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Chen Sing was born in Thailand in 1936. He moved to Hong Kong at some point, possibly as early as the late 1950’s, and began working in films. IMDB lists him as an uncredited extra for Around the World in 80 Days, released in 1959, which may have been his earliest screen appearance. By the 1970’s he had graduated from bit parts to featured roles to starring, usually as the heavy, in both studio and independent films. In this period he supplemented his income by working as a physical fitness and martial arts instructor in the Hong Kong prison system. According to his son George, Chen appeared in about 200 movies. But by the early 1990’s, with the end of Hong Kong’s status as a British colony approaching, Chen decided he’d had enough. In 1996, newly married, he moved with his Indonesian/Chinese wife Elizabeth and infant son George first to Indonesia, and soon thereafter to Vancouver, where he still lives in retirement.

Like Pai Ying and Chen Hung Lieh, Chen Sing was pretty much typecast right from the beginning for villain roles. His exotic Southeast Asian features, his mustache, and his great strength marked him as different from the smooth-faced, Eurasian-looking actors favored by the big Hong Kong studios. Also, his kung fu style was nothing like Bruce Lee’s precision or the flashy high-kicking Northern styles favored by taller actors. What Chen brought to his roles was his unique combination of great physical strength and ferocious intensity – what Bruce Lee described as emotional content. With his eyes blazing and his hands opened like eagle’s talons clawing the air, Chen was magnificent even if you were rooting for the young hero to kill him. And it can be a stunning revelation to see him cast against type as an heroic undercover agent battling vicious crooks (Tough Guy, 1972) or Japanese subversives Yasuaki Kurata (Tiger vs. Dragon, 1972 or Rage of the Wind, 1973).

According to his wife, she never really acculturated to Canada enough to learn English. She has learned to eat some non-oriental foods, but Mr. Chen is still very traditional and eats several bowls of rice a day. Pictures from his son’s birthday celebrations show that his hairline has receded somewhat, but he still looks very fit and strong.