Ken Lo (Kenneth Houi Kang Low) (born 19 March 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and stuntman. He is known for his martial arts and stunt work as a former member of the

Jackie Chan Stunt Team The Jackie Chan Stunt Team (), also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association, is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan. Founded in the 1970s, it initially included Hong Kong action stuntmen and martial artist ...

, most notably for his antagonistic role as John in ''

Drunken Master II ''Drunken Master II'' () is a 1994 Hong Kong action-comedy kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Jackie Chan as Chinese martial arts master and a Cantonese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial ar ...

'' (1994).

Early life

Ken Lo was born on 19 March 1957 as Kenneth Lo Wai-Kwong in Stung Treng,

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. Lo's father is

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 ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

and his mother is a Laotian. In 1975, at age 18, Lo and his family moved from Cambodia to

Udon Thani Udon Thani ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is a city in Isan (Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and with a population of approximately 430,000 in its urban area the 7th largest city in the country. The city municipality ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Five years later, in 1980, he went to

and worked as a tour guide. His idol was

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

which led him to practise

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

and

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 ...

in Thailand. He won the

freestyle fighting Hybrid martial arts, also known as hybrid fighting systems or sometimes eclectic martial arts or freestyle martial arts, refer to mixed martial arts or fighting systems that incorporate techniques and theories from several particular martial arts ...

championships seven times, so his chance finally came when he made his debut in ''Working Class'' (1985), which was directed by

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...

and starred

Sam Hui Samuel Hui Koon-kit (born 6 September 1948), usually known as Sam Hui, is a Hong Kong musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He is credited with popularising Cantopop both via the infusion of Western-style music and his usage of vernacular Cantone ...

Career

In 1986, Lo met

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 ...

in a disco in Hong Kong, where he was head of security, and Chan hired him as his own bodyguard. Lo not only became Chan's bodyguard but also acted in many of his martial arts films. One of his best-known roles is "John", the main antagonist and right-hand man of the British ambassador in ''

'' (1994), in which he and Chan engaged in a protracted final fight; Lo stepped in when another stunt actor was injured. That climactic ten-minute fight sequence has become legendary and one of the most remarkably sustained examples of martial arts choreography ever filmed in Hong Kong cinema. In 2005, Lo acted in the American action film '' Into the Sun'' (2005) with

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

, with whom he was involved in a fight scene. Lo is currently active in Hong Kong film industry.

Personal life

Lo married Hong Kong actress Lai Sok-yin (黎淑賢) and they have two sons. The couple divorced in 2006. His cousin Brian Yu has performed stunts for

Mark Chao Mark Chao (, born 25 September 1984) is a Taiwanese Canadians, Taiwanese-Canadian actor and model. He made his television debut in the television series ''Black & White (TV series), Black & White'' (2009), for which he won the Golden Bell Award fo ...

movies. In addition to his native

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

, he also speaks

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

, having learned when he lived in Thailand. As such, some of his film roles have lines in Thai.

Filmography

*''

Working Class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

'' (1985) as Kickboxer *'' Naughty Boys'' (1986) as Thug *''

Legacy of Rage ''Legacy of Rage'' () is a 1986 Hong Kong action film directed by Ronny Yu. The film stars Brandon Lee in his feature film debut, Michael Wong, Regina Kent and also features a cameo appearance by Bolo Yeung, who appeared in Brandon's father B ...

'' (1986) as Michael's Thug *''

The Law Enforcer ''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 ...

'' (1986) *''

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) as Brains *''

Royal Warriors ''In the Line of Duty'' () is a series of girls with guns feature films produced by Hong Kong movie studio D & B Films which star, in the first two, Michelle Yeoh and, in subsequent instalments, Cynthia Khan as a Hong Kong Police Force (female ...

'' (1987) as Insp. Rocky Lo *''Chi dan qing'' (1988) as Police Officer *''Hua xin ye mei gui'' (1988) *''

The Inspector Wears Skirts ''The Inspector Wears Skirts'' (, released in the United States as ''Top Squad'' and in the Philippines as ''Lady Enforcer'') is a 1988 Hong Kong martial arts-action comedy produced by Jackie Chan, directed by Wellson Chin and starring Sibelle Hu ...

'' (1988) as Tiger Squad Member *'' Final Justice'' (1988) as Kong *''

Police Story 2 ''Police Story 2'' (, also known marketed as ''Jackie Chan's Police Story 2'') is a 1988 Hong Kong action film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang. It is a sequel to the hit 1985 film '' Police S ...

'' (1988) as Fireman *''

Bed Companions A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, Lying (position), rest, and Relaxation (psychology), relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid bed base, ...

'' (1988) as Tang Sai-Kit *'' Bloody Brotherhood'' (1989) as Wu Chi-Ko *'' City Warriors'' (1989) *'' The Inspector Wears Skirts 2'' (1989) *''

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) *'' No Compromise'' (1989) *'' Devil Hunters'' (1989) as Thug *'' The Fortune Code'' (1989) as Japanese Soldier *''

Island of Fire ''Island of Fire'' () is a 1990 Taiwanese- Hong Kong action film directed by Kevin Chu, and starring Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Tou Chung-hua. The film was shot in Taiwan and the Philippines in 42 days from 5 Apr ...

'' (1990) *''

Lethal Parther Lethality (also called deadliness or perniciousness) is how capable something is of causing death. Most often it is used when referring to diseases, chemical weapons, biological weapons, or their toxic chemical components. The use of this ter ...

'' (1990) *'' Stage Door Johnny'' (1990) *'' Crystal Hunt'' (1991) *'' Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991) *''

The Tantana ''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 ...

'' (1991) *''

Cheetah on Fire ''Cheetah on Fire'' (, released in the Philippines as ''Fight to Survive'') is a 1992 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Thomas Yip and starring Donnie Yen, Carrie Ng, Sharla Cheung, Gordon Lau, Ken Lo, Eddy Ko, Shing Fui-On, and Michael Wo ...

'' (1992) *'' Police Story 3: Super Cop'' (1992) *''

Naked Killer ''Naked Killer'' () is a 1992 Hong Kong erotic thriller film written and produced by Wong Jing, and directed by Clarence Fok Yiu-leung. The film stars Chingmy Yau, Simon Yam and Carrie Ng. The film is regarded as a cult classic. Plot Kitty ...

'' (1992) *'' Fighting Fist'' (1992) *''

City Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1985 to 1991 and collected into 35 ''tankōbon'' volumes by its publisher Shueisha. The manga was adapted int ...

(1993) *'' Crime Story'' (1993) *''

'' (1994) *''

Circus Kid ''Circus Kid'' (also known as ''Circus Kids'') is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Wu Ma. This film stars Donnie Yen, Yuen Biao, Irene Wan and Wu himself. Plot The circus group performs at the Shanfa Circus when a huge l ...

'' (1994) *''

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

'' (1995) *''

My Father is a Hero ''My Father Is a Hero'' (, released in the United States and United Kingdom as ''The Enforcer'' and ''Jet Li's The Enforcer'') is a 1995 Hong Kong action film starring Jet Li and the late superstar Anita Mui, directed by Corey Yuen, who also co- ...

'' (1995) *'' Red Zone'' (1995) *'' Police Story 4: First Strike'' (1996) *'' Young and Dangerous 4'' (1997) *''

Portland Street Blues ''Portland Street Blues'' (古惑仔情義篇之洪興十三妹) is a 1998 Hong Kong film, directed by Yip Wai Man. The film is a spin-off of the ''Young and Dangerous'' series of films. Synopsis This spin-off movie provides a contrast to the ...

'' (1998) *''

Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...

'' (1998) as Juntao's Man #1 *'' Who Am I?'' (1998) *'' Gorgeous'' (1999) *'' Gen-X-Cops'' (1999) *''

No Problem ''No problem'' is an English expression, used as a response to '' thanks'' (among other functions). It is regarded by some as a less formal alternative to ''you're welcome'', which shares the same function. Informality Some people find the expre ...

'' (1999) *'' China Strike Force'' (2000) *'' 2000 AD'' (2000) *'' Runaway'' (2001) *''

Rush Hour 2 ''Rush Hour 2'' is a 2001 American buddy action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Jeff Nathanson, based on the characters created by Ross LaManna. A sequel to '' Rush Hour'', it is the second installment in the ''Rush Hour'' ...

'' (2001) *'' Skarbuster'' (2002) *''

Star Runner ''Star Runner'' (), (also known in the United States as ''The Kumite''), is a Hong Kong films of 2003, 2003 Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Hong Kong action cinema, action/romance film co-written and directed by Daniel Lee Yan-Kong, Daniel Lee. ...

'' (2003) *''

Shanghai Knights ''Shanghai Knights'' is a 2003 American martial arts action comedy film. It is the sequel to ''Shanghai Noon'', and the second installment of the ''Shanghai'' film series. Directed by David Dobkin and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it ...

'' (2003) *''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' (2004) *''

New Police Story ''New Police Story'' is a 2004 Hong Kong action film produced and directed by Benny Chan, and also produced by and starring Jackie Chan. The film was released in the Hong Kong on 24 September 2004. The film is a reboot of the ''Police Story' ...

'' (2005) *'' Dragon Reloaded'' (2005) *'' Into the Sun'' (2005) *'' The Myth'' (2005) *''

Rob-B-Hood ''Rob-B-Hood'' (, also known as ''Robin-B-Hood'', literally: Baby Project) is a 2006 Hong Kong action comedy film written, produced and directed by Benny Chan, and starring Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, Yuen Biao and Michael Hui. The film was prod ...

'' (2006) *'' Fatal Contact'' (2006) *''

Invisible Target ''Invisible Target'' () is a 2007 Hong Kong action film directed and produced by Benny Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Rams Ling and Melody Lui. The film stars Nicholas Tse, Jaycee Chan and Shawn Yue as three police officers who are th ...

'' (2007) *'' The Drummer '' (2007) *'' Whispers and Moans'' (2007) *''

Fatal Move ''Fatal Move'' (, released in the United States as ''Triad Wars'') is a 2008 Hong Kong action film written, produced and directed by Dennis Law. The film stars Sammo Hung, Simon Yam and Wu Jing, who reunite after 2005's '' SPL: Sha Po Lang''. ...

'' (2008) *''

Run Papa Run ''Run Papa Run'' is a 2008 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Sylvia Chang, and based on a novel by Benny Li. The film stars Louis Koo as Tiger Lee, a Triad boss who struggles to hide his criminal lifestyle when he is faced ...

'' (2008) *''

Legendary Assassin ''Legendary Assassin'' () is a 2008 Hong Kong action film directed by Wu Jing in his directorial debut, who also starred in the lead role, and also features fight choreography by Nicky Li. The film also marks the screen debut of singer, songwri ...

'' (2008) *'' Shinjuku Incident'' (2009) *''

Little Big Soldier ''Little Big Soldier'' () is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Ding Sheng and produced and written by Jackie Chan, also starring Chan and Leehom Wang. The film was produced with a budget of US$25 million and filmed between January and April ...

'' (2010) *'' Bad Blood'' (2010) *'' Bruce Lee, My Brother'' (2010) *''

Life Without Principle "Life Without Principle" is an essay by Henry David Thoreau that offers his program for a righteous livelihood. It was published in 1863. Overview In his essay, Thoreau questions whether working is the most important part of one's life, argu ...

'' (2011) *'' Nightfall'' (2012) - Convict in opening fight *''

The Fairy Tale Killer ''Fairy Tale Killer'' (追凶, ''Pupil'' in Chinese) is a 2012 Hong Kong horror film directed by Danny Pang Phat. The film was released on 11 May 2012 and stars Sean Lau, Wang Baoqiang, and Elanne Kong. ''The Fairy Tale Killer'' follows police de ...

'' (2012) *''

CZ12 ''CZ12'' (), also known as ''Chinese Zodiac'', is a 2012 Hong Kong action-adventure comedy film co-written, co-produced and directed by Jackie Chan, who also starred as the main character in the film. ''CZ12'' is the third film of a franchise t ...

'' (2012) *'' Ip Man: The Final Fight'' (2013) *'' 7 Assassins'' (2013) *''

Special ID ''Special ID'' is a 2013 Chinese action film directed by Clarence Fok and starring Donnie Yen. Plot Yen takes on the role of Dragon Chan, a Hong Kong undercover police officer deep within the ranks of one of China’s most ruthless underworld g ...

'' (2013) *''

The White Storm ''The White Storm'', formerly known as ''The Cartels War'' () is a 2013 Hong Kong-Chinese crime thriller film directed by Benny Chan and starring Sean Lau, Louis Koo, and Nick Cheung. The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Hong Kong Asian ...

'' (2013) *''

The Four II ''The Four II'' () is a 2013 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Gordon Chan and Janet Chun. It is the sequel to 2012's '' The Four''. Plot Cold Blood chances upon the scent of blood while Department Six and the Divine Constabulary are setting up c ...

'' (2013) *''

From Vegas to Macau II ''From Vegas to Macau II'' () is a 2015 3D Hong Kong-Chinese action comedy film directed and written by Wong Jing and starring Chow Yun-fat, Nick Cheung, Carina Lau, Shawn Yue, Angela Wang and Michelle Hu. The film is the sequel to ''From Vegas t ...

'' (2015) *'' Imprisoned: Survival Guide for Rich and Prodigal'' (2015) *''

Who Am I 2015 ''Who Am I 2015'' (also known as ''Jackie Chan Presents: Amnesia'') () is a 2015 Chinese action comedy film directed by Song Yinxi. This is the remake of Chan's film '' Who Am I?'' (1998). It was released in China on June 12, 2015. Cast *Wang Ha ...

'' (2015) *'' SPL II: A Time For Consequences'' (2015) *''Robbery'' (2015) *'' 10,000 Miles'' (2016) *''Special Female Force'' (2016) *''

Shock Wave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...

'' (2017) *''

Paradox A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically u ...

'' (2017) *''OCTB'' (2017) (TV series) *''Always Be with You'' (2017) *''Agent Mr Chan'' (2018) *''Concerto of the Bully'' (2018) *''Unleashed'' (2019) *'' Raging Fire'' (2021) Ken Lo at chinesemov.com
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lo, Ken 1957 births Living people 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male actors Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong male kickboxers Hong Kong male taekwondo practitioners Hong Kong Muay Thai practitioners Hong Kong people of Laotian descent People from Stung Treng province