One of his internationally best-known films came late in his career, Drunken Master (1978), in which he played Beggar So (Sam Seed in some English dubs), an old hermit who had mastered the art of drunken boxing, aiding a young Wong Fei-hung, played by Jackie Chan.
The role was a reprisal (in all but name) of the one he had played in another of Chan's films, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978).
The movie was a surprise international hit, and greatly helped to boost the career of the then 66-year-old actor.
Yuen is the father of eleven children, six of whom assumed various professional roles in the Hong Kong film industry.
Filming was continued with Fan's Drunken Master character, which necessitated reshooting some of Yuen's scenes.