Lam Ching Ying
Lam Ching Ying (林正英; maiden name: Lam Gun-bo 林 根寶; * December 27, 1952 , † November 8, 1997 ) was a Chinese actor , stunt performer and director . Lam was known for his stoic portrayal of Taoist priests in the hit vampire comedies of the 1980s and often played the sifu (master).
biography
Early career
Lam Ching Ying was born the third of seven children. In Hong Kong he attended the Shun Yi Association School up to the 10th grade. In 1963 he joined the Beijing Opera School in Hong Kong, which was run by Madame Fan Fok-fa (Fun Guk-fa), who was a competitor to the Beijing Opera School of Yu Jim-Yuen , where Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung were at the same time were trained. A year after joining, Lam made his first public appearance.
At the age of 17, Lam became a stuntman and martial arts trainer at the Shaw Brothers Studios . Due to his slim appearance, he was often the representative of female actresses.
At 19, he became an assistant on Bruce Lee's film The Big Boss . After The Big Boss , Lam continued to work with Bruce Lee until his death.
In 1982, Lam won the Hong Kong Film Award for his role in The Prodigal Son . He also demonstrated his acting talent as a frail old Taoist priest in The Dead And The Deadly (1983).
In 1985 he had great success with the release of Mr. Vampire , the film that spawned the over-the-top hopping vampire genre.
1990s
The success of Mr. Vampire eventually became onerous for the actor, who was now undergoing a type conversion. The hopping vampire genre also began to lose popularity and major roles were few and far between.
Lam Ching Ying's directorial debut was the film Green Hornet (1994), based on the series with Bruce Lee.
In 1995, Lam was offered the lead role in a television series called Vampire Expert . The series was a complete success. A second season aired in 1996, and in 1997 production began on the third season. However, production was stopped when Lam Ching Ying became seriously ill.
Lam died on November 8, 1997 at St. Theresa's Hospital in Hong Kong.
The 1998 series My Date with a Vampire was dedicated to him.
Private
From 1983 to 1988, Lam Ching Ying was married to Cheng Bing Bing, with whom he has two children.
Lam died of liver cancer in 1997.
Trivia
Shortly after the release of "Mr. Vampire", Golden Harvest wanted to turn this film into a western version with Tanya Roberts (of "Charlie's Angels") and Jack Scalia . Due to various difficulties, the film was never made.
Filmography (selection)
1990s
1980s
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1970s
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Web links
- Lam Ching-ying in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lam, Ching Ying |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese actor and director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 27, 1952 |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 8, 1997 |