How ‘brilliant’ martial arts actor Alexander Fu Sheng influenced Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow and Andy Lau with his boyish, irreverent style that launched a new movie genre
- Fu achieved celebrity status by marrying television star Jenny Tseng in 1976 but was killed seven years later, at the age of 28, when his Porsche 911 crashed
- His acting gave rise to the ‘brats’ or xiaozi movie genre, best illustrated in his role as a hot-blooded peasant quick to get in trouble in Disciples of Shaolin
Although not well known today, Alexander Fu Sheng was one of the top stars of Hong Kong martial arts films in the 1970s and early 1980s.
He achieved mainstream celebrity status after his marriage to singer and television performer Jenny Tseng in 1976 – Tseng appeared in Fu’s films, and he showed up on her TV shows, prompting comparisons to famed US entertainment couple Sonny and Cher.
Fu’s life was cut short in 1983 at the age of 28, when his Porsche 911 crashed on Clear Water Bay Road. According to report in the Post at the time, 3,000 film fans and 2,000 friends and relatives attended his funeral in Hung Hom.
Although Fu’s acting ability was not highly developed – he could overact, as his mentor Chang Cheh has noted – he possessed an undeniable charisma on screen.