Yuen Piu

Biography

Yuen Piu was born in Hong Kong in 1957 and began studying Peking opera under master Yu Zhiyuan at the age of five, ranking after his fellow students Hung Kam-po and Jackie Chan. He started acting as a child performer at nine and also learned Wing Chun martial arts. In the 1970s, he appeared in Bruce Lee's films such as "Fist of Fury" and "Game of Death," as well as wuxia films directed by Hu Jinquan and other period martial arts films. He rose to fame in 1979 when he starred in the film "The Kung Fu Master" directed by Hung Kam-po. He continued collaborating with his two senior brothers in a string of successful action films including "Project A," "Wheels on Meals," "Prosperity Train," "Eastern Condors," and "Dragons Forever." In 1983, he won the Best Action Choreography award at the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards for "Winners and Sinners," while "The Black Ball" also achieved box office success in Japan and Taiwan that same year. He gradually developed an independent career in the late 1980s, and the 1989 film "The Iceman Cometh" became one of his representative works. He founded an independent production company and directed and starred in "Tibetan Kid" in 1992. In 1993, he emigrated with his family to Vancouver, Canada and reduced his on-screen appearances to care for his family. He participated in prominent social events including a UN fundraising event for children alongside football legend Pele and Mikhail Gorbachev, appeared in car racing events with Masahiko Kondo in Japan, and performed singing at Budokan with his two brothers before a massive audience. He also acted in television dramas and served as action choreographer for several films, and in 2015 became a father-in-law.