Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo (Chinese: 洪金寶; Jyutping: Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952)[1] is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for other actors such as Kim Tai-chung, Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Yuen Wah.

Both Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan were often addressed as "Dai Goh", meaning "Big Brother", until the filming of Project A (1983), which featured both actors.

[2] Born in Hong Kong, both of his parents worked as wardrobe artists in the local film industry and guardianship was thrust upon his grandparents.

[4] The opera school was run by Master Yu Jim Yuen and as was customary for all students, Hung adopted the given name of his sifu as his family name whilst attending.

[4] As the eldest of the troupe, Hung would give his opera school brothers pocket money from his earnings, endearing him greatly to his young friends.

[6] Shortly before leaving the Academy at the age of 16, Hung suffered an injury that left him bedridden for an extended period, during which time his weight ballooned.

After finding work in the film industry as a stuntman, he was given a nickname after a well-known Chinese cartoon character, Sam-mo (三毛; Three Hairs).

Many years later, in 1988, Hung starred in Alex Law's Painted Faces, a dramatic re-telling of his experiences at the China Drama Academy.

Despite some of the more brutal exercises and physical punishments shown in Painted Faces, Hung and the rest of the Seven Little Fortunes consider the film a toned-down version of their actual experiences.

The majority of Hung's performance was alongside another actor portraying Zhou Tong, Yue's elderly military arts tutor.

[8] Between 1966 and 1974, Hung worked on dozens of films for Shaw Brothers, their two main rivals Golden Harvest and Cathay, as well as numerous independent production companies,[9] progressing through the roles of extra, stuntman, stunt co-ordinator and ultimately, action director.

[5] He was initially hired to assist Han Yingjie in choreographing the action scenes for the very first two Golden Harvest films, The Invincible Eight and The Angry River.

His popularity soon began to grow, and due to the quality of his choreography and disciplined approach to his work, he again caught the eye of celebrated Taiwanese director, King Hu.

In the mid-70s, martial arts movies began to lose some of their punch at the box office and Golden Harvest signed the Hui Brothers to a contract.

Fong Ming Motion Picture Company, also playing the lead role Ah Lung; a character who idolises and impersonates Bruce Lee.

The first, Warriors Two, was the most significant role to date for South Korean super kicker Casanova Wong, who teamed up with Hung in the final fight.

The release of The Prodigal Son, along with another film directed by and co-starring Hung, Knockabout (1979), also elevated his fellow Opera schoolmate Yuen Biao to stardom.

Jiangshi are reanimated corpses which can only move by hopping due to the onset of rigor mortis, a Chinese equivalent to Western vampires.

The hour-long shows were a surprise success and installed Hung as the only East Asian headlining a prime time network series.

Hung had the idea of producing a martial arts epic with Chen Lung Jackie Chan in the lead role, but the film was never made.

In 2005, Hung was involved in Daniel Lee's Dragon Squad and Wilson Yip's SPL: Sha Po Lang (aka Kill Zone).

In early 2008, Hung starred in Fatal Move, in which he and Ken Lo played a pair of rival triad gang leaders.

The other filmmakers include Ringo Lam, Ann Hui On-wah, Patrick Tam Kar Ming, Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-ping and Johnnie To.

The short files were shot entirely on 35mm film with each of them touches on a nostalgic and moving story set across different time periods, with every one acting as an ode to the city.

In 2003, he was in mainland Chinese TV film series Dragon Laws with Fan Bingbing, followed by The Valley of Lost Vengeance (aka End Enmity Hollow).

The aim of the program was to find a new star, skilled in acting and martial arts, to become Chan's "successor", the champion being awarded the lead role in a film.