Willie Chan
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Willie Chan Chi-Keung (22 May 1941 – 24 October 2017) was a Malaysian-born
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 ...
film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
and
talent manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee the day-to-da ...
. He is best known for helping to establish the career of
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 ...
, serving as his manager and later as the actor’s producing partner in both Asia and North America. He also managed the career of singer-rapper and actor
Edison Chen Edison Chen Koon-hei (, born Chen Hing-wah on 7 October 1980) is a Canadian-born Hong Kong actor, singer, rapper, fashion designer and entrepreneur. Chen is the co-founder of CLOT, a Hong Kong-based streetwear and fashion label. Debuting in 19 ...
.


Career

Chan graduated from the
East-West Center East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
in Hawaii in 1966 with a master's degree in marketing. He later moved to Hong Kong from his native Malaysia in 1970 to pursue a career in the
film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...
. He was a talent scout and line producer in the mid-1970s when he 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 ...
, who was, at the time, a stuntman. Willie helped him to gain the leading role in
Lo Wei Lo Wei ( 12 December 1918 – 20 January 1996) was a Hong Kong film director and film actor best known for launching the martial arts film careers of both Bruce Lee, in ''The Big Boss'' and ''Fist of Fury'', and Jackie Chan, in ''New Fist of Fur ...
's ''
New Fist of Fury ''New Fist of Fury'' is a 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei and starring Jackie Chan. It is the first of several films that Lo directed Chan in, and the first using Chan's stage name Sing Lung (, literally meaning "becoming a ...
'', which was released during the "
Bruceploitation Bruceploitation (a portmanteau of "Bruce Lee" and "exploitation") is an exploitation film subgenre that emerged after the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee in 1973, where filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea cast Bruce Lee l ...
" era, but was not a movie of that kind, and was hailed as a "follow-up" to
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 ...
's ''
Fist of Fury ''Fist of Fury'' is a 1972 Hong Kong action martial arts film written and directed by Lo Wei, produced by Raymond Chow, and starring Bruce Lee in his second major role after ''The Big Boss'' (1971). Lee, who was also the film's action choreogr ...
''. Willie had shown a keen interest in Jackie's willingness and ability to perform dangerous stunts. This happened after Jackie, fed up with a staggering career, moved to Australia for a few months to work as a painter for a construction company. Willie brought him back to work as a leading actor on the above-mentioned sequel for Lo's production company, "Lo Wei Motion Picture Company", a subsidiary of Golden Harvest. The films, which included '' Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin'', were not financially successful. Jackie was then loaned to a different producer,
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 ...
, who launched his career with ''
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 ...
''. Willie then left the company to join Golden Harvest, with Willie serving as Chan's personal manager. After
Raymond Chow Raymond Chow Man-wai, (; 8 October 1927 – 2 November 2018) was a Hong Kong film producer, and presenter. He was responsible for successfully launching martial arts and the Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cinema onto the international stage. ...
established Jackie's career with ''
The Young Master ''The Young Master'' () is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang, Lau Tin-chi and Tung Lu. The film co-stars Yuen Biao, Fung Fung and Shih Kien. The film was rele ...
'', Jackie went to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, attempting to make a career move in the
American film market The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held each year in early November. Historically, more than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance and acquire films. Participants come from more than ...
, while studying English at the Berlitz Language School with Willie Chan. After Jackie’s unsuccessful career in the United States, Willie returned to Hong Kong with an interest in
artist management A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of entertainer, artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee t ...
. In 1985, he formed The JC Group, and at its peak of success, the company had 43 actors on its books. In the 1990s, the triads began to gain a strong influence in the Hong Kong film industry, forcing Willie to join marches against
gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...
sterism in the industry.


Later years

In later years, Willie Chan served as a producing partner for Jackie Chan's
JCE Movies Limited JCE Movies Limited () is a film distribution and production company based in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. It was founded in 2004 and is a division of Emperor Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG). The company was f ...
. He worked alongside Jackie in his career in both Asia and North America. In 2006, he stepped away from being Jackie's manager, letting Jackie's wife,
Joan Lin Joan Lin Feng-jiao (born 30 June 1953) is a Taiwanese former actress. She is married to Hong Kong-Chinese actor and martial artist Jackie Chan. Early life Born 30 June 1953 in Taipei, Lin was the second child out of five children. She dropped out ...
, take over. Willie was honored at the
30th Hong Kong Film Awards The 30th Hong Kong Film Awards took place on 17 April 2011. The film ''Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame'', received the most nominations (13) and won most awards (6). The Best Film went to '' Gallants''. The highlights of the yea ...
for professional achievement by Jackie and some of the clients Willie managed. Chan died in his sleep in Hong Kong at age 76. Chan was ultimately cremated, and his funeral was held on November 23, with film industry people like Jackie Chan,
Raymond Chow Raymond Chow Man-wai, (; 8 October 1927 – 2 November 2018) was a Hong Kong film producer, and presenter. He was responsible for successfully launching martial arts and the Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cinema onto the international stage. ...
, and
Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Dubbed the "God of Songs", he is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong pop music. Cheung is known for his technically skilled vocals, lengthy tours, and m ...
being his
pallbearers A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles of ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Willie 1941 births 2017 deaths Asian film producers Hong Kong film producers Hong Kong people of Malaysian descent Malaysian people of Chinese descent Talent managers Malaysian born Hong Kong artists