Yuen Biao is regarded as one of the most acrobatic martial artistsever. Unfortunately, he is still underrated and not as popular as othercontemporaries such asJackie Chan,Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, andJet Li even though he isthe most critically acclaimed out of all of them and the most talentedas well. And now he is receiving a cult following due to word of mouth.Born of his parents Ha Kwong-Tai (father) and Ha Sau-Ying. Yuen Biaowas first enrolled in the China Drama Academy at the age of 5 (he wasthe youngest there). He metSammo Kam-Bo Hung andJackie Chan while attending theAcademy.Jackie Chan took him under his wing, and they became lifelongfriends. Yuen Biao stayed at the Academy until the age of 16 where hemoved with Master Jim-Yuen to America. However, two years later he cameback, citing there were no opportunities for Chinese martial artists tostar in American films. After being in some bit part roles in filmssuch asAngokugai no doragon: Dengeki Sutona (1974) (aka Stoner),Shao Lin men (1976) (aka Hand of Death), he didn'treceive his first major breakthrough role untilSammo Kam-Bo Hung cast him inZa jia xiao zi (1979) (aka Knockabout). However, his first role which gave him fullexposure and established his status as a A-list star wasBaai ga jai (1981) (akaThe Prodigal Son), which also starred and was directed bySammo Kam-Bo Hung.After that, 'Jackie Chan' cast him in the classic'A' gai wak (1983) (aka Project A).After starring in some other films withSammo Kam-Bo Hung and/orJackie Chan, hedecided to go his own way and to forge his own career to get out of theshadows ofJackie Chan andSammo Kam-Bo Hung. He met his future wife DiDi PhangSau-Ha in 1984 while working as a stunt coordinator on the film DiDiPhang was working on:Tai fong siu sau (1982) (aka Carry On Pickpocket). They have twochildren. His daughter Yi-Bui was born in 1986 and his son Ming-Tsak in1988. The filmOn za ran: hijô no wana (1988) (aka On The Run) confirmed his abilities as abrilliant actor as his portrayal as a married man seeking vengeance forhis wife's brutal murder was critically acclaimed. The following yearhe starred in probably his best film,Gap tung kei hap (1989) (aka The Iceman Cometh),in which he starred with acclaimed actressMaggie Cheung. The film isregarded as a cult classic and is remembered not only for the fantasticfighting scenes and hilarious comedy, but also the wonderful acting ofBiao Yuen andMaggie Cheung and the wonderful simmering sexual chemistrybetween them. After starring in the acclaimedOnce Upon a Time in China/Tenchi Reimei (1991) (aka Once Upon aTime in China, in which most of his scenes were cut), he directed hisfirst movie (Xi Zang xiao zi (1991). aka A Kid From Tibet), in which he also starred.In 1994, he worked for the first time in years, withSammo Kam-Bo Hung in thegloriously titledMou mian bei (1995) (aka Don't Give a Damn). In recent years,Yuen Biao has complained of poor scripts, so he appears in filmssparsely nowadays. He also has a second home in Canada where he spendsmost of time pursuing his hobby of golf.