Al Leong
Born
Albert Leong

(1952-09-30) September 30, 1952
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesAl "Ka Bong" Leong
Occupation(s)Stuntman, actor

Albert Leong (born September 30, 1952), also known as Al "Ka Bong" Leong, is an American stuntman and actor.[1] Characterized by his martial arts skills (including Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Kali, and Jujutsu), long wavy hair, and a prominent Fu Manchu moustache, he has had a number of small but memorable roles as a henchman in many popular action films, including Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. He is also notable for his role as Genghis Khan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

He collaborated with director John Carpenter in Big Trouble in Little China and They Live. Such appearances have garnered him a cult following.[2][3]

Early life

Leong was born in St. Louis, Missouri.[4][5] The youngest of three children born to Chinese American parents, he grew up behind the Chinese laundry that they owned. In 1962, when he was ten years old, they moved to Los Angeles. Leong attended Hollywood High School.[6]

Leong had brain cancer in 1993 and suffered a stroke in 2005.[7]

Career

His credits include Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Joshua Tree, Big Trouble in Little China, The Scorpion King, and They Live.[1] and a recurring role on the first season of the TV series 24. He also portrayed an out-of-time Genghis Khan in the comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. In 2003, Leong lampooned himself as well as the Hollywood tradition of actor and director 'reels' by starring in screenwriter David Callaham's "Writer's Reel."[8] In the five-minute short film, Leong portrayed Callaham going through a typical day in the life of a writer. The 'reel' was accepted into a number of short film festivals.[9]

As a stuntman, Leong was involved with the production of numerous films including The Golden Child, Last Action Hero, Roland Emmerich's Godzilla, Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, and Daredevil. He also has made appearances on several television shows such as Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I., The Twilight Zone, T. J. Hooker, MacGyver, That '70s Show, and HBO's Deadwood. He wrote and directed the low-budget film Daddy Tell Me a Story....

Filmography

YearTitleRoleOther notes
1983Twilight Zone: The MovieVietnamese Villager(Segment #1)
1983Off the WallMount Joy Cheerleader
1984ProtocolThe Chef
1985My Science ProjectVietnamese SoldierUncredited
1986Big TroubleChinese Laborer #2
1986Big Trouble in Little ChinaWing Kong Hatchet Man
1986Running ScaredHenchmanUncredited
1987Lethal WeaponEndo
1987Steele JusticeLong Hair
1988She's Having a BabyThe Photographer
1988Action JacksonDellaplane’s Chauffeur
1988Die HardUli
1988They LiveResistance MemberUncredited
1989Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventureGenghis Khan
1989CageJoe "Tiger Joe" Lowell
1989Black RainSato's AssassinUncredited
1989Savage BeachFu
1990I Come in PeaceLuggage Salesman
1990AftershockFighterUncredited
1990Death WarrantBruce
1991The Perfect WeaponMan In Croc-Pit BarAlso stunts, Uncredited
1991Showdown in Little TokyoThugAlso stunts, Uncredited
1992Steel JusticeGuard #2
1992Rapid FireMinh
1992Hard HuntedRaven
1993Joshua TreeChinese Gunman #9
1993Last Action HeroThugUncredited
1993Hot Shots! Part DeuxPit-Fighting FanAlso stunts
1994Beverly Hills Cop IIICar MechanicAlso stunts, Uncredited
1994The ShadowTibetan Driver
1994Vanishing Son IIITriad Lieutenant #1
1994Double DragonLewisAlso stunts
1994Deadly TargetGuard
1996Escape from L.A.Saigon Shadow WarriorAlso stunts
1997Tuff Luk KlubCousin Ming
1998The Replacement KillersWei's GunmenUncredited
1998GodzillaJapanese FishermanAlso stunts, Uncredited
1998Lethal Weapon 4Wah Sing Ku Triad MemberUncredited
1998LimoHack
2000Daddy Tell Me a Story...Al Ka Bong
2001The GhostWu's Thug #2
2002The Scorpion KingAsian Training Master
2005Confessions of an Action StarEvil Doctor
2005Forbidden WarriorYang Sze
2014Awesome Asian Bad GuysAl(2013)

Television

YearTitleRoleEpisodeDateOther notes
1983The A-TeamThug At BoatThe Maltese Falcon (episode # 2.13)1983-12-13
1983The A-TeamAsian-Looking ThugLease with an Option to Die (episode # 4.4)1985-10-22
1983The Greatest American HeroUncredited ExtraThirty Seconds Over Little Tokyo (episode # 39)1983-02-03
1983Hart to HartTai-Chi ManYear of the Dog (episode # 5.10)1983-12-13
1984The Fall GuyJohnnySandcastles (episode # 4.8)1984-11-07
1985MacGyverWayne H. LimMurderers' Sky (episode # 3.20)1988-05-09
1986The Fall GuyQuonTrial by Fire (episode # 5.12)1986-01-24
1986RiptideMr. YeemThe Frankie Kahana Show (episode # 3.13)1986-02-11
1986Renegade"The Dragon", Yakuza BossSamurai (Season 1 Episode 14)
1986T. J. HookerNabutsu Hood #1 (uncredited)Blood Sport (episode # 5.88)1986-05-21
1986The EqualizerUnknownChina Rain (episode # 1.2)
1994Kung Fu: The Legend ContinuesUnknownThe WarlordAlso stunt coordinator
2000That '70s ShowKung-Fu Master / Ninja WarriorJackie Moves On (episode # 2.22)2000-04-03
200224NeillFour episodes of first season

Music videos

Further reading

  • Leong, Al (August 1, 2011). The Eight Lives of Al Ka-Bong Leong. Al Leong. ISBN 978-0-615-38499-3.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Al Leong". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Al Leong". Hey! It's That Guy!. Fametracker. August 8, 2001. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  3. ↑ As of June 2007, the fan site Al Leong: Cinematic Legend Archived October 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine campaigns for Leong to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Taurus World Stunt Awards and an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award.
  4. ↑ An Exclusive Interview with Al Leong Archived April 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, World Wide Dojo
  5. ↑ A chat with Al Leong – martial artist & stuntman extraordinaire — Chiller Theatre, Planetchocko.com
  6. ↑ Taylor, Trey (October 30, 2013). "Al Leong: death becomes him". Dazed. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  7. ↑ McNeil, Jason William (November 1, 2015). "8 Things You Didn't Know About Al Leong". Black Belt.
  8. ↑ "David Callaham: Writer Reel (2004)". IMDb.
  9. ↑ "4th Bearded Child Film Festival". Bearded Child Film Festival.
  10. ↑ Leong, Al (August 1, 2011). The Eight Lives of Al Ka-Bong Leong. Al Leong. ISBN 978-0-615-38499-3.
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