Hung Yan-yan


Hung Yan-yan is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman and action director originally from Liuzhou, Guangxi, China. He was the stunt double for martial arts superstar Jet Li.

Early life

Hung was born in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China in 1965. He was placed in a martial arts school at age 12 after he was taken away from school. Hung trained for 12 years and won multiple championships.

Film career

After training, he went to Hong Kong and was discovered by famous filmmaker Lau Kar-leung, who was at that time filming Martial Arts of Shaolin starring Jet Li, and hired Hung as Li's stunt double. He then moved to Hong Kong in 1988. There, Hung became a stuntman, later an actor and action director. He had small roles as an actor.
Later, Hung was Jet Li's stunt double in Once Upon a Time in China. Some of the action scenes were too dangerous for Li because of an ankle injury. Hung was then Li's stunt double again in the sequel, Once Upon a Time in China II. He was also featured a role as the leader of the White Lotus Sect, Kau-kung "Priest" Gao.
He featured in Once Upon a Time in China III as Kwai Geuk-Chat known as "Clubfoot Seven" Chiu-Tsat. He was so nicknamed due to his disability, being the seventh member of wealthy rival martial artist, Chiu Tin-bak's gang. A fighting enforcer, he fights Wong Fei-hung, loses and is terribly injured after Leung Foon accidentally releases a stampede of horses from a stable. Clubfoot Seven is then kicked out and abandoned by his former master, Chiu Tin-bak when he called his student Clubfoot a "useless cripple", and becomes discipled to Wong instead. Despite his clubfoot, he showcases his skills which includes his electrifying acrobats and moves. Hung reprised his role as Clubfoot in the next two sequels which do not feature Li, instead it featured Vincent Zhao, who was much younger than Li and more physical so Hung was not much featured as a stunt double. He reprised his role again in the Once Upon a Time in China TV series and in Once Upon a Time in China and America which again features Jet Li and is the last of the Once Upon a Time in China series.
He was the main villain, Prince Twelve, in Yuen Wo Ping's Hero Among Heroes starring Donnie Yen. His role was first a friend of Yen's character, who turns him into a drug addict and later betrays him.
Hung also followed Tsui Hark to Hollywood in 1998, making a brief performance in Double Team.
After working briefly in Hollywood, he returned to Hong Kong. Hung was action director in Chin Siu-tung's Blacksheep Affair and again in Tsui Hark's 2000 film, Time and Tide starring Nicholas Tse.
He later returned to Hollywood as stunt choreographer for The Musketeer.

Personal life

Hung is married to Carrie Choi, a former actress, and they have one child. He learned English by reading books.

Filmography

Actor