Dick Wei (, born April 15, 1953) is a

Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

actor, director and writer who specializes in

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 ...

and

action films Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

Early life and career

A Hakka, he was born in the town of Pingtung in southern Taiwan and began studying martial arts in Junior High School, winning numerous competitions. Later, he served in the Taiwanese army, attaining the rank of captain, and was an instructor in

unarmed combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...

, especially

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

. His first films were made while he was still in the army (mostly low budget Taiwanese productions). His earliest movie appearance may be a brief fight scene with

Ti Lung Ti Lung (born 19 August 1946) is a Hong Kong actor, known for his numerous starring roles in a string of Shaw Brothers Studio's films, particularly '' The Blood Brothers'', ''The Avenging Eagle'', ''Clans of Intrigue'', '' The Duel'', ''The Sentim ...

in the Shaw Brother's ''Iron Chain Assassin'' from 1974.

Discovery

While operating a martial arts studio in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, he was spotted by

Chang Cheh Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...

, who persuaded him to have a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...

which was shown to

Sir Run Run Shaw Sir Run Run Shaw (19 November 1907 – 7 January 2014), also known as Shao Yifu and Siu Yat-fu, was a Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist. He was one of the most influential figures in the Asian entertainment industry. He founde ...

. He later signed with the Shaw Brothers and moved to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

in 1977. Here he made several films under the name "Tu Lung". These included ''The Five Venoms'', ''Kid With a Tattoo'' and ''

Kid with the Golden Arm ''Kid with the Golden Arm'' (original title: 金臂童, pinyin: ''Jīn bì tóng'') is a 1979 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh and produced by Mona Fong. It is one of the few Venom Mob films to include Wei Pai (Snake Venom). ...

''. From the Shaw Brothers he moved to Golden Harvest where he joined

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreog ...

's team of actor/stuntmen along with such notables as

Yuen Wah Yuen Wah (born Yung Kai-chi; 2 September 1952) is a Hong Kong action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series. Early life Born Yung Kai-chi on 2 September 1950 ...

and Lam Ching-ying. The characters he played many include "Lo San Pao" (the pirate king in '' Project A''), Bandit number 6 in '' Millionaire's Express'', and one of

Frankie Chan Frankie Chan Fan-kei (born 1951) is a Hong Kong-born Chinese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, action director, and composer. Chan is best known to Hong Kong action cinema fans as the main antagonist in Sammo Hung's '' The Prodiga ...

's henchmen in '' The Prodigal Son''. Sammo also used him to help train

Joyce Godenzi Joyce Mina Godenzi (; born 28 May 1965) is a former actress and winner of the Miss Hong Kong pageant of 1984. Background Born in British Hong Kong in 1965 to an Australian father and a Chinese mother, Godenzi was encouraged to join the Miss Hong K ...

(the future Mrs. Hung) for the movie ''

Eastern Condors ''Eastern Condors'' () is a 1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeof ...

''. He was also involved in

Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...

's training when she first began to make martial arts movies.

Yuen Biao Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun; 26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer. He was one ...

included him as a co-star in two of his projects - ''The Champions'' and ''Rosa''.

Later roles and directing

He moved on to play a variety of honorable villains and driven cops in films with stars such as

Cynthia Khan Yang Li-tsing (born 13 December 1968), better known internationally by her stage name Cynthia Khan, is a Taiwanese actress. She starred in many Hong Kong and Filipino girls with guns films. Early life Yang studied Chinese and jazz dance i schoo ...

and

Cynthia Rothrock Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cynd ...

(whose jaw he is reputed to have broken). Other notables he has worked with include

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: ''A Better Tomorrow'', ''A Be ...

Chow Sing Chi Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''. Early life and education Stephen Chow was born in Hong Kon ...

and

Simon Yam Simon Yam Tat-wah (; born 19 March 1955) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. He received international acclaim for his performances in international film festival and box office hits such as ''Naked Killer'', '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', ''Election' ...

. Later, he was the

action director Stage combat, fight craft or fight choreography is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet pr ...

and co-star on one of

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...

's earlier films, ''

Dragon Fight ''Dragon Fight'' is a 1989 Hong Kong action film directed by Billy Tang, with a screenplay written by James Yuen, and starring Jet Li, Nina Li Chi and Stephen Chow. Synopsis Lee Kwok-Lap and Wong Wai were childhood buddies who grew up training ...

''. More recently he has moved back home to Taiwan where he has turned his hand to directing and producing. He is working in Taiwanese television and has starred in a number of movies, including some

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

. It is rumored that he is currently (2009) involved in a '' Magnificent Seven'' type project along with such veteran film actors as Leung Kar Yan.Asian Film Bulletin

Selected filmography

* ''Long hu kong shou dao'' (1973) * ''Nu han meng niu'' (1974) * ''Fa qian han'' (1977) * '' Brave Archer'' (1977) - Yang Tieh-hsin * ''

Chinatown Kid ''Chinatown Kid'' () is a 1977 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh, with action choreography by Robert Tai Chi Hsien and Lee Ka Ting, and starring Alexander Fu Sheng and the Venom Mob. The film deals with drugs, police corruption ...

'' (1977) - Kung Fu Student * ''Sheng si dou'' (1978) * ''She diao ying xiong chuan xu ji'' (1978) * ''

Shaolin Handlock ''Shaolin Handlock'' (十字鎖喉手) is a 1978 Shaw Brothers film directed by Ho Meng Hua, starring Lo Lieh and David Chiang. Plot Li Bai (Dick Wei) is the creator and master of the 'Shi Zi So Hou Shou' (which basically is a ' Throat Locki ...

'' (1978) - Li Pai * '' Five Venoms'' (1978) - Master * '' The Avenging Eagle'' (1978) - Han Sung * ''Yi tian tu long ji'' (1978) * ''

Invincible Shaolin ''Invincible Shaolin'' (Nan Shao Lin yu bei Shao Lin) a.k.a. ''Unbeatable Dragon'' is a 1978 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh. It is one of Chang Cheh's tales of Shaolin's historic rivalries with the Qing Dynasty. It is one o ...

'' (1978) - South Shaolin teacher #1 * ''

Crippled Avengers ''Crippled Avengers'' is a 1978 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh and starring four members of the Venom Mob. It has been released in North America as ''Mortal Combat'' and ''The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms''. The film follows a ...

'' (1979) - Tien Nan Tiger #1 of the Southern Sky * ''Lun Wenxu zhi dou Liu Xiankai'' (1979) * ''Jiao tou'' (1979) * ''

'' (1979) - Sand Palm Fighter * ''Qi sha'' (1979) - Yang security agent * ''Di san lei da dou'' (1980) - Jin Cha * ''Cha chi nan fei'' (1980) *

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 ...

(1980) - Suen-Heng * ''Tong tian xiao zi gong qiang ke'' (1980) - Captain Fang * ''Qing xia zhui feng jian'' (1980) * ''Lian cheng jue'' (1980) * ''Guangdong shi hu xing yi wu xi'' (1980) - Wang Teng Ko * '' Lightning Kung Fu'' (1980) * ''Dai dai feng liu dai dai chun, Di san zhi shou'' (1981) - Cheng Pei * '' Prodigal Son, The'' (1981) - Mr Suen * ''I.Q. ben dan'' (1981) * ''

Carry On Pickpocket ''Carry On Pickpocket'' (Chinese: 提防小手, released in the Philippines as ''Mad Fighter'') is a 1982 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, whom also stars in it alongside Frankie Chan, Deanie Ip and Richard Ng. Hung, along w ...

'' (1982) - One of Chou Meng-Sheng's henchmen #5 * ''

Winners and Sinners ''Winners and Sinners'' (, also known as ''5 Lucky Stars'') is a 1983 Hong Kong action comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, the latter serving as one of th ...

'' (1983) - Tar's Top Henchman * ''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on ITV ...

'' (1983) - King * '' Project A'' (1983) - Lor Sam Pau * ''

Pom Pom A pom-pom – also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon – is a decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. The term may refer to large tufts used by cheerleaders, or a small, tighter ball attached to the top of a hat, also known as a ...

'' (1984) - Scarman * ''

The Owl vs Bombo ''The Owl vs Bombo'' () (also known as ''The Owl vs Bumbo'' and ''The Owl and Dumbo'') is a 1984 Hong Kong action comedy film starring and directed by Sammo Hung, who also produced. The film co-stars George Lam and Deanie Ip. It is Michelle Ye ...

'' (1984) - Au Gung's Man * ''

My Lucky Stars ''My Lucky Stars'' () is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, written by Barry Wong, and starring Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. It was released as ''5 Lucky Stars'' in Japan and as ''Ninja Encounter'' in the Philippines ...

'' (1985) - Gang Member * ''Ching fung dik sau'' (1985) - Fight champion * ''

Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars'' (, released in the Philippines as ''Dragon Mission'') is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film starring and directed by Sammo Hung. The film co-stars Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. It is the third installment in the ...

'' (1985) - Warehouse Thug #3 * ''

Heart of Dragon ''Heart of Dragon'', (Chinese: 龍的心) released in the United Kingdom as ''Heart of the Dragon'', is a 1985 Hong Kong action drama film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Emily Chu and Ma ...

'' (1985) - Kim's Man #1 * '' Yes Madam'' (1985) - Dick * ''Ping an ye'' (1985) - Allan Lee * ''Dong fang wu shen'' (1985) * '' Millionaire's Express'' (1986) - Mountain Bandit * ''Qi yuan'' (1986) - The Warrior * ''

Rosa Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) *Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places *223 Rosa, an asteroid *Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States * Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, G ...

'' (1986) - Thug in Suit * ''Hao xiao zi di er ji'' (1986) * ''

The Seventh Curse ''The Seventh Curse'' is a 1986 Hong Kong adventure film directed by Lam Ngai Kai based on Ni Kuang's novel series ''Dr. Yuen Series'' and stars Chin Siu-ho as Dr. Yuen. The film also stars Chow Yun-fat as Wisely, the protagonist in Ni's ''Wi ...

'' (1986) - Huh Lung * ''Yong chuang jiang wu'' (1986) * ''Feng chen shi san yi'' (1986) * ''Yi ben wu yan'' (1987) - Mak Chi-Chieh * ''

'' (1987) - General's elite soldier * ''

Project A Part II ''Project A Part II'' (; aka ''Jackie Chan’s Project A II''; released in the Philippines as ''Super Fighter'') is a 1987 Hong Kong action film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also writer with Edward Tang, who also producer with Ray ...

'' (1987) - San Pau (uncredited) * ''Moh go yat jeung'' (1987) - The Monster * ''Return of the Kickfighter'' (1987) - Bad Brother * ''Guo bu xin lang'' (1988) - Thug in white Suit * ''Xiu xiu gui'' (1988) - Lama * ''

Dragons Forever ''Dragons Forever'' () is a 1988 Hong Kong martial arts action-comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the film and co-directed by Corey Yuen. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Deannie Yip, Pauline Yeung, and Crystal Kwo ...

'' (1988) - Thug Leader * ''Long hu zhi duo xing'' (1988) * ''Ging wan gam man yeh'' (1988) * ''Lie ying ji hua'' (1988) - Lung * ''Huang jia shi jie zhi III: Ci xiong da dao'' (1988) - Diamonds' Fence * ''Sha chu Xiang Gang'' (1988) - Lok Han * ''Tong gen sheng'' (1989) - Killer from Vietnam * ''

Pedicab Driver ''Pedicab Driver'' () is a 1989 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by and starring Sammo Hung, who portrays the leader of a crew of cycle rickshaw drivers in 1930s Macau. The movie features guest appearances by Eric Tsang, Corey Yuen and Lau ...

'' (1989) - Wei * ''Ao qi xiong ying'' (1989) - Popeye * ''Mu zhong wu ren'' (1989) - Bull * ''Fei yue wei qiang'' (1989) - Chiu Ying-Kau * ''

Miracles A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

'' (1989) - Tiger * ''

'' (1989) - Wong Wai * ''Zuan shi nu'' (1989) * ''Huang jia fei feng'' (1989) - Ah-Wai * ''Wu hui xing dong'' (1990) * ''Xian fa zhi ren'' (1990) * ''Wu ming jia zu'' (1990) - Wai * ''Die xue jiang nu'' (1990) * ''Lan du cai shen'' (1990) - Gang boss * ''Zi dan chu zu'' (1990) - Dick * ''Yellow Rain'' (1990) * ''Du lang'' (1990) * ''Da ge rang wei'' (1991) * ''Lit foh ching sau'' (1991) * '' Stone Age Warriors'' (1991) - First Guide * ''Sha ru di yu'' (1991) * ''Nu gui sheng si lian'' (1991) * ''Mei dai mei xiao'' (1991) * ''Guan ren gui shi'' (1991) * ''Pu Jing da jie an'' (1992) - Tank * ''Bun ngo lai yan'' (1992) * ''Hong tian huang jia jiang'' (1992) - Sama * ''Wu ye qing ren'' (1992) * ''Xue ran hong chen'' (1992) * ''Tou se yi hung mou'' (1992) * ''Nu du shen'' (1992) * ''Hei jie wu nan'' (1992) * ''Hei dao nu ba wang'' (1992) * ''Du ming xi yang'' (1992) * ''Du ming shuang xiong'' (1992) * ''Bu gan ji mo de nu ren'' (1992) * ''Jing ji xing you xi'' (1993) - Big Brother Chung * ''Qing she sha shou'' (1993) * ''Feng qing wan zhong ye mei gui'' (1993) * ''Supercop 2'' (1993) - Ah Shuen * ''Yuk fung'' (1993) - Yin * ''Lian se liang'' (1993) * ''Xin da xiao bu liang'' (1994) - Chang Tung-Pin * ''Xiang jiao jing qi an'' (1994) - Kao Tien-Yun * ''The Deadly Warrant'' (1994) * ''Gun gun hong chun'' (1995) - Chen Wei * ''Mr. X'' (1995) - Officer * ''Bian cheng xiao xiong'' (1995) * ''Yan pei go jang haai'' (1996) - Police Captain * ''Han fu gang'' (1996) * ''Sang yat doh luen si'' (1997) - Argentina * ''Jietou han jiang'' (1997) * ''X dang an Sha wu she'' (2001) * ''Ji Fei Gou Tiao'' (2016) - Kung-Fu King

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wei, Dick 1953 births People from Pingtung County Taiwanese people of Hakka descent Taiwanese-born Hong Kong artists Taiwanese male taekwondo practitioners Taiwanese male film actors Living people