John Liu (actor)

John Liu
Born	Liu Chung Liang 劉忠良 (1944-05-20)May 20, 1944 Taiwan
Occupation	actor
Years active	1972-2006

Liu Chung Liang (Commonly credited as John Liu) is a Taiwanese actor and martial artist. He mostly appeared in low budget Taiwanese action/martial art movies.

Martial arts

When Liu was young, he get to learn martial arts from his grandfather. From the range of Japanese Karate and mixed martial art styles. In 1960s, when he moved back to Taiwan, it was then he get to meet Tan Tao-liang who was a martial arts instructor from University. According to Tan, Liu was not really flexible with his leg work. Because of Tan's method of Taekwondo leg skills, Liu was able to get to have a flexible leg work.

Film career

Liu made his debut in 1972's Taiwanese martial art movie Great Boxer as a role of Yanoryu Karateka, although the box office wise it flopped. His real success came from the movie Secret Rivals, alongside with Hwang Jang-lee and Don Wong Tao. Director Ng See-yuen further more brought Liu to the attention, with the likes of films such as Snuff Bottle Connection and Secret Rivals 2. Combining with amazing choreographs from the likes of Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen and Alan Chui Chung-San, Liu's leg showcase was fantastic on films.

Directing and Zen Kwan Do

In 1981, Liu set up his own production company under the name John Liu's (H.K.) Film Corp, initially directing 3 low budget action movie that are all based in Paris and Mexico. Liu has made total of 3 films, including Zen Kwan Do Strikes Paris (1981), In the Claws of CIA (1981) and Dragon Blood (1982), all of them in which got the poor reputation among the John Liu fans. Ever since his down fall of his directed films, he retired from the film business and start to develop his own martial art form, known as Zen Kwan Do, where it is named after his sifu Liu Zen. Liu's martial art form is based on Lau Gar kung fu with mixture of Tae Kwon Do and Karate. The form has been spread through the 80s in Paris while Liu was shooting Zen Kwon Do Strikes Paris. While the form itself is generally unknown by many other martial art fans and students, Zen Kwan Do has become one of the popular format in France.

Retirement and after

Liu has returned to the big screen for one last time in Robert Tai's Trinity Goes East in 1998 and once more in Il giorno + bello (Any Reason Not To Get Married?) as a cameo appearance in 2006.

Partial filmography

• Il giorno + bello (2006) - as Street Vendor (Cameo, Final Movie Appearance)
• Trinity Goes East (1998) - as Paschy (Producer)
• Dragon Blood (1982) - as Liu (Director, Producer, Scriptwriter)
• Secret Rivals 3 (1982) - as Shao Yi Fei
• Zen Kwan Do Strikes Paris (1981) - as John Liu (Deputy Director, Producer, Scriptwriter)
• In the Claws of CIA (1981) - as John Liu/James Liu (2 Roles)(Director, Producer, Scriptwriter)
• Fighting Ace (1979) - as Chee Kao
• The Mar's Villa (1979) - as Ma Tien Lang
• Death Duel of Kung Fu (1979) - as Sung Hsin
• The Dragon, the Hero (1979) - as Tu Wu Shen
• Incredible Kung Fu Mission (1979) - as Shao Ting Kang
• Struggle Through Death (1979) - as Lung Kang
• Two Great Cavaliers (1978) - as Oh Yang Chun
• Shaolin Ex Monk (1978) - as Ling Chu Fei
• The Incredible Kung Fu Trio (1978) - as Luk Ah Chai
• Secret Rivals 2 (1977) - as Shao Yi Fei
• The Invincible Armour (1977) - as Chow Wu Feng
• The Instant Kung Fu Man (1977) - as Wu Kam
• Snuff Bottle Connection (1977) - as Shao Ting Shang
• Secret Rivals (1975) - as Shao Yi Fei (Debut)
• Los Kalatrava Contra el Imperio del Karate (1973) - Cameo
• The Great Boxer (1972) - as Yanoryu Karateka - Cameo

External links

• John Liu at IMDb
• Profile of John Liu