Gordon Liu Chia-hui, born Sin Kam-hei, is one of Hong Kong’s most accomplished – and most loved – martial arts stars. Liu had a stroke in 2011 and suffered partial right side paralysis. He has been recuperating in a nursing home ever since.
Here are a few things to know about the living legend that is Gordon Liu. Liu developed an interest in learning kung fu as a child after seeing martial arts films at the cinema with his uncle. But his parents were dead set against him studying martial arts, as they thought it would lead to him getting into fights.
“When I was a kid, I was really naughty and would try to avoid going to school. Then, when I saw Lau Cham, I knew kung fu was something I had to learn, and that kung fu would be an important part of my life. So now I had an excuse to skip school to train in martial arts,” Liu told Kung Fu Magazine.
Liu chose to study the “southern fist” style of Hung Gar, as it was hard and he wanted to challenge himself, he said. Lau Kar-leung had made his name as a martial arts choreographer for the influential director Chang Cheh in the 1960s. When Chang moved to Taiwan to set up an unofficial Shaw Brothers production subsidiary in 1974, Lau went with him and suggested that Liu should join them as an actor.
Lau had previously got Liu some work as an extra, as well a starring role in in 1973, but Liu was not seriously considering an acting career. At that time, he had an office job in an accountancy firm. “Lau wanted me to take .
