Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and Hong Kong

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

film star.

Background

A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

productions, and was one of the first solid trained, martial arts stars employed by the company. One of his first roles in a Shaw work was in the 1969 film after high school '' The Chinese Boxer'', along with Jimmy Wang Yu. Chen branched out as an actor with '' Boxer from Shantung'' a box-office smash in Hong Kong. His roles in ''

The Tea House ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' and its sequel ''

Big Brother Cheng Big Brother Cheng is a 1975 sequel to the Hong Kong hit crime drama '' The Teahouse'' directed by Kuei Chih-Hung. Written by On Szeto, it follows the eponymous character as he continues to protect his community from thugs. Cast *Kuan Tai Che ...

'', both directed by Chih-hung Kwei increase His fame. These films gave Chen status as a "legitimate actor". After starring in the box office successes '' Challenge of the Masters'' and ''

Executioners from Shaolin ''Executioners from Shaolin'' or ''Hung Hsi Kuan'' is a 1977 Shaw Brothers kung fu film based on the life of Hung hsi Kuan directed by Lau Kar-leung. It is released as ''Shaolin Executioners'' outside of Hong Kong and as ''Executioners of Dea ...

'', both helmed by the legendary martial arts director Lau Kar-leung, Chen left the Shaw Brothers Studio. While away from Shaw, Chen directed and starred in the 1977 film '' Iron Monkey''. Chen later returned to the Shaw Brothers in the films '' Crippled Avengers'' (directed by Chang Cheh), ''

Killer Constable ''Killer Constable'' (; aka ''Karate Exterminators'', ''Lightning Kung Fu'', ''Blood Brothers'', or ''Karate Warrior'' ) is a Hong Kong films of 1980, 1980 Hong Kong martial arts film, martial arts-Hong Kong action cinema, action film directe ...

'' (directed by Chih-hung Kwei), and '' 3 Evil Masters'' (co-starring

Yuen Tak Yuen is a Cantonese Chinese surname, which can refer to: 袁, 阮, 元, 源, 原 and 苑 *Yuan (surname), the Pinyin transliteration of the Han Chinese surnames 袁, 元, 源, 原 and 苑 *Ruan (surname), the Pinyin transliteration of the Han Chin ...

of the Seven Little Fortunes). To date Chen has starred in over 100 films, around 80 of which were with Shaw Brothers. He appeared in Wilson Yip's 2006 martial arts-fantasy '' Dragon Tiger Gate'', and in the 2007 remake of the King Hu classic, ''

The Valiant Ones New ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. He recently played the role of Gold Lion in the

Rza Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

's directorial debut '' The Man with the Iron Fists''.

Personal life

Chen married at least four times. In 1976, he married a fellow Shaw Brothers actress Cai Zhen-ni (蔡珍妮), better known under her stage name of

Ying Ying Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

(盈盈), and had a daughter, Chen Yong-xi (陈泳希), with her. Chen and Cai divorced in the following year. He later married a Taiwanese actress and singer

Fong Yee-chun Fong may refer to: *the Beti-Pahuin#Bulu, Bulu tribe of the Beti–Pahuin people of Cameroon *various Chinese surnames **the Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation, Hong Kong Government Cantonese romanization of the surname Fang (surname), Fā ...

(方怡珍) and had a son, Chen Jun-xiang (陈骏祥), with her in 1978. Chen and Fong later divorced. In 1990, he married Zhao Ting-ting (赵婷婷) in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, but they divorced a few years later. In 2017, at the age of 73, Chen married a 43 year old Tang Liping (汤利萍).Currently Chen resides in Kolkata,India and is the owner of the reputed 'Jimmy's Kitchen'.

Filmography

Chen Kuan-tai at chinesemov.com
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Kuan-Tai 1945 births Living people Shaw Brothers Studio Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong male television actors Male actors from Guangdong 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male actors