The transcript below is from the video “Sammo Hung’s Lifestyle ★ 2021” by Amolipi.
Amolipi:
Hey guys and welcome back to Amolipi channel. In today’s video, let’s have a look at the great career of Sammo Hung, an actor, martial artist and film director who has worked with the iconic Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Let’s get started!
Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director Sammo Hung, also known as Hung Kam-bo, was born on January 7, 1952 in Hong Kong. Along with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung played a key role in popularizing martial arts by incorporating the art form into several movies. Sammo is one of the earliest performers to have made a mark in martial arts movies. He is also known for providing breaks and opportunities to actors, directors and technicians. Sammo Hung is now internationally renowned as a pioneer and trend-setter in Hong Kong action films.
Amolipi:
BIOGRAPHY
Full Name: Sammo Kam-bo Hung
Nickname: Da Goh Da, Yuen Chu
Birthdate: January 7, 1952
Place of Birth: Hong Kong
Occupation: Actor, Martial Artist, Film Producer, Director
Nationality: Hongkonger
Height: 5’7” (170 cm)
Weight: 108 kg (238 lbs)
Hair Color: Black
Eyes Color: Black
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Amolipi:
EARLY LIFE
Sammo’s parents worked as wardrobe artists in the local film industry. His grandma was an archetypal martial art actress while his grandfather a film director. Sammon has a younger brother named Lee Chi-KIt who has worked on almost 40 films, many of which Sammo was also involved with. He also worked on Sammo’s Martial Law Series.
Sammo attended China Drama Academy in Hong Kong when he was 8 and enrolled for seven years. Meanwhile, he established a friendly rivalry with one of the younger students, Yuen Lo, who later became international superstar Jackie Chan. Sammo, at the age of 14, was selected to perform stunts on a movie by a teacher who had connections to the Hong Kong film industry. This brief foray into the industry piqued his interest in film and Sammo took particular interest in the operation of film cameras.
Amolipi:
Sammo left the academy at the age of 16. He suffered an injury shortly after, which had him bedridden for an extended period. At this time his weight ballooned. Sammo then found work in the film industry as a stuntman and was given a nickname after the well-known Chinese cartoon character Sam-mo.
In 1973, he married Jo Eun-ok, whom he grew up with in martial arts training school, and had three sons, Timmy Hung (born 1974), Jimmy Hung (born 1977), Sammy Hung (born 1979), and a daughter, Stephanie Hung (born 1983) with her. Hung divorced Jo in 1994. He moved on and married Joyce Godenzi, a model and actress. The couple exchanged their vows in 1995. Godenzi appeared in several of his films prior to the pair becoming a couple.
Amolipi:
CAREER
Hung appeared as a child actor in several films for Cathay Asia and Bo Bo Films during the early 1960s. He made his film debut in the 1961 film “Education of Love” and made his first appearance alongside Jackie Chan in the film “Big and Little Wong Tin Bar” in 1962. Hung’s big break as a film actor came with a role as a sparring partner in the Bruce Lee film “Enter the Dragon” (1973). He also produced and starred in numerous successful films throughout the 1970s and 1980s for Hong Kong’s leading film studio, Golden Harvest.
Hung collaborated in the 1980s with long-time friend Jackie Chan in a highly successful series of action comedies, some of those were “Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars” (1985) and “Dragons Forever” (1988), that cemented Hung’s reputation as a consummate actor/director and launched Chan’s career as an international star.
Amolipi:
In the early 1990s, Sammo concentrated more on behind-the-scenes roles and helped to capitalise on the new wave of Wuxia productions, and also worked as the fight choreographer. For a while, Hung also starred in an American TV series, “Martial Law” (1998). The 2000s saw a rebirth in his popularity. He finally reunited on-screen with Jackie Chan in the 2004 Disney production “Around the World in 80 Days”. In 2005, Hung was involved in Daniel Lee’s “Dragon Squad” and Wilson Yip’s “Sha Po Lang” (aka Kill Zone). In the latter, Hung played a villain for the first time in over 25 years, and had his first ever fight scene against Donnie Yen. Hung then worked again with director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen, directed for the 2008 film “Ip Man”, appeared in and choreographed “Ip Man 2” (2010) and “The Legend Is Born: Ip Man” (2010).
Amolipi:
Top 10 Sammo Hung’s Movies
1. The Magnificent Butcher (1979)
2. Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1990)
3. Wheels on Meals (1984)
4. Dragons Forever (1988)
5. Mr. Nice Guy (1997)
6. Sha Po Lang (2005)
7. Ip Man 2 (2010)
8. The Last Tycoon (2012)
9. Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (2014)
10. The Bodyguard (2016)
Amolipi:
NET WORTH
Sammo Hung has a net worth of $40 million.
INTERESTING FACTS
In 2009, Hung became ill during the filming of Ip Man 2 in the Guangdong province of Foshan. He was admitted to hospital and underwent a heart surgery operation. He was discharged and returned to work within days. He cited a combination of his weight, his love of cigars and long filming hours resulting in fatigue and irregular meals as the cause -Hung is one of the celebrities honoured on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong.
Amolipi:
INTERESTING FACTS
Jackie Chan is often addressed as “Da Goh”, meaning Big Brother. Hung was also known as “Da Goh”, until the filming of “Project A”, which featured both actors. As Hung was the eldest of the Kung Fu “brothers”, and for his contribution towards Hong Kong cinema, he was given the nickname “Da Goh Da”, which loosely translates to ‘Big, Big Brother’ or ‘Biggest of all Big Brothers’.
That’s all for today and I hope you guys enjoyed this video. Don’t forget to hit like and subscribe to support our channel. See you soon.
