Leo Fong
Leo Fong (; 23 November 1928 – 18 February 2022) was a Chinese-American actor, martial artist, boxer, and Methodist minister who had been making films, acting, and directing since the early 1970s. Background. Fong was born in the Xinhui district of the city of Jiangmen, located in the province of Guangzhou in 1928. Fong soon relocated to Seattle with his parents and siblings. They were detained for a time, as was common with immigrants from Asia. Upon being released in Seattle, the family traveled to Chicago, where Fong's maternal uncle owned a restaurant in which his father had  been guaranteed work. Working at the restaurant, Fong's father saved enough money to purchase a small grocery store in Widener, Arkansas, a small agricultural community. Fong was the victim of racial taunts at school, which often led to fights. Fong eventually took up boxing at age 15. After graduating from Forrest City High School, Fong attended Hendrix College in Arkansas, where he received a B.A. in physical education. He later received a master's degree in theology from Southern Methodist University. After beginning his career as a Methodist minister, he earned a Master of Social Work from California State  University, Sacramento. Fong remained in Northern California, where he continued his martial arts training. His entry into eastern martial arts began in the 1950s with judo and jiu jitsu. Fong has studied and practiced various martial arts styles until he developed his own style, Wei Kuen Do. Fong was a friend of martial artist Bruce Lee, who arranged for him to appear on the cover of the 10th anniversary edition of "Black Belt" magazine. Film career. 1970s to 1990s. The first film in which he acted was "Murder In The Orient" (1974), a Filipino martial arts exploitation film that co -starred Ron Marchini and also featured Eva Reyes and Rodolfo 'Boy' Garcia. In 1975, he starred in "Bamboo Trap" with Filipino actors George Estregan, Chanda Romero, Eddie Garcia, Rez Cortez and Ron van Clief. Since the late 1970s, Fong has branched out into writing, directing, and producing films. Some of his films in the seventies to mid-'80s featured the same stock of actors, Cameron Mitchell, Hope Holiday and Stack Pierce. 2000s. A more recent film of his is "Transformed", a 2005 film with Christian themes and anti-drug message that featured Tadashi Yamashita and Fred Williamson. This was the second  time that he had appeared in a film with Williamson. The first was "Blind Rage", a 1978 film about a gang of blind men who rob a bank. As well as acting in "Transformed", he also directed and produced it, composed the theme song and was involved in the editing. His latest film work includes "Drifter TKD", a 2008 film in which he played Master Lee and "The Last Musketeer," which he produced. Fong co-starred in the 2018 film, "Challenge of Five Gauntlets," which was directed by Len Kabasinski. Personal life and death. Fong died on 18 February 2022 , at the age of 93. Selected filmography. Actor Fighting Style. Wei Kuen Do (Way of the Integrated Fist): A complete system based on its roots in Jeet Kune Do, Serrada Escrima, Western Boxing, Choy Lay Fut, Northern Shaolin, Wrestling, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Arnis, and Wing Chun. As of March 24, 2017 Leo Fong assigned a three-man council to continue promoting and overseeing his art of Wei Kuen Do. The council members are Jeff Jeds, Klein Buen, and Bong Tumaru.