Collection: What Are the Legendary Kung Fu Movie Stars Doing Now?

TI LUNG

Ti Lung is one of those names that immediately takes you back to the great days of Shaw Brothers. He became one of Chang Cheh's biggest stars during the 1970s and appeared in some of the most remembered martial arts movies of that era.

His partnership with David Chiang became one of the most famous combinations in Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Ti Lung continued acting long after his Shaw Brothers years and remains a familiar face to fans of Hong Kong film.

He is still connected with the movie business, making him one of the most important living links to the golden age of Shaw Brothers.

DAVID CHIANG

David Chiang was another enormous star of the Shaw Brothers era. If you watched Chang Cheh's movies during the 1970s, you saw him again and again. His partnership with Ti Lung became one of the most famous combinations in Hong Kong martial arts cinema.

David Chiang did not simply disappear when the Shaw Brothers years ended. He continued acting and also worked as a director and producer.

More than fifty years after becoming a Shaw Brothers star, he remains active in Hong Kong cinema and is still recognized as one of the great names from that era.

GORDON LIU

Gordon Liu is one of the first names that comes to mind when talking about classic Shaw Brothers kung fu. His role as San Te in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin made him one of the most recognizable martial arts stars of his generation.

His career later introduced him to a completely new audience when Quentin Tarantino cast him in Kill Bill. Fans who already knew him from Shaw Brothers suddenly saw Gordon Liu on the screen again in a major international production.

After a serious stroke, Gordon Liu has lived a much quieter life and is no longer doing the physically demanding work that made him famous. His place in kung fu movie history, however, is secure.

LO MENG

Lo Meng is one of the names that immediately comes up when you talk about the Venom Mob. Fans remember him as the Toad in The Five Deadly Venoms, but his Shaw Brothers career included many more movies.

His strength, physical presence and ability to handle difficult fight scenes made him one of the most recognizable members of the group. He continued working in Hong Kong film and television after the old Shaw Brothers period ended.

For fans who grew up with the Venoms, Lo Meng is still one of the faces that makes those movies special.

HSIAO HO

Hsiao Ho is another name that should never be forgotten when talking about the great Shaw Brothers martial artists.

If you have seen Mad Monkey Kung Fu, you already know why. His speed, acrobatics and unusual movements made him one of the most exciting performers to watch.

Hsiao Ho also worked as a stuntman and action choreographer, taking the knowledge he developed as a performer behind the camera as well.

KUO CHUI / PHILIP KWOK

Kuo Chui, also known as Philip Kwok, was one of the most athletic members of the Venom Mob. Fans remember him from Five Deadly Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Kid with the Golden Arm and many other Shaw Brothers classics.

His career continued after the great Shaw Brothers years, including work as an actor, stunt performer and action director.

He is also remembered by a much wider audience for his appearance as General Chang in Tomorrow Never Dies.

LU FENG

Lu Feng was one of the Venom Mob's most memorable villains. His characters often had a cold, dangerous presence, and he became especially known for his weapons work.

After the great Shaw Brothers years, Lu Feng largely stepped away from the spotlight, but he has remained connected to fans of the old movies through appearances and retrospectives.

SUN CHIEN

Sun Chien brought incredible kicking ability and speed to the Venom Mob movies. His athletic fighting style made him easy to recognize, especially in the large group fight scenes that became a trademark of Shaw Brothers.

His work with the Venoms remains a major part of his legacy and continues to attract fans discovering these movies for the first time.

WANG LI

Wang Li was another important member of the Venom Mob and appeared in many of the group's best-known films.

Like several of the other Venoms, his work is remembered far more than his later years are known. That is one reason this page matters. There is a lot about these actors that fans simply never got to hear about.

WEI PAI

Wei Pai became another familiar face during the great Venom Mob period. He appeared in Five Deadly Venoms and several of the group's most important films.

He continued acting after the classic Shaw Brothers years and remains one of the performers fans recognize when revisiting those old movies.

ANGELA MAO

Angela Mao was one of the most recognizable women in 1970s martial arts cinema. Known to fans as the Queen of Kung Fu, she built a career around speed, power and real martial arts ability.

After stepping away from the movie business, Angela chose a quieter life and eventually settled in New York. She has stayed mostly out of the spotlight, which is why fans often wonder what happened to her.

Her classic films, including Hapkido, Lady Whirlwind and When Taekwondo Strikes, continue to introduce new audiences to her work.

HUI YING-HUNG

Hui Ying-hung became one of the most respected women in Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Her work with Shaw Brothers and Lau Kar-leung established her as a serious martial arts performer rather than simply a female character in a male-dominated genre.

She continued building her acting career long after the Shaw Brothers period ended and became an award-winning actress in later Hong Kong cinema.

KARA HUI YING HUNG

Kara Hui Ying Hung became one of the most respected female martial arts stars to come out of the Shaw Brothers era. She had the looks, athletic ability and fighting skills to stand beside the great male stars.

Her work with Lau Kar-leung helped establish her as one of the defining female performers of the period. She later built a successful acting career that continued long after the Shaw Brothers years were over.

Kara Hui is one of the rare stars from that generation who never simply became a name from the past. Her later acting work brought her major recognition and introduced her to audiences who may never have seen her original Shaw Brothers films.

JOHN LIU

John Liu became famous for his incredible kicking ability and his work in some of the most exciting martial arts movies of the 1970s and 1980s.

His kicking style was so distinctive that serious kung fu fans can often recognize him within seconds of a fight beginning.

After his movie career, Liu continued developing and teaching his own martial arts system. He remains one of the great kicking specialists of old-school kung fu cinema.

HWANG JANG-LEE

Hwang Jang-lee became one of the most feared villains in classic kung fu movies. His kicking ability was real, and that made his fights with Jackie Chan and other stars so memorable.

He eventually stepped away from the center of the movie business and devoted more time to martial arts. His name, however, remains closely connected with some of the greatest fight scenes of the 1970s and 1980s.

TAN TAO-LIANG

Tan Tao-liang was another great kicking specialist of Hong Kong martial arts cinema. His speed, flexibility and precision made his fight scenes immediately recognizable.

He became one of the performers martial arts fans watched specifically for the fights. His classic work remains some of the best kicking seen in old-school kung fu cinema.

SHO KOSUGI

Sho Kosugi became one of the most recognizable faces of the ninja movie era. His films introduced Japanese martial arts and ninja action to a huge international audience during the 1980s.

His career eventually moved beyond acting. He also became involved in martial arts education, and his family remained connected to martial arts and entertainment.

KANE KOSUGI

Kane Kosugi, Sho Kosugi's son, grew up around martial arts and entertainment and established his own career as an actor and martial artist.

He became especially familiar to fans of Japanese action films and television, carrying the Kosugi family's martial arts tradition into another generation.

SHANE KOSUGI

Shane Kosugi, another of Sho Kosugi's sons, also grew up in the world of martial arts and entertainment.

Like his father and brother Kane, Shane became part of the next generation of the Kosugi family's connection to martial arts movies.

YASUAKI KURATA

Yasuaki Kurata is one of the great Japanese martial arts performers who became a familiar face to Hong Kong movie fans as well.

He worked with many of the biggest names in Hong Kong cinema and became especially well known for his martial arts ability and serious screen presence.

Kurata continued working well into his later years and remains one of the great links between Japanese martial arts cinema and Hong Kong action movies.

MICHAEL CHAN WAI MAN

Michael Chan Wai Man is one of those Hong Kong actors you probably remember even if you did not know his name. With his tough look and real martial arts background, he became a familiar face in the classic Hong Kong action movies of the 1970s and 1980s.

Chan was also an accomplished boxer and martial artist. He worked as an actor and became involved in action direction, producing and writing.

He continued appearing in Hong Kong movies long after the great Shaw Brothers years.

SHIH SZU

Shih Szu was one of the beautiful and talented women who became a major part of the Shaw Brothers kung fu movie era. She joined Shaw Brothers in 1970 and became known for playing strong martial arts heroines.

Shaw Brothers saw her as a possible successor to Cheng Pei-pei, and Shih Szu went on to appear in films such as The Rescue, The Lady Hermit, Heroes of Sung, The Villains and Lady of the Law.

After leaving Hong Kong, Shih Szu continued working in Taiwan before eventually stepping away from the spotlight. For fans of classic Shaw Brothers cinema, she remains one of the women who helped define that great period of martial arts movies.

SHU QI

Shu Qi became one of the most successful actresses to come out of Hong Kong cinema in the 1990s and went on to build a major career across Asian film.

She worked with many of Hong Kong's biggest directors and stars and later moved comfortably between Hong Kong, Taiwan and international productions.

Shu Qi is still working in film. She has also moved behind the camera, with her directorial debut Girl selected for the 2026 Venice Film Festival.

LEUNG KAR-YAN

Leung Kar-Yan, also known as Bryan Leung, became one of the familiar faces of classic Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Fans remember him from many of the great action films of the 1970s and 1980s.

He continued acting and directing after the great Shaw Brothers years and remains one of the veteran performers from that generation who is still living.

CHIN YUET-SANG

Chin Yuet-Sang was one of the great martial arts performers behind the Shaw Brothers movies. He worked as an actor, stuntman and fight choreographer and appeared in a large number of classic Hong Kong action films.

His name may not be as familiar as the leading stars, but his work can be seen throughout the movies fans still watch today.

YUEN SHUN-YI

Yuen Shun-Yi, also known as Sunny Yuen, is part of the famous Yuen family and became a respected actor, stuntman and action coordinator in Hong Kong cinema.

He remains an important name for anyone interested in the Yuen clan and the stunt and action tradition that helped shape Hong Kong kung fu cinema.