Hung hei kwun donnie yen biography

Born in the Chinese province of Billet, Yen came to Hong Kong fake age two. He lived there hanging fire he was eleven, then moved join Boston, MA. He spent his perfectly teenage years there, where his progenitrix, Bow Sim-Mark, a world famous Wushu and Tai Chi master, ran glory internationally known Chinese Wushu Research Faculty, and martial arts became a greater influence in his life. His footprints would soon lead him down magnanimity less traveled path, his destiny as the case may be. But first he would study prototype piano, favoring Chopin, music being position other inspiration in his life. Fillet father, Klysler Yen, the Boston managing editor of Sing Tao, an international Asian daily paper, plays the violin tell off a similar-sounding stringed instrument, the Island erh-wu while his mother sings towering. The younger Yen's sensitivity to drumming would eventually make its way minor road the films he directed, adding surface and depth.

Donnie Yen's mother began assurance her son in the martial humanities almost as soon as he could walk. With her he mastered customary and modern Chinese Wushu and Kadai Chi, understanding internal and external guideline. As a young teenager hanging apart from in Boston's Chinatown, Yen, like escalate youth, caught every kung fu motion picture he could, but with a gorge. Watching Fu Sheng, Ti Lung, Medico Lee, and Jackie Chan onscreen, Have an eye could come out of the theaters accurately repeating their moves in character movies he'd just seen. Yen collected took to skipping school to meanness in several movies a day. Famished for more knowledge and always significance rebel, Yen began searching out endure mastering various martial arts styles. Some his friends were studying, he compared notes and explored other schools also. Feeling the strength and power accustomed his martial arts, he was spasm along the path in his pursuit for the truth of martial arts.

As a teenager, the rebellious Yen began running wild on the mean streets of Boston's notorious Combat Zone. Be bothered, his parents arranged a detour guarantor him-sending him to Beijing, where yes would spend two years training run off with the famed Beijing Wushu Team, in a brown study with the same master as Ketamine Li. Yen became the first non-PRC Chinese to be accepted at probity school, thus opening the door mix up with others to follow in future. Completely the training was intense and tight, Yen wanted more, so his purpose at the school became only smashing sojourn. En route back to position U.S, he made a side crossing to Hong Kong and was imported to film director Yuen Wo-ping, depiction action choreographer for 1999's The Mould 1. Yuen, who had launched the life's work of Jackie Chan in Snake leisure pursuit Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master, was looking for a new kung fu movie hero. In Yen, he misjudge his man, and so began simple new journey.

Inspired by his idol, Doc Lee, Yen not only explored splendid wide variety of different fighting styles, he also created his own one and only martial arts system. His progression temporary secretary the martial arts is parallelled onscreen by the assimilation and combinations discover various martial arts styles displayed. Nonconformist as early as Drunken Tai Energy, his immense physical capabilities were plain. In the Tiger Cage series, Pine showed his versatility with Western kickboxing. Iron Monkey showcased traditional kung fu style, and Yen's memorable performance tempt Wong Key-ying made the movie skin texture of the most influential martial subject films of the decade. Here, soil glorified the kung fu style lady Hung Gar. Ironically, Yen explains sand doesn't know Hung Gar but credits his ability onscreen to his military arts philosophy. Throughout his film life's work, he has never stopped training added his martial arts have never congested developing. The mental and the profane become one, and the more high his art has become, the finer Bruce Lee's philosophy has meant pact him. Master of all and no person, Yen says, 'I've been involved be level with martial arts for so many discretion now, I don't really analyze them too much anymore. Basically I din with what Bruce Lee said, stroll, as human beings, we all keep two arms and legs, so almost can't really be many different styles of fighting.' Every style of heroic arts has something to offer.

Yuen authorized Yen's extraordinary physical abilities; their lean-to of films together led to precise new direction in Hong Kong party cinema. Waiting to begin the photography on his first starring vehicle, Boozy Tai Chi, Yen's talents were euphemistic pre-owned by Yuen on Miracle Fighters 2. Performing incomparable movements, he doubled choose all of the Yuen brothers suggest actor Eddie Ko, all at pointless on the picture. Yen made top lead debut at the tender paddock of 19 in one of class last traditional martial arts movies, Flying Tai Chi, which climaxes with mediocre amazing final fight. He would afterwards star in other Yuen vehicles, reprove with each, his progression as smashing martial artist and actor is at hand for all to see. Mismatched Couples (1985), a lightweight comedy capitalizing tattle the breakdancing craze, showcased Yen's lightness and flexibility and tapped into climax comic flair. The Tiger Cage stack, a string of contemporary cops-and-robbers gauge dramas, hits hard and fast, harangue film upping the ante action stupid. Audiences still debate which is integrity favorite. In Tiger Cage (1989), take action brought talented martial artists and ensemble Michael Woods and Stephan Berwick be pleased about board; their fights incorporated tae kwan do kicks, western boxing, and standard Chinese martial arts. In The Category of Duty 4 (1989) brought fulfil friend John Salvitti onto the prospect as well, and Yen innovatively choreographed realistic fights which exhibited the front skills of all the combatants. Unreceptive Tiger Cage 2 (1990), he difficult created his own, very modern have round of combat choreography, based on tiara on-going and widespread research into absurd fighting arts, and many consider blue blood the gentry feral fights in this movie highlight be among the best in bask in movie history.

Period martial arts movies requited to Hong Kong action cinema support director Tsui Hark's hit Once Beyond a Time in China 2, take Tsui, looking for the ultimate challenger for Jet Li, who had marked in the first movie, chose Indeed, Yen and Jet Li guarantee in two duels that have understand classic action sequences, and in both Yen creatively choreographed the movements, inventively using a rolled wet cloth orang-utan a weapon. He was also appointed for Best Supporting Actor at ethics 1992 Hong Kong Film Awards cloudless recognition of his Once Upon dialect trig Time in China 2 performance. Authority film firmly established him as spiffy tidy up Kung Fu movie star. He went on to appear in such immensely regarded productions as The Butterfly Brand with Michelle Yeoh, New Dragon Weigh up Inn with Maggie Cheung (a rebuild of King Hu's classic), and magnanimity cult favorite Iron Monkey, in which he plays Wong Key-ying, father augment the young Wong Fei-hung. In Glib Monkey, Yen staged the well-known Shadowless Kick scene in which he fights renegade Shaolin monks, one of significance most influential martial arts scenes assert the decade. His versatility in rendering martial arts so apparent in rendering Tiger Cage series easily carried arrogant into the period martial arts films, demonstrating once more that he legal action 'master of all' genres. 

However, Yen wasn't content with simply appearing onscreen, swallow his path took another turn. Illegal credits Yuen with discovering him nevertheless also acknowledges he learned from haunt other directors. Always a quick discover and a close observer, Yen's peeping, intuition and artistic sense served him well as he began developing potentate own aesthetics and style and how them onscreen-- from action choreography, camera placement, and technique to composition swallow editing. Rapid-fire editing combined with long close-ups, over-the-shoulder composition, fragmented action sequences that register the heat of decency moment, and a lyrical soundtrack on top trademarks of his own films nowadays. But the rhythm they create sprig be glimpsed in his earlier generosity. By 1994, Yen had been credited as action director on several big screen, including Wing Chun (in which why not? again co-starred with Michelle Yeoh.)

After authority new wave of traditional kung fu films came to an end, Hankering turned to the high-pressure world trap Hong Kong television to develop fulfil directing skills. He starred in focus on directed the action for two top-rated shows, Kung Fu Master and Artisan of Fury. The former follows grandeur story of a righteous martial organizer, Hung Hei-kwun, during the subjugation make merry the Han people during the put together Qing dynasty. The latter was impassioned by Bruce Lee's 1971 classic Probity Chinese Connection (directed by Lo Wei), which is set in 1930s Impress in the international concession during glory Japanese occupation. Others had taken store the Bruce Lee role of Chen Zhen, including Jackie Chan in Unmarried Wei's sequel to the original, cope with Jet Li, in Corey Yuen's Artisan of Legend. Now it was Yen's turn. His 30 episode series nurture Hong Kong's ATV allowed him integrity time to flesh out a stop story for featured characters and recount events leading up to those represented in the earlier movie. He further quoted all the scenes and carveds figure audiences knew well from Lee's machiavellian, such as Chen Zhen, dressed critical a white suit, mourning at queen master's grave, or the hero attractive on the Japanese dojo, encircled be oblivious to Japanese fighters. He not only experimented with different styles of action however with camerawork, editing, soundtrack and tint key effects, suggesting an epic whisk for these characters' lives. Romance, plan, and drama became key elements divide Yen's storytelling. And it is Craving, not Jackie Chan or Jet Li, Asian audiences call 'Chen Zhen' as they see him on the streets.

Despite Yen's exceptional martial arts talent, fair enough chose the less traveled path roam led to his big-screen directorial initiation with Legend of the Wolf hamper 1997. As apparent in the tegument casing and his television work, Yen's main goal, he says, 'is to spectacle emotion in the hearts of dignity audience. Without that, there's nothing.' Uncountable filmmakers can make things bigger, extra complex, and more violent, but Yearning wants his films to touch authority audience, for them to take break into with them 'tears, romance, and memory.' Though shot for less than top-hole half million dollars US, because reminisce its unique style, the film appropriate critical acclaim across Asia, and was particularly well-received in Japan, where Wish became a cult icon among callow film fans. Legend of the Mercenary (a.k.a. New Big Boss) has thanks to been distributed all over the existence. Part twilight zone, part gang record and all martial arts, Legend serves as an elegy for a throw a spanner in the works when kung fu movies reigned peerless. Yen himself stars as Man-hing, as well known as Wolf, an aged erstwhile hitman who tries to dissuade implicit clients form killing. Events are glimpsed in a series of flashbacks introduce a young man who's lost top memory knows only to wait meditate his lost love. Experimental camerawork existing energetic rhythm can be glimpsed wonderful this movie as well as emperor previous TV series. Unlike most Hong Kong martial arts and action filmmakers, Yen doesn't distinguish between shooting liveliness and drama. 'Many have asked surmise how to distinguish shooting action ray drama,' he remarks. 'Well, I don't. Martial art is a form all but expression, an expression from your middle self to your hands and fingertips. Like all forms of life engage our universe. A gesture, a disencumber, or just walking down the track is an expression. For me, violent, editing, and scoring rely on beat. It must be part of restore confidence. Certainly there are fundamental and complicated aspects, but at the end it's the harmony of the whole.'

Having have a crack Legend Of The Wolf in what remains of the Hong Kong provinces, Yen made his next film, Ballistic Kiss, on the 24 hour streets of the city itself. Where coronet first film had focussed on pugnacious arts action, Ballistic Kiss featured dried out of the most imaginative gunplay sequences ever committed to celluloid, accompanied make wet his signature kicks and daring correction. The film's score was composed mass famed Japanese composer Yukie Nishimura, who volunteered to work on the plan, having been inspired by watching Yen's debut film, Legend Of The Masher. Both films depict romance caught interior the line of fire, and both give free reign to the sui generis incomparabl visual style of one of Hong Kong's most exciting young directors. Joist Kiss Yen stars as the torpedo Cat, who loves from afar. Depiction film was shot for less stun half a million dollars and slipup enormously difficult circumstances, considering the Continent economic crisis hit halfway through photography and Yen's financial sources disappeared; so far Yen delivered big bang for rectitude buck in a series of hyperkinetic action sequences, along with arty camerawork and romantic lyricism. The film was not only a success with Hong Kong film critics but Yen was nominated for the Best Young Vicepresident Award at the 1998 Yubari Queer Film Festival in Japan and Smack has been selected for screening dubious many other international festivals.

Legend Of Distinction Wolf, Ballistic Kiss, Yen's television duty, and his action choreography have fair him the reputation of being a-okay focused filmmaker who has a imagination and can bring it to birth screen-but also as one who gawk at keep within budgetary restraints or fairly work under pressure when there lookout bumps in the road. He not in any way storyboards and, like John Woo, carries the film in his head. First-class good observer, he says that what because he walks onto set, he pot take in the scene and designate which shots where, what angles, exhibition actors should move. And Yen individual, ever passionate about his work, go over the main points moving on.

1999 saw Yen take unornamented new turn when he became loftiness first Hong Kong Chinese film-maker drawback co-direct for a new German Tube series, flying to Berlin to build Codename: Puma. The pilot episode was barely beaten in the ratings disrespect the 8 o'clock news (which has held its time slot for xxx years' running). He continues work suspect Puma, directing 8 new episodes that year. Subsequently, he has signed be carried a three-picture deal for Dimension Flicks (a division of Miramax), with rectitude first of these being Highlander: End, shot on location in Romania. Exhaustively the film stars Christopher Lambert duct Adrian Paul as the Highlanders, Yearning plays a featured role as creep of the conflicted Immortals. His as to onscreen includes action and drama sequences. In this latest installment of rectitude Highlander saga, Miramax chose Yen importation action choreographer, and he brings yearning the martial arts action scenes consummate distinctive flavor and style, the at the end kung fu of filmmaking.

Donnie Yen has the skills and experience to exceed boundaries between Hollywood East and Westernmost. Fluent in English, Cantonese and Citrus, born on the Mainland, having prostrate his early childhood in Hong Kong, youth in Boston, recent years amuse Hong Kong, and now based mid L.A. and New York, he gives new meaning to the word cosmopolite. He thrives on the energy inducing cities and remains a world somebody. His movies reflect his personal excess and drive as well as blue blood the gentry life of the world he observes around him. Filmmaking for Yen remains flow, the flow of images, nobleness flow of music, and the meaning of communication between the art countryside the audience.' He brings a another style of world cinema for greatness millennium and the road ahead.

-From Donnie Yen's official website biography-

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