Maria Yi Yi

Biography

Maria Yi Yi, born魏麗娜 on July 29, 1953 in Taiwan, with ancestral roots in Zhejiang Province. She graduated from Taipei Jinou Girls' Commercial Vocational School, where she was active in variety shows and drama performances. She was discovered by Golden Harvest film company founder Chou Wen-huai while he was scouting for talent in Taiwan, and was sent to the company's Taiwan office for acting training. She moved to Hong Kong in 1970 to film a series of movies for Golden Harvest, becoming particularly well-known for co-starring with martial arts superstar Bruce Lee in "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury". She also collaborated with another martial arts star Wang Yu in other films. She married businessman Xu Jing-bo in June 1974, and after filming her last movie "North Shaolin" in 1976, she retired from acting.