Jimmy Wang Yu
Chinese-Taiwanese actor and filmmaker (1943-2022)
- Born
- 28 March 1943, Shanghai
- Died
- 5 April 2022
- Citizenship
- Taiwan, People's Republic of China
- Occupation
- actor, film director, screenwriter, film actor, writer
- Films here
- 26 (6 as director, 26 as cast)
Jimmy Wang Yu (28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and its sequels, and was one of the first major stars of martial arts and wuxia cinema. At the height of his fame in the 1970s, he was the highest-paid martial arts actor in the world. According to The New York Times, Wang was "the biggest star of Asian martial arts cinema until the emergence of Bruce Lee."
Wang Yu was well known for his volatile personality and ties to organized crime off-screen. He was a suspected member of the Bamboo Union triad, and was charged in the 1981 murder of several Four Seas Gang members, though he was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
Filmography (martial arts films)
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The One-Armed Swordsman | Cast |
| 1970 | The Chinese Boxer | Cast |
| 1970 | The Chinese Boxer | Director |
| 1971 | The Hero | Cast |
| 1971 | Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman | Cast |
| 1971 | Blood of the Dragon | Cast |
| 1972 | Wang Yu, King of Boxers | Cast |
| 1972 | Royal Fist | Cast |
| 1972 | One Armed Boxer | Cast |
| 1972 | One Armed Boxer | Director |
| 1972 | Chow Ken | Cast |
| 1972 | Furious Slaughter | Cast |
| 1972 | The Lion's Heart | Cast |
| 1973 | Queen of Fist | Cast |
| 1973 | The Two Cavaliers | Cast |
| 1973 | Knight Errant | Cast |
| 1973 | A Man Called Tiger | Cast |
| 1974 | The Dragon Squad | Cast |
| 1974 | The Dragon Squad | Director |
| 1974 | He Has Nothing But Kung Fu | Cast |
| 1974 | The Man from Hong Kong | Cast |
| 1975 | Tiger and Crane Fist | Cast |
| 1975 | Tiger and Crane Fist | Director |
| 1976 | A Queen's Ransom | Cast |
| 1976 | Master of the Flying Guillotine | Cast |
| 1976 | Master of the Flying Guillotine | Director |
| 1976 | Killer Meteors | Cast |
| 1976 | Killer Meteors | Director |
| 1982 | Fantasy Mission Force | Cast |
| 1988 | Dragons Forever | Cast |
| 1990 | Island of Fire | Cast |
| 2002 | Kung Pow! Enter the Fist | Cast |
Frequent collaborators
- Lung Fei
- Mao Shan
- Wong Fei-lung
- Ting Shan-hsi
- Jen-Ping Su
- Jackie Chan
- Tien Yeh
- Wang Yung-Sheng
- Hsieh Han
- Chin Kang
- Lau Kar-wing
- Sammo Hung
- Chiao Chiao
- Su Han
- Chang Yi
- Ching-Ching Chang
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q703153 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.