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Statistics : 11630 Movies 19215 People 1448 Studios 29 Articles 73 Interviews 12 DVD Reviews 32452 Screenshots 3722 Videos
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Biography |
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As the elder brother of martial arts diva Kara Hui Ying Hung, actor and choreographer Austin Wai's career may not be as high profile as his sister's, but he still managed to make a name for himself in the wuxia genre as a supporting player for both movies and TV serials.
Wai was born in 1957 from a refugee family with Manchu ancestry. His physical abilities were honed through his childhood at the Spring and Autumn Peking Opera Academy of Madame Fen Ju-hua, where he trained alongside such future Hong Kong cinema luminaries as Meng Hoi, Lam Ching Ying and Hsiao Ho.
While still a teenager, Austin Wai's first recorded film appearance was a small part in the Shaw Brothers kung-fu flick Thunderbolt Fist. Later on, like his fellow Peking opera brethren, he worked as a stuntman and martial arts extra for among others Shaw Brothers and Sammo Hung's stunt team. His physical talents got noticed and he was cast in fighting henchmen type part for such movies as Avenging Eagle, Incredible Kung Fu Master and Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber II. His first big break came when Shaw Brothers cast him as one out of a trio of Jackie Chan-style “kung-fu kids” for their very first martial-arts comedy Five Super Fighters. It was here that he got to truly showcase his abilities, not only in martial performance, but also his screen charisma and a touch of comic flair. Subsequently Shaw's cast him in two wuxia style movies, Killer Constable and Magnificent Spearman, but a bad back injury incapacitated him and brought a halt to Wai's initial foray into playing leads.
Once recovered, he continued his career as a supporting martial player for Shaw Brothers wuxia pian productions in such films as Convict Killer, Heroes Shed No Tears and The Ambitious Kung Fu Girl. At one point he was hired by independent producer/director Lo Wei to replaced Jackie Chan himself for a follow-up to the hit Fearless Hyena. It was Wai's second and final kung-fu kid role but as the movie was released only after many years it's did'nt seem to have done much for Wai's carreer. His second chance at the big time came with the film Gang Master, playing a rebel patriot accused of being a Mongol spy (which is somewhat ironic considering Austin Wai's own Manchu ancestry). Unfortunately, the film turned out to be a box-office dud.
Wai finally got his time in the limelight, but on the small screen rather than the big one, playing roles in television wuxia serials produced by the TVB channel (also owned by the Shaw Brothers). These not only made good use of his physical skills but his smouldering looks and sorrowful gaze as well, making him perfectly suited to play mysterious brooding swordsmen such series as Demi Gods And Semi Devils (1982), Legend Of The Condor Heroes (1983), The return of Luk Siu Fung (1983) Foundation(1983), New Adventures Of Chor Lau Heung (1984), just to name a few.
Wai's steady television work kept him out of the movies for the better part of the eighties, with the notable exception of Final Test, a rare Hong Kong sci-fi entry, where he choreographed the action and played the lead role. His true return to the movies began in 1989, working as both supporting actor and action choreographer in wuxia pictures and action thrillers. Among his movies from this period are Pom Pom And Hot Hot (as the white-clad assassin) and The Blade (as the hero's grizzled adoptive father). He also played a small part in the tragic actioner Burning Ambition, the only known time that he shared the screen with his younger sister Kara Hui. He worked as a choreographer only intermittently after 1990, but was nominated for a Golden Horse Award for his work on a Generation Pendragon. (1999)
Austin Wai continued to work both on the big and small screens up to 2010, often playing elder police officer-types One Nite In Mongkok,Sha Po Lang, Flashpoint). Afterwards, as did many aging actors, Wei transitioned into business ventures outside the film industry. He passed away in his home in Bejing in early October of 2012 at only 55 years of age.
Yves Gendron (November 2012) |
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Filmography |
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Alternate lists by alpha / genre / year |
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Title
( HK - All )
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Year |
Activity ( Year - Title ) |
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Action Director |
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Burning Ambition |
1989 |
Action Director |
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Final Test, The |
1987 |
Action Director |
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Fortune Code, The |
1989 |
Action Director |
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Happy Partner |
1993 |
Action Director |
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Sword Stained With Royal Blood, The |
1993 |
Action Director |
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Assistant Action Director |
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Crazy Partner |
1979 |
Assistant Action Director |
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Actor |
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36th Chamber Of Shaolin, The |
1978 |
Actor |
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Action In Border |
1991 |
Actor |
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All Men Are Brothers : Blood Of The Leopard |
1993 |
Actor |
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Ambitious Kung Fu Girl |
1981 |
Actor |
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Avenging Eagle |
1978 |
Actor |
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Blade, The |
1995 |
Actor |
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Bruce Lee - The Invincible |
1978 |
Actor |
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Burning Ambition |
1989 |
Actor |
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Convict Killer, The |
1980 |
Actor |
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Crazy Partner |
1979 |
Actor |
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D7 SDU |
2000 |
Actor |
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Deadly Breaking Sword, The |
1979 |
Actor |
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Deadly Island |
1994 |
Actor |
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Demi Gods And Semi Devils I : Six Meridians Divine Sword |
1982 |
Actor |
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Fatal Flying Guillotines, The |
1977 |
Actor |
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Fearless Hyena II |
1983 |
Actor |
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Final Test, The |
1987 |
Actor |
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Firefox's Killer |
1990 |
Actor |
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Fist Power |
1999 |
Actor |
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Five Super Fighters |
1979 |
Actor |
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Flash Point |
2007 |
Actor |
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Fortune Code, The |
1989 |
Actor |
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Foundation, The |
1984 |
Actor |
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Full Moon Scimitar |
1979 |
Actor |
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Funeral, The |
2007 |
Actor |
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Gang Master |
1982 |
Actor |
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Generation Consultant |
1990 |
Actor |
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Ghostly Love |
1990 |
Actor |
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He Has Nothing But Kung Fu |
1977 |
Actor |
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Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre, Part II |
1978 |
Actor |
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Heroes Shed No Tears |
1980 |
Actor |
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High Tension Crime |
1999 |
Actor |
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I Corrupt All Cops |
2009 |
Actor |
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Incredible Kung Fu Master, The |
1979 |
Actor |
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Insuperable Kid |
2005 |
Actor |
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Iron Fisted Monk, The |
1977 |
Actor |
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King Of Debt Collecting Agent, The |
1999 |
Actor |
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Kung Fu Vs Yoga |
1979 |
Actor |
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Kung Fu Wing Chun |
2010 |
Actor |
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Lama Avenger, The |
1979 |
Actor |
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Legend Of The Condor Heroes, The |
1983 |
Actor |
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Master Of Zen |
1994 |
Actor |
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Moonlight Express |
1999 |
Actor |
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New Adventures Of Chor Lau Heung, The |
1984 |
Actor |
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No Time For Two |
1999 |
Actor |
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Once A Black Sheep |
1992 |
Actor |
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One Nite In Mongkok |
2004 |
Actor |
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Pom Pom And Hot Hot |
1992 |
Actor |
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Rebellion |
2009 |
Actor |
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Reincarnated 2 |
1993 |
Actor |
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Return To The 36th Chamber |
1980 |
Actor |
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Sha Po Lang |
2005 |
Actor |
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Shaolin Hand Lock |
1978 |
Actor |
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Shaolin Plot, The |
1977 |
Actor |
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Supreme Swordsman, The |
1983 |
Actor |
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Thunderbolt Fist, The |
1972 |
Actor |
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True Hero, The |
1994 |
Actor |
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Twilight Of The Forbidden City, The |
1992 |
Actor |
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Unpublicizable File, The |
1993 |
Actor |
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Voyage Of Emperor Chien Lung, The |
1978 |
Actor |
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Whampoa Blues |
1990 |
Actor |
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What Price Honesty ? |
1979 |
Actor |
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Who's Next |
2007 |
Actor |
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Woman In Lust |
1993 |
Actor |
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Brief appearance |
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Banquet, The |
1991 |
Brief appearance |
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Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars |
1985 |
Brief appearance |
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Stuntman |
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Game Of Death, The |
1978 |
Stuntman |
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