Vincent Zhao
Template:Infobox Chinese-language singer and actor Template:Chinese name Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo (born April 10, 1972), also credited as Chiu Man-cheuk in Cantonese, is a Chinese martial artist and a television and film actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China television series and films (Once Upon a Time in China IV and V).
Early life
Zhao was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, Northeast China, the youngest of three sons.[1] His father was a martial arts practitioner and his mother was a professional sprinter, who also broke the record for being the fastest female sprinter of Harbin.[2] Under the instruction of his father, Zhao was given martial arts lessons at the early age of eight, but he was never completely devoted to his lessons as he was much fonder towards singing. In the early 1980s, Zhao was sent to a martial arts academy in Harbin and began to train vigorously, growing to love the sport.[1] He soon became the youngest member of the Harbin wushu team, which was established in 1985. Trained in various wushu techniques, Zhao mastered tai chi chuan, especially in the styles of Chen and Yang.[3]
Zhao maintained high academic standards, and in 1990, Zhao was accepted to Beijing Sport University, studying martial arts.[4] Throughout his university career, he joined many national championships, winning first place titles and gold medals for the National Junior Championship, the National All-Around Championship, and also the National Martial Arts Championship. He was also qualified to be in China's national martial arts team, and his classmates gave him the nickname, "kung fu King."[5]
Career
1992–1996: Beginnings and Wong Fei-Hung
In 1992, Hong Kong film producer Corey Yuen went to Beijing Sport University to scout a skilled martial artist to play the role of 'Governor of Kau-man' for his 1993 film Fong Sai-yuk. Yuen found Zhao through Zhao's martial arts instructor and was immediately impressed with Zhao's kung fu talent. Initially, Zhao was uninterested, but Yuen insisted to offer him the role because he had "the skill and looks."[6] After further encouragement from peers and mentors, Zhao accepted the offer and filming began that same year.[6] Governor of Kau-man was the main villain in the film, and Zhao was often teased for looking too nice and too young for the role.[7] but under the instructions of directors and Yuen, Zhao quickly learned the easiest way to "look evil":[8] "The director told me: Chiu Man-Cheuk, when you look at people, don't look at them like how you usually do. You must look at them from the corner of your eyes with your profile facing them. That way, you will look evil."[9] During filming, Zhao also enrolled in acting classes for three months.[10] Fong Sai-yuk was released in March 1993 and became a box-office hit in Hong Kong, grossing HK $30,666,842.
After only a month into the filming of Fong Sai-yuk, contract problems between Hong Kong producer Tsui Hark and kung-fu star Jet Li caused Li to back out in filming the fourth installment of the Once Upon a Time in China saga as the lead role, Wong Fei-hung. Tsui heard about Zhao working in Fong Sai-Yuk and was interested in recruiting him to replace Li. He met with Zhao on the set of Fong Sai-yuk and was impressed with Zhao's acting and fighting abilities. He then quickly signed him in to replace Li's role in the fourth installment. Impressed with Zhao's martial arts talent and image, Tsui Hark encouraged Zhao to sign a three-year contract to be a full-time actor. Zhao rejected the offer, stating that his education was the most important. Nonetheless, he continued to devote into filming during school vacations for Green Snake (1993) and Once Upon a Time in China IV (1994).
Although box office results for Once Upon a Time in China IV grossed less than the first three installments, it was significant enough to continue the franchise with a fifth installment, Once Upon a Time in China V (1995). While shooting a scene, Zhao slipped during a fighting sequence and injured his head. He was rushed to the hospital and got stitches. He recovered quickly and shooting continued after several weeks.[11] V was Zhao's last portrayal of the Chinese folk hero in the films, and Li returned as the role in the sixth and last installment, Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997).
Zhao continued his portrayal of Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China television series, which were also produced by Tsui Hark. The series aired in local Hong Kong television (ATV) for two years. The television series were rated highly in Hong Kong (although Once Upon a Time in China: The Final Victory only had moderate ratings) and Zhao was quickly acclaimed to be the new Wong Fei-hung and to be following Jet Li's footsteps to stardom.
1997–2002: Contract with China star
In 1997, Zhao signed a management contract with China star, a talent agency in Hong Kong. Continuing his full run in the Hong Kong market, Zhao began to film more Hong Kong films, such as The Blacksheep Affair (1998), Body Weapon (1999) and Fist Power (2000), creating a legend of his own. Many considered him as "the next Jet Li".[12] He also began to film China and Hong Kong cross-over television series, such as Mulan (1998), The Young Hero of Shaolin (2001) and Hua Yuanjia (2001).
2002–present: Television series and Hollywood
His contract with China star ended in 2002, and Zhao turned his focus to the Mainland China market, filming Mainland series such as Wind and Cloud and Seven Swordsmen. In mid 2006, Zhao returned to Hong Kong and began filming a TVB series, The Master of Tai Chi, a series which was said was specifically made for Zhao. However, the series did not air in Hong Kong until March 2008.
Reviews for his television serials were mixed, and many criticized him for giving up big productions and the silver screen. Zhao explained: "I never took professional acting classes. The only thing I could do back then were sports and martial arts. In order to train myself, I must accept more television series to touch up my acting."[13]
While working on the television series The Master of Tai Chi, Zhao was given a script for a new martial arts film and has accepted the lead role. Zhao signed with a Hollywood agency, CAA, in late 2006 with help from Jackie Chan.[14] He was originally slated to play the lead villain in Rush Hour 3, but the role would end up to Hiroyuki Sanada. He remained in Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2007 to prepare for his film, and Zhao returned to Beijing in September 2008 to prepare the Hong Kong and China co-production martial arts film, True Legend.[15]
Personal life
Zhao has kept a low profile in the field even after he graduated from Beijing Sport University in 1994. He loved to teach and decided to stay in the university to be a martial arts instructor. However, due to his national star status and his busy filming schedule, he only taught classes for three months before he resigned the position. He was once linked with Anita Mui in early 1995 but the pair broke apart in 1996.[16] In June 2006, he married Zhang Danlu, and their daughter was born in September 2007. Zhao also has a son from a previous relationship with a college student studying at Canada(at that time) from Shanghai who is in fact younger than he is, born in 2002, named Joseph.[17]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Fong Sai-yuk | Governor of Kau-man | English title changed to The Legend for USA release |
| Once Upon a Time in China IV | Wong Fei-hung | ||
| Green Snake | Monk Fat-hoi | ||
| 1994 | Once Upon a Time in China V | Wong Fei-hung | |
| 1995 | The Chinese Feast | Lung Kwun-bo | |
| The Blade | On Man / Ting-on | ||
| 1996 | Mahjong Dragon | Pak Kwai-sau | |
| 1998 | The Blacksheep Affair | Yim Dong | English title changed to Another Meltdown for USA release |
| 1999 | Body Weapon | Wu Chi-kwan | |
| 2000 | Fist Power | Brian Cheuk | |
| 2001 | The Sino-Dutch War 1661 | Zheng Chenggong | Nominated - Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actor |
| 2002 | The Wesley's Mysterious File | ||
| 2005 | In the Blue | Wushu Coach | |
| 2010 | True Legend | Su Qi'er | Re-ignited Zhao's movie career |
| 2010 | Orphan of Zhao Family | Zhao Dun | (Filming) |
TV series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Once Upon a Time in China Series: The Suspicious Temple | Wong Fei-Hung | |
| Once Upon a Time in China Series: The Eight Assassins | |||
| 1996 | Once Upon a Time in China Series: The Headless General | ||
| Once Upon a Time in China Series: The Ideal Century | |||
| Once Upon a Time in China Series: The Final Victory | |||
| 1998 | Hua Mulan | Li Liang | |
| 1999 | Fist of Hero | Rong Haishan | |
| 2001 | Hero of the Times | Fang Shiyu | |
| New May Flower | Zhao Shijun | ||
| The Legend of Huo Yuanjia | Huo Yuanjia | ||
| 2002 | Drunken Hero | Mi Wentian | |
| Wind and Cloud | Nie Feng | ||
| Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge | Chen Jialuo | ||
| 2003 | Lady Wu - The First Empress | Li Junxian | |
| 2004 | Miracle Healers | Liu Xuan | |
| Wind and Cloud II | Nie Feng | ||
| 2005 | Lost City in Snow Heaven | Lei Ou | |
| Four Rarities of the Royal Palace | Kangxi Emperor | ||
| 2006 | Seven Swordsmen | Chu Zhaonan | |
| 2008 | The Master of Tai Chi | Mo Ma |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Vincent Zhao: Never give up". SMNet (in Chinese). 2008-07-09. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
- ^ "Thinking back when first entered the entertainment industry, Vincent Zhao honestly says, "Never thought of it."". Sina (in Chinese). 2001-08-30. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
- ^ "Counting each entertainment sportsman". Sina (in Chinese). 2004-09-14. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
- ^ "Sportsman in the entertainment industry". HSDCW (in Chinese). 2008-08-06. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
- ^ "Zhang Danlu and Vincent Zhao "separate"". Sina (in Chinese). 2006-01-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
- ^ a b "Kung-fu kings". Sina (in Chinese). 2007-12-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao, the rising tides". Sina (in Chinese). 2006-03-29. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao on "Be My Guest"". TVB (in Chinese). 2008-03-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
- ^ From TVB's "By My Guest", 2008-03-15
- ^ "Vincent Zhao interview". Jayne Stars. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao injuries" (in Chinese). p. 1. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- ^ "Sportsmen stars". People. 2008-08-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao: happy to be nominated". Sina. 2001-10-23. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao signs into America's CAA". CRI Online. 2006-10-26. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao is "Beggar Su"". 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ "Jacky Chan and Elaine Ng's love". 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ "Girlfriend Zhang Danlu believes in Vincent Zhao". Sina. 2004-03-28. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao". imdb.com. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
- ^ "Vincent Zhao". chinesemov.com. Retrieved April 19, 2010.