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan
NationalityTaiwanese
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1960–2013
Spouses
Jeanette Lin Chui
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1975)​
Wang Kaizhen
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 1997)​
Children3, including Linda Wong
Chinese name
Chinese王羽
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWáng Yǔ
Wade–GilesWáng Yǚ
IPA[wǎŋ ỳ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationWòhng Yyúh
JyutpingWong4 Jyu5
IPA[wɔ̏ːŋ jy̬ː]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJÔng-Ú
Wang Zhengquan
Traditional Chinese王正權
Simplified Chinese王正权
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWáng Zhèngquán
Wade–GilesWáng Chèng-ch'ǘan
Tongyong PinyinWáng Jhèngcyuán
Yale RomanizationWáng Jèngchywán
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationWòhng Jeng Kyùhn
JyutpingWong4 Zeng3 Kyun4
IPA[wɔ̏ːŋ tsɛ̄ːŋ kʰy̏ːn]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJÔng Chèng-kôan

James Wang Yu (28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022)[1] was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and its sequels, and was one of the first major stars of martial arts and wuxia cinema. At the height of his fame in the 1970s, he was the highest-paid martial arts actor in the world. According to The New York Times, Wang was "the biggest star of Asian martial arts cinema until the emergence of Bruce Lee."[2]

Wang Yu was well known for his volatile personality and ties to organized crime off-screen. He was a suspected member of the Bamboo Union triad, and was charged in the 1981 murder of several Four Seas Gang members, though he was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

  1. ^ "Jimmy Wang Yu". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24.
  2. ^ Sandomir, Richard (2022-04-21). "Jimmy Wang Yu, Seminal Figure in Kung Fu Films, Dies at 79". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-09.