Jimmy Wang Yu, a Taiwanese actor who was once one of the biggest stars of martial arts movies, died Tuesday in a hospital in Taipei from an undisclosed illness he had been fighting for six years. He was 79 and his daughter Linda Wang announced his death on Instagram.
Born in Shanghai, China, Wang moved to Hong Kong and made a name for himself as an action star at Shaw Brothers Studios in the 1960’s. It was his most famous movie One-armed swordsman, Which, as the title implies, was about the game of the sword, a feature of his fighting skills. The film will become the first Hong Kong film to earn HK $ 1 million at the local box office.
Action films have made Wang one of the biggest stars in Asia and popular in the US underground grindhouse who specializes in low budget films.
One-armed swordsman Saw two sequels, Return of the One-Armed Swordsman In 1969, in which Wang repeated his role and The new one-armed swordsman In 1971, where John Chiang and T. Lung starred.
Includes more than 40 action and martial arts films, including Wang’s biography One-armed boxer (1972), The Man from Hong Kong (1975) and Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976).
The actor also had a colorful life outside the screen. He was charged with murder but later dropped the charge. He boasted that he had been hired to assassinate a political opponent, but the attempt never materialized.
Jackie Chan wrote on Facebook, “Your contribution to kung fu and the support and knowledge you have given to the younger generation will always be remembered in the industry. And your movie will always be in the hearts of your fans. We’ll miss you! “
Director Ang Lee issued a statement expressing condolences to Wang. “It simply came to our notice then. For many fans like me, he represents a certain era. His films and his heroic spirit will be deeply missed. “
Wang quit acting in 1997, but returned with the film in 2011 U Zia. Her final film was the 2013 Horror Classic Spirit.
He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan.
