Chor Yuen (), born Cheung Po-kin (; 8 October 1934 – 21 February 2022), was a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and actor. Chor is credited with over 120 films as director, over 70 films as a writer and over 40 films as an actor.
Early life and education
Chor was born in
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
, on 8 October 1934.
[''楚原 (生於 1934.10.18) – 導演、編劇 — Chor Yuen (born on 1934.10.18) – (died on 2022.02.21) director, screenwriter.'']
In: filmarchive.gov.hk, Hong Kong Film Archive, pdf-file; 182 kB. Retrieved October 20, 2021. (Chinese) He studied Chemistry at
Sun Yat-sen University
Sun Yat-sen University (; SYSU) is a public university in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry of Education, SASTIND, and Guangdong Provincial Government. The university is p ...
in Guangzhou, China.
Career
In 1954, Chor started his acting career. Chor first appeared in ''Madam Yun'', a 1954 historical drama film directed by Ng Wui. In 1956, Chor became a screenwriter. Chor first wrote ''Flower Petals in the Wind''
(a.k.a. ''Petals in the Wind'', ''A Flower Petal in the Wind''), a 1956 drama film directed by Ng Wui. In 1957, Chor became a director with Kong Ngee Co., a Singapore film company that produced Cantonese films. Chor co-directed his first two films with Chun Kim. Chor co-directed ''Bloodshed in the Valley of Love'', a 1957 Cantonese martial arts film. Chor also co-directed ''The Whispering Palm'' (a.k.a. ''Moon over Malaya''), a 1957 Cantonese drama. In 1959, Chor directed ''Grass by the Lake'' (a.k.a. ''The Natural Son''). Chor is credited with over 120 films as director, over 70 films as writer and over 40 films as actor.
Chor was also known for beautiful set designs of his martial arts films.
Personal life and death
Chor was married to
Nam Hung, an actress. He died on 21 February 2022, at the age of 87.
Filmography
As director
* 1957 ''Bloodshed in the Valley of Love'' (a.k.a. ''Blood Valley'', ''Blood Stains the Valley of Love'') - Co-director.
* 1957 ''The Whispering Palm'' (a.k.a. ''Moon Over Malaya'') - Co-director.
* 1957 ''Murder on the Beach'' - Co-director.
* 1959 ''Grass by the Lake'' - Director.
* 1959 ''Orchid in the Storm'' (a.k.a. ''Twilight of Love'') - Director.
* 1960 ''Autumn Leaves'' (a.k.a. ''Autumn Leaf'') - Director, writer.
* 1960 ''The Great Devotion'' (a.k.a. ''Love Cannot Read'') - Kwok-Hung. Also Director, screenwriter.
* 1961 ''Forever Beloved'' - Director.
* 1961 ''The Psycho'' (a.k.a. ''Ghost That Was Not'') - Director.
* 1962 ''Eternal Regret, Part 1'' (a.k.a. ''A Man's Betrayal, Part One'') - Director.
* 1962 ''True Love'' - Director.
* 1962 ''Eternal Regret, Part 2'' (a.k.a. ''A Man's Betrayal, Part Two'') - Director.
* 1962 ''A Time for Mourning'' - Director.
* 1963 ''My Only Love'' - Director.
* 1963 ''Tear-Laden Rose'' - Director.
* 1963 ''In My Dream Last Night'' - Director.
* 1964 ''Too High to Touch'' - Director.
* 1964 ''Diary of a Chauvinistic Husband'' - Director.
* 1964 ''A Deadly Night'' - Director.
* 1964 ''A Secluded Orchid'' - Director.
* 1964 ''A Blundering Wife'' - Director.
* 1964 ''Their Lost Romance'' - Director.
* 1964 ''Diary of a Chauvinistic Husband, Part 2'' - Director.
* 1964 ''All Are Happy'' (a.k.a. ''Happiness Reigns Everywhere'') - Co-director.
* 1965 ''Silent Love'' - Director.
* 1965 ''Lover in Disguise'' - Director.
* 1965 ''The Sinner'' - Director.
* 1965 ''The Sinner, Part 2'' - Director.
* 1965 ''Honeymoon'' - Director.
* 1965 ''Secrets of a Husband'' - Director.
* 1965 ''Remorse'' - Director.
* 1965 ''Love Never Fades'' - Director.
* 1965 ''Love Has Many Faces'' - Director.
* 1965 ''Boundless Love'' (a.k.a. ''Love Cage'', ''Lost in Love'') - Director.
* 1965 ''A Good Match'' (a.k.a. ''An Ocean of Love'') - Director, screenwriter.
* 1965 ''The Black Rose'' (a.k.a. ''Black Rose'') - Director.
* 1965 ''Doomed Love'' - Director.
* 1966 ''Running Tears'' - Director.
* 1966 ''Legacy'' - Director.
* 1966 ''Spy with My Face'' - Director. Sequel to ''The Black Rose''.
* 1966 ''The Thief with baby Face'' - Director.
* 1966 ''Violet Girl'' - Director.
* 1966 ''Little Foursome Family'' - Director.
* 1966 ''Affection'' - Director.
* 1966 ''How Much Worry You Can Have'' - Director.
* 1966 ''A Fatal Adventure'' - Director.
* 1967 ''Maiden Thief'' (a.k.a. ''The Wonder Thief'', ''The Precious Mirror'') - Director.
* 1967 ''Man from Interpol'' - Director.
* 1967 ''Revenger'' (a.k.a. ''Story of a Brave Soul'') - Director.
* 1967 ''To Rose with Love'' - Director.
* 1970 ''
Cold Blade'' - Director, screenwriter.
* 1972 ''
The Killer'' - Director.
* 1972 ''
Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan'' () - Director.
* 1973 ''The Bastard'' (a.k.a. ''Little Hero'', ''The Little Illegitimate'', ''Nobody's Son'') - Director.
* 1973 ''Haze in the Sunset'' - Director.
* 1973 ''
The House of 72 Tenants
''The House of 72 Tenants'' (七十二家房客) is a 1973 Hong Kong film directed by Chor Yuen. It is a remake of a 1963 Chinese film of the same name. It was the top box office film of 1973 in Hong Kong, surpassing Bruce Lee's '' Enter the ...
'' - Thief in the market. Also Director, screenwriter.
* 1973 ''The Villains'' - Director.
* 1974 ''Sex, Love and Hate'' - Director.
* 1976 ''
Killer Clans'' - Director.
* 1976 ''
The Magic Blade'' - Director.
* 1976 ''The Web of Death'' - Director.
* 1977 ''The Jade Tiger'' - Director.
* 1977 ''
Sentimental Swordsman'' - Director.
* 1977 ''
Clans of Intrigue'' - Director.
* 1977 ''
Death Duel'' - Director.
* 1978 ''Swordsman and Enchantress'' - Director.
* 1978 ''
Legend of the Bat'' - Director.
* 1978 ''
Clan of Amazons
''Clan of Amazons'', also known as ''Clan of the Amazons'', is a 1978 Hong Kong film adapted from ''Xiuhua Dadao'' of Gu Long's '' Lu Xiaofeng'' novel series. The film was directed by Chor Yuen, produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, and starre ...
'' - Director.
* 1978 ''
Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre'' - Director.
* 1979 ''Full Moon Scimitar'' - Director.
* 1979 ''
The Proud Twins'' - Director.
* 1980 ''Bat Without Wings'' - Director.
* 1980 ''
Heroes Shed No Tears'' - Director, screenwriter.
* 1981 ''
Return of the Sentimental Swordsman'' - Director, screenwriter.
* 1981 ''
Emperor and His Brother'' - Director.
* 1981 ''
The Duel of the Century
''The Duel of the Century'' is a 1981 Hong Kong wuxia film adapted from Gu Long's Before and After the Duel novel, the third installment in the '' Lu Xiaofeng'' series. The film was directed by Chor Yuen, produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, ...
'' - Director.
* 1982 ''
Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman'' - Director.
* 1983 ''
Mad, Mad 83'' - Director.
* 1984 ''
The Hidden Power of the Dragon Sabre'' - Director.
* 1986 ''
Last Song in Paris'' - Director, screenwriter.
As actor
* ''Madam Yun'' (a.k.a. ''Madam Wan'', ''Six Chapters of a Floating Life'') - Actor. Film debut. (1954)
*''
Police Story'' (1985)
*''
The Seventh Curse'' (1986)
*''
Police Story 2'' (1988)
*''
Miracles'' (1989)
*''
The Banquet'' (1991)
*''
Twin Dragons
''Twin Dragons'' is a 1992 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, and starring Jackie Chan in a double role as identical twin brothers separated at birth. The plot of the film is adapted from ...
'' (1992)
*''
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father
''He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father'' (新難兄難弟) is a 1993 Hong Kong comedy-drama film starring Tony Leung Ka-fai and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who are unrelated, playing father and son. Directed by Peter Chan and Lee Chi-ngai, the film also st ...
'' (1993)
*''
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 Hel ...
'' (1995) - Uncle Tung / Foh's father
*''
Those Were the Days'' (1997)
Television series
* ''Family Squad'' (1991)
*''
A Kindred Spirit'' (1995)
* ''
File of Justice IV'' (1995)
* ''
Journey to the West
''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...
'' (1996)
* ''
File of Justice V'' (1997)
* ''
Triumph Over Evil'' (1997)
* ''
Journey to the West II'' (1998)
* ''
Armed Reaction'' (1998)
* ''
War of the Genders'' (2000)
* ''
Armed Reaction II'' (2000)
* ''The Legendary Four Aces'' (2000)
* ''
Armed Reaction III'' (2001)
* ''
A Step into the Past'' (2001)
* ''
Armed Reaction IV'' (2004)
Awards
* 2018
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions.
Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include:
A
* A.C. ...
. Presented at
37th Hong Kong Film Awards in Hong Kong. April 15, 2018.
References
External links
Chor Yuen at filmaffinity.com*
HK CinemagicChor Yuen at hkmdb.comChor Yuen at letterboxd.comYuen Chor at rottentomatoes.comChu Yuan at senscritique.com(in French)
Chor Yuan at thespinningimage.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chor, Yuen
1934 births
2022 deaths
Hong Kong male film actors
Hong Kong male television actors
Hong Kong film directors
Hong Kong people of Hakka descent
Male actors from Guangzhou
Film directors from Guangdong
Male actors from Guangdong
People from Meixian District
Chinese film directors
Chinese male film actors
Chinese male television actors
20th-century Chinese male actors
21st-century Chinese male actors
20th-century Hong Kong male actors
21st-century Hong Kong male actors