Yang Sze (; born 3 July 1946), better known as Bolo Yeung, is a Hong Kong former competitive

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

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 a

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. Globally known for his performances as Bolo in ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

'' (starring

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 th ...

), and the dominant super-villain Chong Li in '' Bloodsport'' (starring

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the ag ...

) as well as other numerous appearances and long career in

Hong Kong martial arts films Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Ko ...

Biography

Yeung began his

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; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

training at the age of 10 in

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

, where he trained under several

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

masters. Growing up, he took an interest in

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

, and later became

Mr. Hong Kong The Mr. Hong Kong Contest (), or Mr.HK (港生) for short, is a beauty contest for young men, organized by leading Hong Kong television station TVB. The contest since 2005, suspended during 2012 to 2015, and 2017. Winners will have the opportunity ...

bodybuilding champion. He held the title for ten years. Because of his muscular physique, he was chosen for several bad guy roles in films produced by

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 Shang ...

Studios, such as ''

The Heroic Ones ''The Heroic Ones'' is a 1970 Hong Kong Shaw Brothers Studio martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. It was originally released on 14 August 1970 in Hong Kong and was one of the top grossing Hong Kong films between the years of 1970 and 1972. ...

'', ''

The Deadly Duo ''The Deadly Duo'' is a 1971 Hong Kong Wuxia film directed by Chang Cheh, and starring David Chiang and Ti Lung. There is another film of similar genre titled Deadly Duo (a.k.a. The Blade of Fury) acted by Chen Shing and Mao Ying, directed by Y ...

'', ''

Angry Guest ''Angry Guest'' or E ke is a 1972 Shaw Brothers film directed by Chang Cheh from Hong Kong, starring David Chiang and Ti Lung, it is a sequel to Duel of Fists. Synopsis Fan Ke (David Chiang) and Wenlie (Ti Lung) are back, and this time they'r ...

'' and others. He left Shaw Brothers in 1971. Yeung met

while the two were filming a

Winston cigarettes Winston is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by ITG Brands, subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco in the United States and by Japan Tobacco outside the U.S. The brand is named after the town where R. J. Reynolds started ...

commercial. A friendship emerged and Lee invited him to star in ''

'', after which he became known as "Bolo", the name of the character he portrayed. The two became close friends during the filming of ''Enter the Dragon'', in which Lee and Yeung worked very closely on technique training. Yeung once stated in an interview, many years after Lee's death, "There will never be another Bruce Lee; I am privileged to have had the honour of calling him my friend." During the 1970s and 1980s, Yeung starred in numerous martial arts films, but his breakout film was '' Bloodsport''. Shot on a 1.5 million USD budget, it became a box office hit in the spring of 1988.

had the leading role as Frank Dux, while Yeung played the role of Chong Li. A strong friendship formed between the two actors on the set of ''Bloodsport'', and Van Damme invited Yeung to appear in his subsequent film ''

Double Impact ''Double Impact'' is a 1991 American action film written and directed by Sheldon Lettich, and written, produced by and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chad and Alex Wagner. The film marks Van Damme's third collaboration with director Sheldon ...

''. Canadian action film actor, director and producer

Jalal Merhi Jalal Merhi is a Brazilian-born Canadian action film producer and martial artist. He was born in Brazil to Lebanese immigrant parents. Career He started his film career by selling his jewellery business to start a film production company. He ...

met Yeung 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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

while shooting his first film ''

Fearless Tiger ''Fearless Tiger'' (also known as ''Black Pearls'' in some countries) is a 1991 Canadian martial arts movie, directed by Ron Hulme. Plot Jalal Merhi, Bolo Yeung and Monika Schnarre Monika Schnarre (born May 27, 1971) is a Canadian model, a ...

'', then again on the set of ''Double Impact''. Merhi was impressed with Yeung's personality and ability, and decided to create a part specifically for him. Later Merhi worked with Yeung on more films such as ''

Tiger Claws The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

'', ''

TC 2000 The TC2000 (''Turismo Competición 2000'', formerly ''Súper TC2000'') is a touring car racing series held in Argentina since 1979. Rules Prior to 2012, engines of up to were allowed, with only limited modifications from standard engines. ...

'' and ''Tiger Claws 2''. In 2007, Yeung made a rare appearance in ''Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter''. Merhi directed the first 60 minutes of the film that was shot in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. Due to other commitments, he could not complete the remaining part of the film in Russia. Producer Erken Ialgashev directed the remainder of the film.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Bolo Yeung Biography
(

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

copy)
Bolo Yeung in the upcoming action film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeung, Bolo 1946 births Living people Chinese bodybuilders Hong Kong bodybuilders Chinese wushu practitioners Chinese male weightlifters Hong Kong male film actors Male actors from Guangzhou Sportspeople from Guangzhou Hong Kong male weightlifters Male actors from Guangdong Hong Kong people of Hakka descent British people of Chinese descent People from Meixian District Chinese male film actors

Biography

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links