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Al Leong

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Al Leong
Born
Albert Leong

(1952-09-30) September 30, 1952 (age 72)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesAl "Ka Bong" Leong
Occupation(s)Stuntman, actor

Albert Leong (born September 30, 1952), also known as Al "Ka Bong" Leong, is an American stuntman and actor.[1] Characterized by his martial arts skills (including Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Kali, and Jujutsu)[citation needed], long wavy hair, and a prominent Fu Manchu moustache, he has had a number of small but memorable roles as a henchman in many popular action films, including Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. He is also notable for his role as Genghis Khan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

He collaborated with director John Carpenter in Big Trouble in Little China and They Live. Such appearances have garnered him a cult following.[2][3]

Life

Leong was born in St. Louis, Missouri.[4][5] The youngest of three children born to Chinese American parents, he grew up behind the Chinese laundry that they owned. In 1962, when he was ten years old, they moved to Los Angeles. Leong attended Hollywood High School.[6]

Leong had brain cancer in 1993 and suffered a stroke in 2005.[7]

Career

His credits include Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Joshua Tree, Big Trouble in Little China, The Scorpion King, and They Live.[1] and a recurring role on the first season of the TV series 24. He also portrayed an out-of-time Genghis Khan in the comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. In 2003, Leong lampooned himself as well as the Hollywood tradition of actor and director 'reels' by starring in screenwriter David Callaham's "Writer's Reel."[8] In the five-minute short film, Leong portrayed Callaham going through a typical day in the life of a writer. The 'reel' was accepted into a number of short film festivals.[9]

As a stuntman, Leong was involved with the production of numerous films including The Golden Child, Last Action Hero, Roland Emmerich's Godzilla, Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, and Daredevil. He also has made appearances on several television shows such as Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I., The Twilight Zone, T. J. Hooker, MacGyver, That '70s Show, and HBO's Deadwood. He wrote and directed the low-budget film Daddy Tell Me a Story....

Filmography

Year Title Role Other notes
1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie Vietnamese Villager (Segment #1)
1983 Off the Wall Mount Joy Cheerleader
1984 Protocol The Chef
1985 My Science Project Vietnamese Soldier Uncredited
1986 Big Trouble Chinese Laborer #2
1986 Big Trouble in Little China Wing Kong Hatchet Man
1986 Running Scared Henchman Uncredited
1987 Lethal Weapon Endo
1987 Steele Justice Long Hair
1988 She's Having a Baby The Photographer
1988 Action Jackson Dellaplane’s Chauffeur
1988 Die Hard Uli
1988 They Live Resistance Member Uncredited
1989 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Genghis Khan
1989 Cage Joe "Tiger Joe" Lowell
1989 Black Rain Sato's Assassin Uncredited
1989 Savage Beach Fu
1990 I Come in Peace Luggage Salesman
1990 Aftershock Fighter Uncredited
1990 Death Warrant Bruce
1991 The Perfect Weapon Man In Croc-Pit Bar Also stunts, Uncredited
1991 Showdown in Little Tokyo Thug Also stunts, Uncredited
1992 Steel Justice Guard #2
1992 Rapid Fire Minh
1992 Hard Hunted Raven
1993 Joshua Tree Chinese Gunman #9
1993 Last Action Hero Thug Uncredited
1993 Hot Shots! Part Deux Pit-Fighting Fan Also stunts
1994 Beverly Hills Cop III Car Mechanic Also stunts, Uncredited
1994 The Shadow Tibetan Driver
1994 Vanishing Son III Triad Lieutenant #1
1994 Double Dragon Lewis Also stunts
1994 Deadly Target Guard
1996 Escape from L.A. Saigon Shadow Warrior Also stunts
1997 Tuff Luk Klub Cousin Ming
1998 The Replacement Killers Wei's Gunmen Uncredited
1998 Godzilla Japanese Fisherman Also stunts, Uncredited
1998 Lethal Weapon 4 Wah Sing Ku Triad Member Uncredited
1998 Limo Hack
2000 Daddy Tell Me a Story... Al Ka Bong
2001 The Ghost Wu's Thug #2
2002 The Scorpion King Asian Training Master
2005 Confessions of an Action Star Evil Doctor
2005 Forbidden Warrior Yang Sze
2014 Awesome Asian Bad Guys Al (2013)

Television

Year Title Role Episode Date Other notes
1983 The A-Team Thug At Boat The Maltese Falcon (episode # 2.13) 1983-12-13
1983 The A-Team Asian-Looking Thug Lease with an Option to Die (episode # 4.4) 1985-10-22
1983 The Greatest American Hero Uncredited Extra Thirty Seconds Over Little Tokyo (episode # 39) 1983-02-03
1983 Hart to Hart Tai-Chi Man Year of the Dog (episode # 5.10) 1983-12-13
1985 MacGyver Wayne H. Lim Murderers' Sky (episode # 3.20) 1988-05-09
1986 Riptide Mr. Yeem The Frankie Kahana Show (episode # 3.13) 1986-02-11
1986 Renegade "The Dragon", Yakuza Boss Samurai (Season 1 Episode 14)
1986 T. J. Hooker Nabutsu Hood #1 (uncredited) Blood Sport (episode # 5.88) 1986-05-21
1986 The Equalizer Unknown China Rain (episode # 1.2)
1994 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Unknown The Warlord Also stunt coordinator
2000 24 Neill Four episodes of first season
2000 That '70s Show Kung-Fu Master / Ninja Warrior Jackie Moves On (episode # 2.22) 2000-04-03

Music videos

Further reading

  • Leong, Al (August 1, 2011). The Eight Lives of Al Ka-Bong Leong. Al Leong. ISBN 978-0-615-38499-3.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Al Leong". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; July 22, 2014 suggested (help)
  2. ^ "Al Leong". Hey! It's That Guy!. Fametracker. August 8, 2001. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  3. ^ As of June 2007, the fan site Al Leong: Cinematic Legend Archived October 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine campaigns for Leong to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Taurus World Stunt Awards and an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award.
  4. ^ An Exclusive Interview with Al Leong Archived April 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, World Wide Dojo
  5. ^ A chat with Al Leong – martial artist & stuntman extraordinaire — Chiller Theatre, Planetchocko.com
  6. ^ Taylor, Trey (October 30, 2013). "Al Leong: death becomes him". Dazed. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  7. ^ McNeil, Jason William (November 1, 2015). "8 Things You Didn't Know About Al Leong". Black Belt.
  8. ^ "David Callaham: Writer Reel (2004)". IMDb.
  9. ^ "4th Bearded Child Film Festival". Bearded Child Film Festival.
  10. ^ Leong, Al (August 1, 2011). The Eight Lives of Al Ka-Bong Leong. Al Leong. ISBN 978-0-615-38499-3.
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