Hwang Jung-lee (Korean: 황정리; born December 21, 1944), known to many with the spelling of Hwang Jang-lee is a Japanese-born Korean
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
and actor. Hwang is perhaps best known for his role as "Thunderleg" in 1978's ''
Drunken Master
''Drunken Master'' () is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang-lee. It was a success at the Hong Kong box office, earning two and a half times the amount of ...
'', "Sheng Kuan" in 1978's ''
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints ...
'' and Wong Chin in 1981's ''Hitman in the Hand of Buddha''. Variations of his name include Wong Cheng-lee and Wong Cheng-li, in the Cantonese Chinese equivalents. His nicknames are Silver Fox (the name of his most popular movie character); "Thunderleg" and "Thunderfoot" (from his role in 1978 film Drunken Master).
Early life
Hwang was born in
Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...
,
Honshu Island
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island sep ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to Korean parents. His family moved back to Korea when he was a baby.
Martial arts
Hwang took
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
lessons from age 14 and achieved his 7th
dan (rank)
The ranking system is used by many Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, and other martial art organizations to indicate the level of a person's ability within a given system. Used as a ranking system to quantify skill level in a specific domain, it was ...
black belt. In 1965 at age 21, Hwang became a martial arts instructor for the Korean and South
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
ese Armies, specializing in taekwondo. In January 2003, Hwang received his 9th ''dan'' black belt in taekwondo. In addition, he currently holds a 9th dan rank with the World
Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도, Hanja: 唐手道 ) refers to a Korean martial art
based on Karate and may include fighting principles from subak (as described in the Kwon Bup Chong Do), as well as northern Chinese martial arts. Before the Ni ...
General Federation.
Hwang still actively teaches martial arts. He is currently an instructor with the World Tang Soo Do General Federation and serves as Technical Advisor. He recently has completed a tour of the US and Canada in which he, along with other Korean
Grandmasters, promoted the study and practice of traditional martial arts.
Career
Acting
Hwang began his acting career in Korean movies. In 1976,
Ng See-yuen
Ng See-yuen ( zh, , t=吳思遠; born 6 June 1944) is a Hong Kong film producer, director, screenwriter and businessman.
He has been active in the Hong Kong film industry since 1970, particularly in action films. He was one of the first filmm ...
offered Hwang employment in
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 ...
, where he first appeared in ''Secret Rivals'' as the villain Silver Fox.
Hwang took the lead in many martial arts movies, usually playing an antagonist. Hwang's nicknames, "King of the Legfighters" and "Thunderleg" relate to his style of martial arts performance where he uses his legs in a particular way.
In the mid 1970s, Hwang performed in two
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
movies ''
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints ...
'' and ''
Drunken Master
''Drunken Master'' () is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang-lee. It was a success at the Hong Kong box office, earning two and a half times the amount of ...
''. as "Sheng Kuan" and "Thunderfoot" ("Thunderleg"). In 2002, Mike Leeder, a writer and producer, interviewed Hwang for the "Contender films"
Hong Kong Legends
Hong Kong Legends was a United Kingdom DVD distribution company, based in Hertfordshire and operating from the UK and Australia between 1999 and 2007. Hong Kong Legends was initially part of Medusa Communications, who, along with Soulblade bought ...
DVD range.
Directing
In 1981, Hwang directed his first movie, ''Hitman in the Hand of Buddha'', and was credited as Wong Chin.
Other films and retirement from acting
In 1987, Hwang trained German actor
Matthias Hues
Matthias Hues (born 14 February 1959) is a German-born, naturalized American actor and martial artist. He was born in Waltrop, Germany, to Dr. Josef Hues and Maria Humperdinck Hues who still reside in Germany. Maria is the niece of Engelbert Hu ...
in preparation for his film debut as "Yuri, the Russian" in ''
No Retreat, No Surrender 2''. Cast at the suggestion of producer Roy Horan, who was also a student of Hwang's, Hues had no martial arts experience and trained in martial arts with Hwang. Hues enjoyed the experience so much that upon his arrival in Los Angeles, Hues would continue training in martial arts throughout his career. In the film, Hwang's opening scene, involving a firing squad, was cut from the U.S. version. Hwang would play Yuri's enforcer, General Ty, who engages in a brief fight against
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, Cyndy, ...
.
In 1989, taekwondo grandmaster Jun Chong invited Hwang to come to the United States to appear as a villain in the film
Street Soldiers. To bring an international flavor to the film, Hwang is credited in the film as "Jason Hwang", named after his son. In the early 1990s, Hwang returned to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, where he ran a golf-tee manufacturing company and an hotel in Seoul. Later on, Hwang managed a
bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
agency. Since then he has made only occasional film appearances, in movies such as ''Emperor of the Underworld'' (1994) and ''Boss'' (1996). In July 1996, Hwang retired from acting at the age of 51.
Return to acting
After a long absence from acting, Hwang appeared in the TV Series ''
The Return of Iljimae
''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 ...
''. Hwang featured in the documentary film, "The Anonymous King" in which Jon James Hodson examines Hwang's personal life in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, Korea and Hong Kong.
Filmography
Movies
Director
* ''
Hitman in the Hand of Buddha'' (1981)
* ''Canton Viper'' (1983)
* ''Not Again!'' (1990)
* ''Emperor of the Underworld'' (1994)
Documentaries
* ''Art of High Impact Kicking'' (1982)
* ''The Good Bad Boy'' (2014)
Television series
* ''Shaolin Temple (Taiwanese TV series)'' (1984)
* ''Mighty Weapon'' (1985)
* ''
The Return of Iljimae
''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 ...
'' (2009)
References
External links
*
*
Hwang Jang-leea
Hong Kong CinemagicFrench biography with movie reviewsYoutube Channel (취권 황정리 Hwang Junglee Drunkenmaster)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Jang-lee
1944 births
Japanese male taekwondo practitioners
20th-century South Korean male actors
Living people
People from Osaka Prefecture
South Korean male taekwondo practitioners
Zainichi Korean people
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male film actors