Born in Chao'an County, Guangdong, James Tien moved with his British[citation needed] family of Chinese descent to Hong Kong in 1958.
[citation needed] He became a student of the Fu Sheng Drama School in Taipei, Taiwan, along with Angela Mao and Philip Kwok.
After appearing in a number of further Shaw Brothers films, he moved to Golden Harvest, where he played Bruce Lee's cousin in The Big Boss (1971).
In 1976, Tien starred in Woo's Hand of Death, a film that also featured early acting roles for the "Three Brothers", Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao.
He played roles alongside Jackie Chan in Spiritual Kung Fu (1978), Magnificent Bodyguards (1978), The Fearless Hyena (1979) and Dragon Fist (1979).