Jimmy Wang Yu Dies: Martial Arts Action Star In Hong Kong Films Was 79
deadline.comJimmy Wang Yu, a Taiwanese actor who was once one of the biggest stars of martial arts cinema, died Tuesday in a Taipei hospital from an undisclosed illness he battled for six years.
He was 79 and his death was announced on Instagram by his daughter, Linda Wang.Born in Shanghai, China, Wang moved to Hong Kong and made his name as an action star at Shaw Brothers Studio during the 1960s.
His best-known film was One-Armed Swordsman, which, as the title suggests, was about swordplay, a hallmark of his combat skills.
The film would become the first Hong Kong film to make HK$1million at the local box office.The action films made Wang one of the biggest stars in Asia, and popular in the US underground grindhouses that specialized in low-budget films.One-Armed Swordsman saw two sequels, Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman in 1969, in which Wang reprised his role, and The New One-Armed Swordsman in 1971, which starred John Chiang and Ti Lung.Wang’s resume include more than 40 action and martial arts films, including One-Armed Boxer (1972), The Man From Hong Kong (1975) and Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976).The actor had a colorful life off-screen as well.
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