# Chen Kuan-tai

Chen Kuan-tai (Chinese: 陳觀泰; born 24 September 1945) is a Hong Kong martial arts actor, director, and action choreographer. Chen rose to fame in the early 1970s for his movies with the Shaw Brothers Studio and is credited as being one of the film company's first professionally trained martial artists.

## Early life

Chen was born in Guangdong, China. At age 9, he was accepted as a pupil of kung fu practitioner Chan Sau Chung, founder of the Tai Sing Pek Kwar Martial Arts Association which specializes in monkey style kung fu. While studying in Pui Kiu Middle School, he excelled in athletics, notably in javelin and soccer. After graduating, he worked as a stuntman and action director, his first project being Chor Yuen's 1970 film, Cold Blade. Chen attracted the attention of Cantonese filmmakers in 1969 after winning a light-weight division championship in Singapore's National Skills Competition. He eventually signed with the Shaw Brothers Studio in November of 1971. Unlike his contemporaries, Chen did not adopt a stage name.

## Career

Chen had been cast in some two dozen films with Shaw Brothers playing tertiary roles, amongst them Jimmy Wang Yu's The Chinese Boxer (1970) and Chang Cheh's Vengeance (1970) before he was cast in the role of Ma Yung Chen by Chang in the latter's kung fu film, The Boxer from Shantung. The film was his first lead role. At the time, Chen had been working with Ng See-yuen on his independent film, The Bloody Fists (1972) and left mid-production to film Chang's movie. Released in 1972, The Boxer From Shantung was a commercial success, netting over HK $2 million in ticket sales and launched Chen into stardom overnight. By the mid-1970s, he had become one of Hong Kong's most famous kung fu stars and achieved several hits including The Teahouse (1974), Heroes Two (1974), Big Brother Cheng (1975), and The Flying Guillotine (1975). At the 20th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, Chen was awarded Most Popular Male Actor by the Taipei Press Association.
In 1976, the actor expanded his career into directing and in February that year, made his directional debut with the comedy film, The Simple-Minded Fellow. The film was a moderate success at the box office. In October, Chen continued directing and filming with independent film companies in Taiwan, resulting in the Shaw Brothers Studio filing and winning a temporary injunction against the actor that prohibited him from making movies with any other company other than Shaw Brothers. Chen was also ordered to pay HK $700,000 in subsidies. The dispute lasted for nearly two years resulting in him briefly leaving Shaw studio after completing Lau Kar-leung's Challenge of the Masters (1976) and Executioners from Shaolin (1977). Due to his legal dispute, the five films he made in Taiwan, including his second directional project Iron Monkey (1977), were withheld or frequently pulled from theaters. The case was eventually settled in 1978 and Chen would return to Shaw Brothers after signing a new four-year contract requiring him to make at maximum two films per year with the company. Upon his return, Chen starred in Chang Cheh's Crippled Avengers, a film credited as revitalizing the actor's career. He would remain with the Shaw Brothers until their closure in 1985. His 1980 film, Killer Constable, has been praised as one of the studio's best wuxia films.
To date, Chen has starred in 164 films, around 80 of which were with Shaw Brothers. He has gone on to direct five more films including Return to Action (1990) while his starring roles often focused on action, crime and, occasionally, comedy. He remains active in the Hong Kong film industry.

## Personal life

Chen was close friends with Chang Cheh and Ku Feng. He has cited Chang as his favorite director and credited Ku as helping him learn Mandarin.
Chen has been married four times. In 1976, he married fellow Shaw Brothers actress Cai Zhen-ni (stage name Ying Ying), with whom he has a daughter, Chen Yong-xi. Chen and Cai divorced in the following year. His second marriage was to Taiwanese actress and singer, Fong Yee-chun, with whom he has a son, Chen Jun-xiang. Chen and Fong later divorced. In 1990, he married Zhao Ting-ting in Australia, but the couple divorced a few years later. Chen married his fourth wife Tang Liping in 2017.
He owns a restaurant called Jimmy's Kitchen in Kolkata, India.
In 2012, Chen was expelled from the Tai Sing Pek Kwar Martial Arts Association due to a dispute with his mentor, Chan Sau Chung.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1969 | Two Sisters Who Steal | Thug | |
| 1969 | Redress | Robber with coloured face | |
| 1969 | Have Sword, Will Travel | Guard | |
| 1970 | Modern School Life | Peter | |
| 1970 | Wong Fei-Hung: Bravely Crushing the Fire Formation | | |
| 1970 | The Secret of the Dirk | Black Tiger Clan member | |
| 1970 | Cold Blade | | Producer, action director |
| 1970 | Vengeance | | |
| 1970 | The Chinese Boxer | Casino guard (uncredited) | |
| 1971 | Betrayer | Hung Tien-piao | |
| 1971 | The Duel | Liu Shou Yi's guard | |
| 1971 | Maria | Gang member | |
| 1971 | Story of Thirty-Six Killers | Jiao Meng | |
| 1971 | The Comet Strikes | Waiter | |
| 1971 | The Chase | | Action director |
| 1971 | The Deadly Duo | | |
| 1971 | Bus stop | | Action director |
| 1971 | The Invincible Iron Palm | | Action director |
| 1972 | Huo Tang De Ai Ren | | |
| 1972 | Many Faces of a Diamond | | |
| 1972 | The Boxer from Shantung | Ma Yung Chen | |
| 1972 | The Hurricane | | |
| 1972 | Impetuous Fire | Shi Di-Fen | |
| 1972 | The Water Margin | Tattooed Dragon Shih Chien | |
| 1972 | The Bloody Fight | Sun Ta-kuei | |
| 1972 | The Bloody Fists | Japanese long-haired boss | |
| 1972 | Young People | Ho Tai | |
| 1972 | Man of Iron | Chou Lien Huan | |
| 1972 | Four Riders | Li Wei-shi | |
| 1973 | Blood Brothers | Huang Chung | |
| 1973 | The House of 72 Tenants | Police constable | |
| 1973 | Thunderbolt | | Action director |
| 1973 | Iron Bodyguard | Wang Yu | |
| 1973 | The Savage 5 | Ma Dao | |
| 1973 | All Men Are Brothers | Shi Jin | |
| 1973 | The Bloody Escape | Bandit Gu Hui | |
| 1974 | The Teahouse | Wang 'Big Brother' Cheng | |
| 1974 | Heroes Two | Hung Hsi-kuan | |
| 1974 | The Savage Five | Ma Tao | |
| 1974 | Men from the Monastery | Hung Hsi-kuan | |
| 1974 | Hong Kong 73 | Ambulance driver | |
| 1974 | Five Tough Guys | Wu Wen-Yuan | |
| 1974 | The Two Faces of Love | | |
| 1974 | The Crazy Instructor | | Producer |
| 1975 | The Floating Clouds | Lo Chin-Ying | |
| 1975 | Big Brother Cheng | Hung 'Big Brother' Cheng | |
| 1975 | The Flying Guillotine | Ma Teng | |
| 1975 | Temperament of Life | | |
| 1975 | All Men Are Brothers | 'Tattooed Dragon' Shih Chen | |
| 1975 | Lover's Destiny | | |
| 1975 | The Imposter | Captain Lo Gin Yin | |
| 1975 | The Big Holdup | Ma Rulong | |
| 1975 | The Spiritual Boxer | Boxer #2 | |
| 1976 | Big Bad Sis | Big Brother Cheng | |
| 1976 | 7-Man Army | Chiang Ming-kun | |
| 1976 | Challenge of the Masters | Luk Ah Choy | |
| 1976 | King Gambler | Peng Tien-shih | |
| 1976 | The Simple-Minded Fellow | | Director |
| 1977 | Executioners from Shaolin | Hung Hsi Kuan | |
| 1977 | Hero of Shanghai | | |
| 1977 | Iron Monkey | Iron Monkey | Director |
| 1977 | Layout | Hsieh Hsiao-Lin | |
| 1977 | The Hero Tattoo with Nine Dragons | | Producer |
| 1977 | Go a Little Crazy | | Producer |
| 1978 | Crippled Avengers | Dao Tian-du | |
| 1978 | Duel at the Tiger Village | Cool Head | |
| 1978 | Invincible Monkey Fist | | Director, action director |
| 1979 | Big Boss of Shanghai | Wong Chun Yung | Director |
| 1979 | Iron Fists | Chiu Tien-Hsing | |
| 1979 | Invincible Enforcer | Min | |
| 1980 | The Master | Jin Tien-yun | |
| 1980 | Rendezvous with Death | Golden Staff Ku Fei Tien | |
| 1980 | Killer Constable | Leng Tian-Ying | |
| 1981 | Bloody Monkey Master | Iron Monkey | |
| 1981 | Red Rattlesnake | | |
| 1981 | Challenge of the Gamesters | | |
| 1981 | Notorious Eight | | |
| 1981 | The Battle for the Republic of China | Huang Ming-Hsuan | |
| 1981 | Dangerous Person | Inspector Chan | Director |
| 1981 | Notorious Eight | Zhou Shiqiang | |
| 1981 | Ambitious Kung Fu Girl | Qin Ge | |
| 1981 | Deadly Duo | | |
| 1982 | Don't Love Any Stranger | | |
| 1982 | Blood Brothers | | |
| 1982 | Human Lanterns | Tan Fu | |
| 1982 | Raiders | | |
| 1982 | The Tycoon | | |
| 1982 | New Pilgrims to the West | | |
| 1982 | Rolls, Rolls, I Love You | Mr. Cui Tung-Sing | |
| 1982 | Gang Master | Mang Yi-Tu | |
| 1982 | Little Flying Dragon | | |
| 1982 | Winner Takes All | Miyamoto | |
| 1982 | Dirty Trick | | |
| 1982 | Who Is the Killer? | | Director |
| 1982 | Seven Knights | | |
| 1982 | Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils | Ye-lut Hung-kei | |
| 1983 | Little Dragon Maiden | Guo Jing | |
| 1983 | Deadly Life of a Ninja | Chow Han-wei | |
| 1983 | The Black Magic with Buddha | Chin Ben | |
| 1983 | Mission Thunderbolt | | |
| 1983 | The Lost Generation | Paul | |
| 1983 | The Challenge of the Lady Ninja | Lee Tong | |
| 1984 | Opium and the Kung-Fu Master | Rong Feng | |
| 1984 | Shanghai 13 | Shen Gang Fu | |
| 1984 | Return of the Bastard Swordsman | Mochitsuki Soryu Han | |
| 1984 | Butcher | | |
| 1984 | The 3 Heroes | | |
| 1984 | Death Ring | | |
| 1984 | Majestic Thunderbolt | | |
| 1984 | Chak Sing | | |
| 1984 | I Will Finally Knock You Down, Dad! | | |
| 1985 | How to Choose a Royal Bride | Tian Di Hui chief | |
| 1985 | The Dancing Warrior | Rich man | |
| 1986 | Tai-Pan | Wung | Cameo role; First appearance in an English-speaking movie; credited as Chan Koon Tai |
| 1987 | Fortune Hunters | Leopard | |
| 1988 | Human Sentiment Law | | |
| 1988 | Long Fa Tang | | |
| 1988 | The Rebellious Husband | | |
| 1989 | Just Heroes | | |
| 1989 | The Sniping | | |
| 1989 | Angel's Mission | | |
| 1990 | Return to Action | Chen Yun Chan | Director, producer |
| 1990 | The Fortune Code | Triad boss gambler | |
| 1990 | Sleazy Dizzy | Chen Yuan Long | |
| 1990 | Forsaken Cop | | Producer |
| 1990 | Blood Stained Tradewind | | Producer |
| 1991 | Tri in Triad | | |
| 1991 | All Mighty Gambler | Tai | |
| 1991 | The Tigers | Hon-Wai | |
| 1991 | Today's Hero | Triad boss | |
| 1992 | Heroin Tunnel | | |
| 1992 | The Trouble Couple | | |
| 1992 | Gambling Soul | Policeman | |
| 1992 | Ghost Killer | | |
| 1992 | The World of Desire | Uncle Won | |
| 1993 | Bogus Cops | Officer Wu | |
| 1993 | Angel of the Road | | |
| 1993 | Shadow Cop | | |
| 1996 | How to Meet the Lucky Stars | Liu Tin | |
| 2001 | The Final Winner | Brother Cheng | |
| 2002 | The Era of Vampires | Zombie wrangler | |
| 2004 | Hero Youngster | Wei Bai-Hao | |
| 2004 | Fearful 24 Hours | Shih Jin Jiang | |
| 2005 | Where Is Mama's Boy? | Mad Cow | |
| 2006 | Dragon Tiger Gate | Ma Kun | |
| 2006 | My Wife Can Fight | | |
| 2007 | The Valiant Ones New | | |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Hip-Hop | Second uncle | |
| 2009 | Murderer | Tai | |
| 2010 | 14 Blades | Fazheng | |
| 2010 | Gallants | Dragon | |
| 2011 | White Vengeance | Qiu Ran | |
| 2012 | No Retreat | | |
| 2012 | The Man with the Iron Fists | Golden Lion | |
| 2013 | Conspirators | | |
| 2013 | 7 Assassins | | |
| 2013 | Glory Days | Brother Tai | |
| 2013 | The Real Iron Monkey | Iron Monkey | |
| 2014 | Once Upon a Time in Shanghai | Baldy Bai | |
| 2015 | The Master | Dojo head | |
| 2015 | The Choice: A Story of the Old Shanghai | | |
| 2016 | Cherry Returns | | |
| 2016 | Xin Gui Da Gui | | |
| 2016 | Muay Thai Girls | | |
| 2016 | Shed Skin Papa | Brother Tai | |
| 2017 | The Hidden Sword | Master Kong | |
| 2017 | Dealer/Healer | | |
| 2017 | An Idiot Lost in Xiangxi | | |
| 2018 | Burning Summer | | |
| 2018 | Keyboard Warriors | | |
| 2018 | Iceman: The Time Traveler | Eunuch Wei | |
| 2019 | Real You, Fake Me | | |
| 2022 | Legendary in Action! | Master Dragon | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980 | Blowing in the Wind | Shi Jiawei | |
| 1980 | Dai dey yan ching | Lee Dai-sek | |
| 1983 | Never Bow Down | Zeng Zhanpeng | |
| 1983 | Never Bow Down sequel | Zeng Zhanpeng | |
| 1983 | Super Hero | Lei Huaiwu | |
| 1984 | Looking back suddenly | | |
| 1986 | The Romance of the White Hair Maiden | Ngok Ming-or | |
| 1986 | A generation of heroes | Tan Si | director |
| 1987 | Pretty girl good luck | | |
| 1990 | Pioneer of Integrity (Third Series) | Zhu Taixing | |
| 1991 | Sai Jinhua | Lu Yufang | |
| 2000 | The Duke of Mount Deer | Hong Antong | |
| 2000 | Mi Xia | | |
| 2002 | The Legendary Siblings 2 | Ye Tianzhao | |
| 2004 | Yixinren | | |
| 2005 | dangerous person | Liu Youxing | Episode 9 "Betting on Life" |
| 2008 | JingWuChenZhen | Ichiro Watanabe | |
| 2010 | Who's the Hero | Fu Xiaobo | |
| 2010 | Detective Tanglang | Sheng Ting Fan | |
| 2013 | Bloody Island | Hiroshi Fujiwara | |
| 2017 | Psycho Detective | Deputy Director Chen | |
| 2019 | fantasy adventure king | He Baiqin | |