Martial arts star Sammo Hung on fighting Bruce Lee and why Jackie Chan was a ‘dummy’
- Here’s what Hong Kong movie legend Sammo Hung has said about fighting Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon and teasing Jackie Chan as a youngster
- He also talks about training in the tough China Drama Academy in Hong Kong
One of the grandmasters of Hong Kong cinema, Sammo Hung Kam-bo needs no introduction. He first appeared on screen as a child in 1961, the same year he joined the China Drama Academy, a Peking Opera School in Hong Kong which was also attended by Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao.
He made his name working as a stuntman for wuxia films in the 1960s, and rose to martial arts choreographer for Shaw Bros’ The Golden Sword in 1969. He famously fought his friend Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, and became a successful and popular actor, director, and producer.
He launched the kung fu vampire craze in 1980 with Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind and popularising the action comedy genre with films like Winners and Sinners (1983). He has been a prominent player on the local movie scene for nearly six decades.
Nicknamed “Big Big Brother Hung”, he was recently honoured with a Filmmaker in Focus retrospective at last year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival. Here’s what he has said about his early life and working with Bruce Lee.
On life in the China Drama Academy