Gordon Liu Chia-hui^[a][2] (bornSin Kam-hei^[b], 22 August 1955)^[3] is a retired Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and filmmaker, best known for his roles inmartial arts films. He was of the biggest male stars ofShaw Brothers Studio's martial arts cinema during the 1970s and 1980s.^[4]

Born inGuangdong, Liu studiedHung Gakung fu at the school founded byLau Kar-leung's father, Lau Cham.^[5] He entered theHong Kong film industry as a stuntman. His early acting credits include minor roles in several Hong Kongkung fu films, including the Shaw Brothers-produced5 Shaolin Masters (1974). He went on to appear in many Shaw Brothers films, such asChallenge of the Masters (1976), in which he portrayed the folk heroWong Fei Hung,Executioners from Shaolin (1977),The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), in which he played the lead role asShaolin heroSan Te,Dirty Ho (1979),Return to the 36th Chamber (1980),Martial Club (1981),The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984), andDisciples of the 36th Chamber (1985). By the late-1980’s, he had begun accepting smaller roles, such as inLau Kar-leung'sTiger on the Beat (1988). In 1993, he appeared oppositeJet Li inLast Hero in China.

Liu made his American film debut in 2003. He played two roles inQuentin Tarantino'sKill Bill films: Johnny Mo, the leader of the Crazy 88yakuza gang inVolume 1 (2003), andkung fumasterPai Mei inVolume 2 (2004). Other than being a staple in Hong Kong action movies and his foray into Hollywood, Liu also made hisBollywood debut in 2009'sChandni Chowk to China.

In 2020, Liu was inducted into theMartial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame.^[6]

Liu was bornSin Kam-hei (traditional Chinese:冼錦熙;simplified Chinese:冼锦熙) inFoshan,Guangdong Province,China on 22 August 1955, prior to his adoption into another family.^[7] He is often wrongly cited as being the adopted son of Lau Cham, and adoptive brother of directors and actorsLau Kar-leung (Liu Chia-liang) andLau Kar-wing (Liu Chia-yung). He was not adopted by the family, but is Lau Cham's godson, and adopted his surname (traditional Chinese:劉;simplified Chinese:刘;pinyin:Liú;Jyutping:Lau⁴) as hisprofessional name.^[8]

In his youth (ages 15–20), he skipped school to train inChinese martial arts without his parents' knowledge. He trained at Lau Cham's martial arts school ofHung Gar discipline, which descended fromWong Fei-hung's grand student (father toLau Kar Leung). Lau Cham's wife assisted in his training and due to the friendship and respect Liu felt for Lau and his wife, he took on the name Lau Ka-fai. As he grew up, he found a job as a shipping clerk to make ends meet. His interests had always been towards martial arts and he was eventually offered a role by Lau Kar-leung.

Liu's first break was with Chang's Film Company (aShaw Brothers subsidiary operating inTaiwan) acting small parts for such films as5 Shaolin Masters,Shaolin Martial Arts, and4 Assassins. He starred inChallenge of the Masters (1976), as the folk heroWong Fei Hung, and was featured inExecutioners From Shaolin (1977) before starring in his signature role asShaolin hero San Te inThe 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

The tale of the imperialistic struggle, while not a new one, was significant for the intense focus placed on the inner workings of Shaolin Temple itself. San Te, Liu's character, overcomes the temple's thirty-five chambers as he unwittingly undergoes the rigorous training regimen imposed by the temple's Head Abbott on the pretext of "earning" a right to study martial arts there.

The "zero-to-hero" tale turned Liu into an international icon in spite of a frame far slighter than that of the folk hero himself (known as "Iron Arms" for the muscularity of his physique) and paved the way for a very healthy working schedule into the mid-1990s, even as younger, more agile martial artists eventually emerged. By the late 1980s, he had begun accepting smaller roles, such as inLau Kar-leung'sTiger on the Beat.

Liu has also been active in television, and was contracted toHong Kong'sTVB company for many years, continuing playing roles as a martial arts master. Though still performing some martial arts roles, he is at home as well in comedic, self-deprecatory or emotional characters. His second-most common role in TVB has been playing aHong Kong Police Force officer^{[citation needed]}.

Quentin Tarantino had long been a fan of Liu, and hoped to find him a role in one of his movies. This eventually came to pass with the roles of Johnny Mo and Master Pai Mei in Tarantino'sKill Bill films. His roles inKill Bill raised Liu's profile again and a renewed interest was shown by Chinese producers; sinceKill Bill, Liu has returned to doing movies while continuing to do television for Hong Kong's TVB station.

Other than being a staple in Hong Kong action movies and his foray into Hollywood, Liu also made hisBollywood debut in 2009'sChandni Chowk to China.^[9] He played the role of the villain, Hojo, a smuggler and a well-trained martial artist. Before this, he appeared as himself (along with his mentor Lau Kar Leung) in the 2009 filmDragonland, the first Italian documentary about martial cinema history, by Lorenzo De Luca. Liu attended as special guest star at the premiere in Rome, meeting his Italian fans for the first time. During August 2011, Liu had a stroke and put all his plans on hold to recover.

In August 2011, while inTo Kwa Wan performing with his band, Liu had a stroke and hit his head. He had partial right-sided paralysis and a speech impairment as a consequence of the stroke, needing a wheelchair to travel. At the same time, his estranged family from his second marriage had begun pressuring him for money. Depressed at his physical state and family complications, he isolated himself in a nursing home. Liu had cancelled all public engagements as of March 2012.^[10] In June 2012, Liu decided to divorce his second wife and focus on his recovery.^[11]

During his medical crisis, Liu entrusted his assets to his assistant and spokesperson, Eva Fung. However, the two fell out, and Fung refused to return his assets.^[12] Subsequently in 2013, he arranged for Hong Kong actressAmy Fan to become the legal guardian of his assets.^[13] Liu later took legal action to recover his assets, and on April 29, 2014, a day before the court date, Fung agreed to return them with interest. In 2015, it was reported that he no longer spoke with a slur but continued to use a wheelchair, and that he had resided at a nursing home for several years.^[14]

In 2020, Liu was inducted into theMartial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame.^[6]

Liu has been married twice. He has two daughters, Angie and Bonnie, from his first marriage which ended in 1986, and a son Kris (冼峻龙) and daughter Sonia (冼咏珊) from his second marriage with Ma Fei-feng (马飞凤) of Thai-descent which ended in 2009.

• List of Shaw Brothers films
• Shaw Brothers Studio

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