Gordon Liu

For the Chinese-American politician (劉貴明), see Gordon J. Lau.

Gordon Liu
劉家輝
Born	Sin Kam-hei (冼錦熙) (1955-08-22) August 22, 1955 Guangdong, China
Occupation(s)	Actor, martial artist
Years active	1973–2011
Spouse	Ma Fei-feng ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 2009)​ (2nd)
Children	Angie Sin (daughter), with first wife Bonnie Sin (daughter), with first wife Kris Sin (son), with Ma Fei-feng Sonia Sin (daughter), with Ma Fei-feng
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	劉家輝
Simplified Chinese	刘家辉
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liú Jiāhuī Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Lau4 Gaa1-fai1
Sin Kam-hei
Traditional Chinese	冼錦熙
Simplified Chinese	冼锦熙
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiǎn Jǐnxī

In this Chinese name, the family name is Liu.

Gordon Liu (Lau Kar-fai simplified Chinese: 刘家辉; traditional Chinese: 劉家輝; pinyin: Liú Jiāhuī; Wade–Giles: Liu Chia-hui; Jyutping: Lau4 Gaa1 fai1); born Sin Kam-hei (simplified Chinese: 冼锦熙; traditional Chinese: 冼錦熙; pinyin: Xiǎn Jǐnxī) August 22, 1955) is a Chinese martial arts film actor and martial artist. He played the lead role of San Te in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) and its sequels, and later played two roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films: Johnny Mo, the leader of the Crazy 88 Yakuza gang in Volume 1 (2003); and kung fu master Pai Mei in Volume 2 (2004).

Early life

Liu was born Sin Kam-hei in Guangdong Province, China on August 22, 1955, prior to his adoption into another family. He is often wrongly cited as being the adopted son of Lau Cham, and adoptive brother of directors and actors Lau Kar-leung (Liu Chia-liang) and Lau Kar-wing (Liu Chia-Yung). He was not adopted by the family but is Lau Cham's godson.

In his youth (ages 15–20), he skipped school to train in Chinese martial arts without his parents' knowledge. He trained at Lau Cham's martial arts school of Hung Gar discipline, which descended from Wong Fei-hung's grand student (father to Lau Kar Leung). Lau Cham's wife assisted in his training and due to the friendship and respect Liu felt for Lau and his wife, he took on the name Lau Ka-fai. As he grew up, he found a job as a shipping clerk to make ends meet. His interests had always been towards martial arts and he was eventually offered a role by Lau Kar-leung.

Career

Liu's first break was with Chang's Film Company (a Shaw Brothers subsidiary operating in Taiwan) acting small parts for such films as 5 Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Martial Arts, and 4 Assassins. He starred in Challenge of the Masters (1976), as the folk hero Wong Fei Hung, and was featured in Executioners From Shaolin (1977) before starring in his signature role as Shaolin hero San Te in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

The tale of the imperialistic struggle, while not a new one, was significant for the intense focus placed on the inner workings of Shaolin Temple itself. San Te, Liu's character, overcomes the temple's thirty-five chambers as he unwittingly undergoes the rigorous training regimen imposed by the temple's Head Abbott on the pretext of “earning” a right to study martial arts there.

The “zero-to-hero” tale turned Liu into an international icon in spite of a frame far slighter than that of the folk hero himself (known as “Iron Arms” for the muscularity of his physique) and paved the way for a very healthy working schedule into the mid-1990s, even as younger, more agile martial artists eventually emerged. By the late 1980s he had begun accepting smaller roles, such as in Lau Kar-leung's Tiger on the Beat.

Liu has also been active in television, and was contracted to Hong Kong's TVB company for many years, continuing playing roles as a martial arts master. Though still performing some martial arts roles, he is at home as well in comedic, self-deprecatory or emotional characters. His second-most common role in TVB has been playing a Hong Kong Police Force officer.

Quentin Tarantino had long been a fan of Liu, and hoped to find him a role in one of his movies. This eventually came to pass with the roles of Johnny Mo and Master Pai Mei in both Kill Bill films. His roles in Kill Bill raised Liu's profile again and a renewed interest was shown by Chinese producers; since Kill Bill, Liu has returned to doing movies while continuing to do television for Hong Kong's TVB station.

In 2008, Liu added a Bollywood film to his profile. Collaborating with Indian actor Akshay Kumar who is a top-billed Bollywood actor and also a martial arts performer in a film titled Chandni Chowk To China (CC2C). He played the role of the villain, Hojo, a smuggler and a well-trained martial artist. Before this, he appeared as himself (along with his mentor Lau Kar Leung) in the 2009 film Dragonland, the first Italian documentary about martial cinema history, by Lorenzo De Luca. Liu attended as special guest star at the premiere in Rome, meeting his Italian fans for the first time. During August 2011, Liu had a stroke and put all his plans on hold to recover. Liu had cancelled all public engagements as of March 2012.

Personal life

Liu has been married twice. He has two daughters, Angie and Bonnie, from his first marriage which ended in 1986, and a son Kris (冼峻龙) and daughter Sonia (冼咏珊) from his second marriage with Ma Fei-feng (马飞凤) of Thai-descent which ended in 2009.

In August 2011, while in To Kwa Wan performing with his band, Liu had a stroke and hit his head. He had partial right-sided paralysis and a speech impairment as a consequence of the stroke, needing a wheelchair to travel. At the same time, his estranged family from his second marriage had begun pressuring him for money. Depressed at his physical state and family complications, he isolated himself in a nursing home. In June 2012, Liu decided to divorce his second wife and focus on his recovery.

During his medical crisis, Liu entrusted his assets to his assistant and spokesperson, Eva Fung. However, the two fell out, and Fung refused to return his assets. Subsequently in 2013, he arranged for Hong Kong actress Amy Fan to become the legal guardian of his assets. Liu later took legal action to recover his assets, and on April 29, 2014, a day before the court date, Fung agreed to return them with interest. In 2015, it was reported that he no longer spoke with a slur but continued to use a wheelchair, and that he had resided at a nursing home for several years.

Filmography

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1973	Hero of the Waterfront
1974	5 Shaolin Masters	Chang Yung
	Shaolin Martial Arts	Ho Chen-kang
1975	The Four Assassins	Aburiha / Abulahua	Marco Polo
	The Monk
1976	Challenge of the Masters	Wong Fei-hung
	7-Man Army	Mongolian Commander #2
	Boxer Rebellion	Boxer	Bloody Avengers
1977	He Has Nothing But Kung Fu	Shang Kai-Yuan (as Chia-Fai Liu)	Stunt Coordinator
	Executioners from Shaolin	Tung Chien-chin
1978	Breakout from Oppression	Hsiao Tu	Director, Action Coordinator
	The 36th Chamber of Shaolin	San Te
	Heroes of the East	Ah To
	Shaolin Mantis	The Monk (Guest Star)
1979	Fury in the Shaolin Temple
	Dirty Ho	Wang Tsun Hsin - 11'th Prince
	Spiritual Boxer II	Chang Chieh
1980	Clan of the White Lotus	Hong Wen-Ting
	Return to the 36th Chamber	Chao Jen-Cheh
	Fists and Guts	Ah-San / Shaolin Priest
	Shaolin Warrior	Fa Tien	Producer
1981	My Young Auntie	James
	Elders
	Shaolin and Wu Tang		Director
	The Shaolin Drunken Monk	Lao Chung
	Treasure Hunters	Monk Mo Seung
	Martial Club	Wong Fei-hung
1982	Raiders of Shaolin Kung Fu	Ga-wi Yu
	Legendary Weapons of China	Ti Tan (Guest Star)
	Godfather of Canton
	The 82 Tenants	Ah Hui
	Young Vagabond	So Chan
	Cat vs Rat	Emperor Yung Hsi (Guest Star)
1983	Lady Is the Boss	Ah Man
	Shaolin and Wu Tang	Hung Yung-Kit
	Tales of a Eunuch
1984	The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter	Yang Wu-lang (Fifth Brother)
1985	Two Jolly Cops
	The Young Vagabond	Beggar Su Chan
	Disciples of the 36th Chamber	Monk San Te
	Crazy Shaolin Disciples	Ching
	USA Ninja		Action Director
1986	The Story of Dr. Sun Yat-sen
1988	Legend of the Phoenix
	Tiger on the Beat	Lau Fai
	A Bloody Fight	Fai
	Peackock King	Kubira
	Shaolin vs. Vampire	Hyo Daiyu (as Ryu Chafi)	Director
1989	A Fiery Family
	Fury of a Tiger		Challegnge of the Master Killer
	White Lotus Trio		Avenging Trio
	My Heart Is That Eternal Rose	Lai Liu
	Ghost Ballroom	Chai
	Killer Angels	Michael
1990	Tiger on the Beat 2	Fai
	The Fortune Code	Commander in Blue
1991	Crystal Hunt	Officer Lung	China Heat
	The Story of the Gun	Officer Lau Fai	Guns of the Master Killer
	A Fate of Love		Video
1992	Passionate Killing in the Dream	Chit-Chit
	Yesterday Once More	Assassin	Video
	Cheetah on Fire	Mainland Gang Leader (as Ka Fai Lau)
1993	Flirting Scholar	Evil Scholar
	Last Hero in China	Master Liu Heung (as Ka-fai Lau)
	Legend of the Liquid Sword	The Monk (as Ka-fai Lau)
	The Buddhism Palm Strikes Back	For-wan Tse-san
	The Mystery of the Condor Hero	Yuen-tsan
	Bogus Cops	Hood
1994	The Kung Fu Scholar	His Excellency
	Drunken Master III	Governor Li (as Kar Fai Lau)
	American Shaolin	Abbot Hung Chi	Treasure Hunt
	If You Were Here		Stunt Coordinator
	Funny Shaolin Kids		Two Shaolin Kids in Hong Kong
1995	Lethal Girls 2
1997	Super Cops		Action Coordinator
1999	Generation Pendragon
	The Island Tales
2000	The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber	Sing Kwan
	The Legend of Lady Yang	Chan Yuen-lai
2002	Drunken Monkey
2003	Star Runner	Coach Lau
	Kill Bill: Volume 1	Johnny Mo
2004	Kill Bill: Volume 2	Pai Mei
	Shaolin vs. Evil Dead	Pak
2005	Dragon Squad
	A Chinese Tall Story
2006	Mr. 3 Minutes
2007	Shaolin Vs. Dead: Ultimate Power	Roam Chow
2008	Heroes of Shaolin
	Dragonland	Himself	Documentary
	True Legend	Old sage
2009	Chandni Chowk to China	Hojo
2010	Hot Summer Days	Fai
2011	Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
2012	Nightfall	Retired CID officer
	The Man with the Iron Fists	The Abbott
	Kill 'Em All	Snakehead
2013	High Kickers	Zhao Yumin

Television

Year	Title	Chinese Title	Role
1996	Journey to the West	西遊記
1998	Journey to the West II	西遊記
2001	A Step into the Past	尋秦記
2003	The King of Yesterday and Tomorrow	九五至尊
2005	Real Kung Fu	佛山贊師父	Lin Yung
2006	A Pillow Case of Mystery	施公奇案	Sima Jui-fung
2007	On the First Beat	學警出更	Moon Gei
2008	Best Bet	迎妻接福
	The Four	少年四大名捕
2009	Man in Charge	幕後大老爺
	Chinese Paladin 3	仙劍奇俠傳三	Evil Sword Immortal
2010	A Pillow Case of Mystery II	施公奇案 II	Si Ma Jeui-fung
	Beauty Knows No Pain	女人最痛	Ng Lap-chau
	Links to Temptation	誘情轉駁	Lam Chung-pau
2011	Relic of an Emissary	洪武三十二	Yim Chun
	Curse of the Royal Harem	萬凰之王

See also

• List of Shaw Brothers films
• Shaw Brothers Studio

External links

• Gordon Liu at IMDb
• Gordon Liu Biography at HKCinema