Legendary Hong Kong actor and stuntman, Yuen Cheung Yan, known for his appearance in the 2004 Hong Kong action classic, Kung Fu Hustle, has passed away.
His widow has confirmed the tragic news, stating that he passed away peacefully at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on the afternoon of New Year’s Day (1 January)
Legendary Hong Kong actor and stuntman Yuen Cheung Yan has passed away
According to a Weibo post by a filmmaker who worked with him, Cheung Yan passed away due to an illness.
The late actor appeared briefly in Kung Fu Hustle, having only a few lines with a screen time of less than five minutes. Despite his limited appearance, Cheung Yan was widely remembered for his role in the film, in which he sold Kung Fu guidebooks, specifically the “Buddha Palm” to Stephen Chow’s character when the latter was a kid.
We’re sure the screenshot below will ring a bell.
His character then appeared again right before the end credits of the film, where he was persuading a young girl to purchase the guidebooks from him.
His line in the film, “I see you have extraordinary talent. You are a martial arts prodigy, one in a million,” remains a classic meme that goes viral online to this day.
He worked behind the scenes for over 100 films
His role in Kung Fu Hustle was not the only one for which he was known. Cheung Yan was one of the core members of the “Yuen Clan.” He was the son of the famous action choreographer Yuen Siu-tien and the younger brother of Yuen Woo-ping, who is known as the “Number One Action Choreographer in the World.”
Throughout his career, Cheung Yan worked behind the scenes on action design for hundreds of films and television series.
In 1991, he won the Best Action Choreography award at the 11th Hong Kong Film Awards for the film “Once Upon a Time in China.” According to the obituary issued by his widow, his funeral will be held on February 1st at the Mingde Hall on the 3rd floor of the World Funeral Parlour, followed by the burial the following day.
Cheung Yan was 69.
