Evan Yang (November 26, 1920 – March 29, 1978) was a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor and songwriter from Hong Kong.
Early life
On November 26, 1920, Yang was born in Wuhsien city, Jiangsu Province, China. Yang's father was Yang Qianli, a politician and university professor. His uncles and aunts include architect Yang Xiliu(S. J. Young), animator
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...
, entrepreneur Yang Xiren and Yang Renlan (mother of sociologist
Fei Xiaotong
Fei Xiaotong or Fei Hsiao-tung (November 2, 1910 – April 24, 2005) was a Chinese anthropologist and sociologist. He was a pioneering researcher and professor of sociology and anthropology; he was also noted for his studies in the study o ...
).
In 1925, Yang moved to
Wu County
Wu County or Wuxian (; 221 B.C. – December 2000) is a former county and city located in modern Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Its name refers to its former status as the capital of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period.
Histo ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
, his ancestral home. In 1937, he moved to Shanghai with his family.
In 1941, Yang graduated from
St. John's University, Shanghai.
Career
Yang met
Hu Shih
Hu Shih (; 17 December 1891 – 24 February 1962), also known as Hu Suh in early references, was a Chinese diplomat, essayist, literary scholar, philosopher, and politician. Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese libera ...
in Shanghai in. Hu Shih said 'Yang Yanqi is just 13 years old and likes reading literatures, have a inherited genius and must be uncommon ones.'
In 1936, Yang wrote his first script ''In The Era'' which was unaccepted.
Yang started writing film script in Hong Kong from 1948 and started using the name "Evan Yang" from 1951.
Yang was an editor in chief of Peace Daily Newspaper.
As a film director, Yang's early films were sombre and melancholic. Yang's first Hong Kong film as a film director was Notorious Woman, a 1953 Mandarin Drama. Yang became a film director for Cathay Studio.
Yang directed more than 55 films. As a screenwriter, Yang also wrote more than 55 films.
Yang wrote lyrics from 1950s to early 1970s, and signed to
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
in 1967. He also wrote essays with other pen names.
Yang's film works include ''Air Hostess'', ''The Story of a Fur Coat'', ''Spring Song'', ''Happily Ever After'' and ''Bachelors Beware'', and lyrics works include ''The Second Spring'', ''I'll Fly Into Sky'', ''I Love Cha-cha'', ''Spring Song''.
Filmography
Films
This is a partial list of films.
* 1953 Notorious Woman (aka The Activities of Miss Soo Lee, The Secret Life of Lady So Lee) - Director.
* 1955 Tokyo Interlude (aka Beauty of Tokyo) - Director.
* 1955 Blood Will Tell - Director.
* 1956 Blind Love (aka Always in My Heart) - Director.
* 1956 Madame Butterfly (aka Madam Butterfly) - Director.
* 1956 The Story of a Fur Coat - Screenwriter.
* 1957 Half Way Down (aka Haleway Down, Halfway Down) - Screenwriter.
* 1957 Holiday Express - Director, screenwriter.
* 1957 Mambo Girl - Director, screenwriter.
* 1959 Air Hostess - Director, screenwriter.
* 1959 48 Hours in Escape (aka Alias: 48 Hours Escape) - Director, screenwriter.
* 1959 Our Dream Car - Director, screenwriter.
* 1960 Forever Yours - Director, screenwriter.
* 1960 Happily Ever After - Director, screenwriter.
* 1960 Bachelors Beware - Director, screenwriter.
* 1961 Sun, Moon and Star - Director.
* 1962 It's Always Spring - Director.
* 1963 Because of Her - Director, screenwriter.
* 1970 The Magnificent Gunfighter (aka Magnificent Gunfighters, Gallant Gunfighter) - Director.
Personal life
Yang was a smoker. In 1978, Yang died from
respiratory disease
Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathology, pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in Breathing, air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the t ...
.
References
External links
*
*
Evan Yang at dianying.comEvan Yang at filmaffinity.comEvan Yang at HKcinemamagic.comYi Wen at mubi.com
{{Authority control
1920 births
1978 deaths
Hong Kong film directors
Film directors from Beijing
Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong