Alexander Fu Sheng
Encyclopedia
Alexander Fu Sheng (20 October 1954 - 7 July 1983) (born as Chang Fu-Sheng, 張富聲) was a major Hong Kong martial arts film star in the 1970s.
, the son of a wealthy New Territories
indigenous inhabitant
businessman. His youth was characterized by his quick temper, disinterest in school, and fighting in the streets. As a child, his family lived in Hawaii
for a few years and there he began training in judo
and karate
.
In 1971, he enrolled at Shaw Brothers Southern Drama School and instantly drew the attention of director Cheung Cheh. Cheh had Fu Sheng train with Lau Kar-leung
for 6 months. Fu Sheng made his film debut as an extra in the 1972 film The Fourteen Amazons. His first lead role was in Cheh's Police Force. With his good looks and mischievous charm, he quickly became a major star for the Shaw Brothers studio. Some of his other major hit films include Heroes Two
, Five Shaolin Masters
, Shaolin Temple and the Brave Archer
series. He eventually made a total of 23 films with Cheh.
A series of injuries in 1978 & 1979 (known as 'Black September' in the media) forced Fu Sheng's career to slow down considerably. His first serious injury came on the set of The Deadly Breaking Sword when a wire suspending him snapped and he fell eight feet landing on his head. While working on Heroes Shed No Tears
, he shattered bones in his right leg.
Fu Sheng was supposed to star in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
but was refused by Run Run Shaw
; head of the Shaw Brothers Studio
. Jackie Chan
was eventually cast in the role and the movie was a big hit. Fu Sheng worked hard to recover and although he never fully regained his previous abilities, he recovered enough to resume his martial arts film career.
Fu Sheng bought and lived in the late Bruce Lee
's house in Kowloon
. On 7 July 1983, he was returning home from a dinner engagement at the Clear Water Bay
Golf Club. His Porsche 911
Targa, driven by his brother, took the curves of Clear Water Bay Road
too fast and crashed into a cement wall. Fu Sheng was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries and died three hours later widowing Cantopop
superstar Jenny Tseng
with no children. He was 28. He died almost 10 years after Lee had died on 20 July 1973. At the time, he was filming Invincible Pole Fighter in which he was to be the hero. In the finished film, Fu Sheng's character abruptly disappears and the focus was put on co-star Gordon Liu
's character. His funeral was organised by the Shaw Brothers committee which was heavily attended and was compared to that of Bruce Lee.
Fu Sheng's films are still revered in Hong Kong. He is not as well known in the U.S. as other Hong Kong martial arts film stars due to his short life and limited availability of his films. But he has a strong cult following
among genre fans. Fu Sheng's old makeup cubicle at the Shaw Brothers studio features a shrine
constructed to appease his ghost, which is said to haunt the backlot.
Biography
Alexander was born as Cheung Fu-Sheng in 20 October 1954 in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the son of a wealthy New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
indigenous inhabitant
Indigenous inhabitant
Indigenous inhabitants refers to the residents in the New Territories of Hong Kong, whose ancestors were inhabitants there before the commencement of British rule in 1898 and have special rights to preserve their customs...
businessman. His youth was characterized by his quick temper, disinterest in school, and fighting in the streets. As a child, his family lived in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for a few years and there he began training in judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
.
In 1971, he enrolled at Shaw Brothers Southern Drama School and instantly drew the attention of director Cheung Cheh. Cheh had Fu Sheng train with Lau Kar-leung
Lau Kar-leung
Lau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...
for 6 months. Fu Sheng made his film debut as an extra in the 1972 film The Fourteen Amazons. His first lead role was in Cheh's Police Force. With his good looks and mischievous charm, he quickly became a major star for the Shaw Brothers studio. Some of his other major hit films include Heroes Two
Heroes Two
Heroes Two is a 1974 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh, and starring Alexander Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan Tai. It is also known as Bloody Fists and Blood Brothers.- Plot :...
, Five Shaolin Masters
Five Shaolin Masters
5 Shaolin Masters aka 5 Masters Of Death is a 1974 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh, with action choreography by Lau Kar Leung and Lau Kar Wing.The film focuses on Shaolin's historic rivalries with the Qing Dynasty.- Plot :...
, Shaolin Temple and the Brave Archer
Brave Archer
The Brave Archer, alternatively known as Kungfu Warlord, is a 1977 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The film was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by Chang Cheh, starring Alexander Fu and Tanny Tien in the leading roles...
series. He eventually made a total of 23 films with Cheh.
A series of injuries in 1978 & 1979 (known as 'Black September' in the media) forced Fu Sheng's career to slow down considerably. His first serious injury came on the set of The Deadly Breaking Sword when a wire suspending him snapped and he fell eight feet landing on his head. While working on Heroes Shed No Tears
Heroes Shed No Tears (1980 film)
Heroes Shed No Tears is a 1980 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Chor Yuen and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, starring Alexander Fu and Derek Yee.-Plot:...
, he shattered bones in his right leg.
Fu Sheng was supposed to star in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Yuen Woo-ping his directorial debut, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey, Fist of Legend, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series, Kill...
but was refused by Run Run Shaw
Run Run Shaw
Sir Run Run Shaw CBE, GBM is a Hong Kong media mogul.-Overview:Sir Run Run Shaw was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China in 1907. There has been no official or formal announcement on the exact day and month of his birth. According to A&C Black published Who's Who 2007, Shaw Run Run was born on 14...
; head of the Shaw Brothers Studio
Shaw Brothers Studio
The Shaw Brothers Studio , owned by Shaw Brothers Ltd., was the foremost and the largest movie production company of Hong Kong movies.From their distribution base in Singapore where they founded parent company Shaw Organization in 1924, and as a strategic development of their movie distribution...
. Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
was eventually cast in the role and the movie was a big hit. Fu Sheng worked hard to recover and although he never fully regained his previous abilities, he recovered enough to resume his martial arts film career.
Fu Sheng bought and lived in the late Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
's house in Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
. On 7 July 1983, he was returning home from a dinner engagement at the Clear Water Bay
Clear Water Bay
Clear Water Bay is a bay on the east shore of Clear Water Bay Peninsula of Hong Kong located within Clear Water Bay Country Park. There are two beaches at Clear Water Bay, namely Clear Water Bay 1st beach and Clear Water Bay 2nd beach...
Golf Club. His Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
Targa, driven by his brother, took the curves of Clear Water Bay Road
Clear Water Bay Road
Clear Water Bay Road is a major road from a complex interchange in Ngau Chi Wan to a dead end in Clear Water Bay, Sai Kung. It also is a route to Sai Kung Town and Tseung Kwan O via Hang Hau Road and Hiram's Highway respectively...
too fast and crashed into a cement wall. Fu Sheng was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries and died three hours later widowing Cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
superstar Jenny Tseng
Jenny Tseng
Jenny Tseng mostly known in Cantonese speaking regions as Yan Nei, is a Macau-born singer, based in Hong Kong for much of her career. Her father is Austrian while her mother is Chinese....
with no children. He was 28. He died almost 10 years after Lee had died on 20 July 1973. At the time, he was filming Invincible Pole Fighter in which he was to be the hero. In the finished film, Fu Sheng's character abruptly disappears and the focus was put on co-star Gordon Liu
Gordon Liu
Gordon Liu is a Chinese martial arts film actor. He became famous for playing the lead in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and its sequels...
's character. His funeral was organised by the Shaw Brothers committee which was heavily attended and was compared to that of Bruce Lee.
Fu Sheng's films are still revered in Hong Kong. He is not as well known in the U.S. as other Hong Kong martial arts film stars due to his short life and limited availability of his films. But he has a strong cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
among genre fans. Fu Sheng's old makeup cubicle at the Shaw Brothers studio features a shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
constructed to appease his ghost, which is said to haunt the backlot.
Filmography
- Man of Iron (1972)
- Police Force (1973)
- Heroes TwoHeroes TwoHeroes Two is a 1974 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh, and starring Alexander Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan Tai. It is also known as Bloody Fists and Blood Brothers.- Plot :...
(1974) - Na Cha The Great (1974)
- Men from the Monastery (1974)
- Friends (1974)
- Shaolin Martial Arts (1974)
- Na Cha the Great (1974)
- 5 Shaolin Masters (1974)
- Disciples of Shaolin (1975)
- Marco Polo (1975)
- Spiritual Fists (1976)
- Seven Man Army (1976)
- The Shaolin Avengers (1976)
- New Shaolin Boxers (1976)
- Shaolin Temple (1976)
- Bloody Avengers (1976)
- Incredible Kung Fu Brothers (1976)
- Naval CommandosNaval CommandosNaval Commandos is a Shaw Brothers film directed by Chang Cheh, who is famous for his martial arts cinematography, but ventured into military combat action with the production of this war movie based upon the War of Resistance/WWII .-Plot:...
(1977) - Magnificent Wanderers (1977)
- The Brave Archer (1977)
- Chinatown KidChinatown KidChinatown Kid is a 1977 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh, with action choreography by Robert Tai Chi Hsien and Lee Ka Ting, and starring Alexander Fu Sheng and the Venom Mob....
(1977) - Brother Dragon Tiger (1977)
- The Brave Archer 2The Brave Archer 2The Brave Archer 2, alternatively known as Kungfu Warlord 2, is a 1978 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The film was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by Chang Cheh, starring Alexander Fu and Niu-niu in the leading roles...
(1978) - Avenging EagleAvenging EagleThe Avenging Eagle is a 1978 Hong Kong wuxia film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, starring Ti Lung, Alexander Fu and Ku Feng.This film is release in DVD in Dragon Dynasty.- Plot :...
(1978) - Heroes Shed No TearsHeroes Shed No TearsHeroes Shed No Tears is a 1986 Hong Kong action film written and directed by John Woo, produced by Peter Chan, and starring Eddy Ko. Released prior to the success of Woo's A Better Tomorrow, the film is a story about a group of mercenaries on a mission to extract a drug lord from the Indochina...
(1978) - Life GambleLife GambleLife Gamble aka Life Combat is a 1979 Shaw Brothers film directed by Chang Cheh, starring the Venoms and Fu Sheng.-Plot:Life Gamble is a complex story about a stolen piece of jade which falls into the hands of a habitual gambler played by Wang Lung Wei and his arrogant anti-hero body guard play by...
(1979) - The Deadly Breaking Sword (1979)
- The Proud TwinsThe Proud Twins (1979 film)The Proud Twins is a 1979 Hong Kong film adapted from Gu Long's novel Juedai Shuangjiao. The film was directed by Chor Yuen, produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, and starred Alexander Fu and Ng Wai-kwok as the lead characters.-Cast:...
(1979) - Heaven and Hell Gate (1979)
- 10 Tigers Of Kwangtung (1979)
- Return of the Sentimental Swordsman (1981)
- The Brave Archer 3The Brave Archer 3The Brave Archer 3, alternatively known as Blast of the Iron Palm, is a 1981 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The film was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by Chang Cheh, starring Alexander Fu and Niu-niu in the leading roles...
(1982) - Legendary Weapons of ChinaLegendary Weapons of ChinaLegendary Weapons of China is a 1982 martial arts fantasy film directed by Lau Kar-Leung. It takes place during the late Qing Dynasty when Empress Dowager Cixi dispatches her agents to various factions of the Boxer Rebellion in order find supernatural martial artists that are invulnerable to...
(1982) - The Brave Archer and His MateThe Brave Archer and His MateThe Brave Archer and His Mate, also known as The Brave Archer 4 or Mysterious Island, is a 1982 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes...
(1982) - The Fake Ghost Catchers (1982)
- Cat Vs RatCat Vs RatCat vs. Rat is a Shaw Brothers film directed by Lau Kar Leung, starring Alexander Fu Sheng, Kara Hui and Adam Cheng.-Plot:Alexander Fu Sheng and Adam Cheng star as rival students of the same kung fu master. The Rat and Cat have spent years arguing over who has the most powerful kung fu...
(1982) - My Rebellious Son (1982)
- Treasure HuntersTreasure Hunters (1981 film)Treasure Hunters aka “Master of Disaster” is a Shaw Brothers film directed by Lau Kar Wing, starring Alexander Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu.-Plot:...
(1982) - Hong Kong Playboys (1983)
- Eight-Diagram Pole FighterEight-Diagram Pole FighterEight-Diagram Pole Fighter is a 1983 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung, and starring Gordon Liu and Alexander Fu Sheng...
(1983) - Wits of the Brats (1984)
Trivia
- In the Lois-Ann YamanakaLois-Ann YamanakaLois-Ann Yamanaka is a Japanese-American poet and novelist from Hawaii. Many of her critically acclaimed literary works are written in Hawaiian Pidgin, and some of her writing has dealt with controversial ethnic issues...
book, Wild Meat and the Bully BurgersWild Meat and the Bully BurgersWild Meat and the Bully Burgers is a Japanese American-Hawaiian-Adult Fiction novel by Lois-Ann Yamanaka. Its tonality is distinctive to that of a local Hawaiian culture in that all the main characters speak in Hawaiian Pidgin. Although it is an adult fiction novel, the plot follows a young...
, the protagonist Lovey is a huge fan of his and a chapter of the book is named after him: 'Alexander Fu Sheng Kicks Bruce Lee's Ass, Sonna Chiba And Toshiro Mifune Too'.
External links
- Fu Sheng's Appreciation Thread at WuxiaSociety Forum