Lu Feng
Chinese: 鹿峯
Born
Chu Qi Xue

(1956-04-03) April 3, 1956
Taipei, Taiwan
Other namesChue Luk-Fung
Chu Lu-Feng
Lu Chu-Feng
Luk Fung
Chu Luk-Wa
Luh Feng
Lu Fong
Luther Chu
Cola King
Occupation(s)Actor, action director, director
Years active1975 - present
SpouseLily Sun
Children1
AwardsAsia-Pacific Film Festival
Best Supporting Actor
1979 Shaolin Rescuers

The Urban Action Showcase and Expo
2017 Urban Fists of Legends Legacy Award
The Martial Arts Cult Classic Cinema Award
2017 Five Deadly Venoms
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese鹿峯
Simplified Chinese鹿峰

Lu Feng (born April 3, 1956[1]) is a Taiwanese-born Hong Kong-based martial artist actor, action choreographer, and director. Lu gained international prominence in 1978 for starring in the Shaw Brothers film Five Deadly Venoms, earning him and the rest of the cast the collective moniker of Venom Mob. He was part of Chang Cheh's ensemble of fourth generation actors along with Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, Lo Mang, and Sun Chien.

Early life

Lu was born Chu Qi Xue on April 3, 1956, in Taipei, Taiwan. His ancestral roots can be traced back to Anhui Province in Mainland China.[1] The youngest of four sons, Lu grew up idolizing martial arts actor Chen Kuan-tai.[2] At age 8, he was sent to the government-run Junior Lu Guang Drama School by his parents, who were struggling to support him and his siblings. There, he studied revolutionary opera with future costar and lifelong friend, Chiang Sheng.[2][3] Lu, along with Chiang, Philip Kwok, Robert Tai, and Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi would practice acrobatics near Taipei Bridge and earned pocket money playing extras in movies that were shot nearby.[4] In addition to acrobatics, Lu sang, practiced martial arts and somersaults, and became proficient in various weapons. Upon graduating, he had plans to pursue a career in the professional arts but decided on film and television instead, owing to the declining popularity of Chinese opera.[2] An avid drinker of Coca-Cola, Lu's love of the soft drink earned him the nickname Cola King.[5]

Career

Lu was recruited by Chang Cheh in 1975 around the same time the latter relocated his independent film company, Long Bow, to Taiwan.[6] Lu started out as an actor on the set of Shaolin Hellgate and had filmed scenes before the project was shelved and its entire crew recast two years later.[2][6] Nonetheless, he was noticed by Chang who subsequently promoted him as an actor and in 1976, landed his first major role in Chang's film, Shaolin Temple. In addition to acting, Lu briefly worked as a stuntman in some productions including Ng See-yuen's Secret Rivals 2 (1977), where much of his previous acrobatic training was applied to the action choreography.[5] Following Long Bow's closure in late 1976, Lu, along with Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, and several other actors left with Chang who relocated back to the Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong.[2]

In 1978, Lu was cast as Tang Shankui a.k.a. the Centipede in Chang's Five Deadly Venoms where he also served as one of the film's action directors.[7] Lu recalled the experience as "very hard to put together but we had a great time doing it. In retrospect, I have nothing but good memories."[2] Five Deadly Venoms enjoyed commercial success in Hong Kong and Taiwan but especially so in North America[8] where the main cast became collectively known by fans as the Venom Mob. Lu and his cast members, however, did not become aware of the film's international popularity until several years after its release.[2] Following the film's success, Lu frequently starred with the Venom Mob, often in villainous roles. Amongst these films was Shaolin Rescuers (1979) for which his portrayal of the main antagonist Gao Jinzhong won him Best Supporting Actor at the 25th Asia-Pacific Film Festival in Singapore.[9][10] Lu regards winning the award as the highlight of his acting career and the character remains one of his favorite roles.[2]

The Venom Mob eventually disbanded in 1981. Lu's fellow Venom actor Philip Kwok attributed the split to them simply leaving Shaw's with Chang following suit,[3] while another costar, Lo Mang, believed it was due to audiences no longer wishing to see gory heroics, preferring instead the lighter, more comedic tones of Jackie Chan films.[2] Lu, similarly, was of the opinion that the split was caused by the decline of martial art films in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and because Chang had shifted his focus to the mainland market.[2]

Later life

In 1981, Lu returned to Taiwan where he, along with Venom costars and close friends Philip Kwok and Chiang Sheng made their directional debut in Ninja in the Deadly Trap (1982). Production was fraught with delays and Boxer from Shantung director Pao Hsueh-Li was eventually brought in to ensure its completion.[3] Lu later cofounded Hong Kong Chang He Film Company with Chiang which debuted with the 1983 supernatural film, Attack of the Joyful Goddess.[11] Lu's film appearances decreased after completing Shanghai 13 (1984) as he shifted primarily to television at the suggestion of his childhood friend and fellow Shaw's actor, Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi.[2] He remains active in television where he largely directs or choreographs (sometimes both) TV series from Taiwan or Mainland China. His more notable works include New Legend of Madame White Snake (1992), My Fair Princess (1997), Legend of Dagger Li (1999), and Justice Bao (2010).

In 2017, Lu received the Urban Fists of Legends Legacy Award and, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Five Deadly Venoms, The Martial Arts Cult Classic Cinema Award at The Urban Action Showcase and Expo in New York City.[12] He was honored the following year at the Martial Arts History Museum’s Dragonfest expo in Burbank, California.

Personal life

Lu is married to Lily Sun with whom he has one son. During the production of New Legend of Madame White Snake, their son (then aged 2) was abducted and nearly trafficked as Lu was alighting at a train station. He was eventually retrieved by a costar, Lu Liang Hui.[13]

Filmography

Film

Title Year Role
Marco Polo 1975 Extra
7-Man Army 1976 Actor
The Condemned 1976 Extra
The Shaolin Avengers 1976 Extra
The Hand of Death 1976 Extra
The Traitorous 1976 Extra
The New Shaolin Boxers 1976 Actor
Shaolin Temple 1976 Actor
The Naval Commandos 1977 Actor
Secret Rivals 2 1977 Extra
Magnificent Wanderers 1977 Extra
The Brave Archer 1977 Actor
Chinatown Kid 1977 Extra
The Brave Archer 2 1978 Actor, action director
Five Deadly Venoms 1978 Actor, action director
Invincible Shaolin 1978 Actor, action director
Crippled Avengers 1978 Actor, action director
Life Gamble 1979 Actor, action director
Shaolin Rescuers 1979 Actor, action director
The Daredevils 1979 Actor, action director
The Magnificent Ruffians 1979 Actor, action director
The Kid with the Golden Arm 1979 Actor, action director
Ten Tigers of Kwangtung 1980 Actor, action director
Shaolin Hellgate 1980 Actor
2 Champions of Shaolin 1980 Actor, action director
The Flag of Iron 1980 Actor, action director
The Rebel Intruders 1980 Actor, action director
Legend of the Fox 1980 Actor, action director
Sword Stained with Royal Blood 1981 Actor, action director
Masked Avengers 1981 Actor, action director
The Brave Archer 3 1981 Extra
House of Traps 1982 Actor, action director
The Brave Archer and His Mate 1982 Actor, action director
Ninja in the Deadly Trap 1982 Actor, action director, director
Ode to Gallantry 1982 Action director
Attack of the Joyful Goddess 1983 Actor, action director, codirector
The Demons 1984 Actor
Shanghai 13 1984 Actor, action director, assistant director
Fight Among the Supers 1984 Actor, action director
Ninja Kids 1984 Actor
Death Ring 1984 Actor, action director, codirector
Ninja, the Violent Sorceror 1987 Actor
Hello Dracula 2 1987 Action director
Ninja Condors 1988 Actor
Vampire Kid II 1988 Actor
The Twelve Fairies 1990 Actor
Mr. Vampire 1990 Actor
Raiders of Loesing Treasure 1992 Actor
Ninja in Ancient China 1993 Actor
Bao Qingtian Zhi Xue Yun Fan Chuanqi 1993 Actor
Fist of Legend 2: Iron Bodyguards 1996 Actor
Yan Gui Zai Ni Zuo You 1997 Actor - uncredited[1]

Television

Title Year Role
Return of the Condor Heroes 1985 Actor
Xin Xi Luo Qi Jian 1985 Actor
Longfeng Qi Xia 1985 Actor
Xianhe Shen Zhen 1985 Actor
Hongfen Zhuren 1985 Actor
Xia You Yuntian 1986 Actor
Shaolin Dizi 1986 Actor
Qi Zhong Qi 1987 Actor
Xi Shi 1987 Actor
Huangjin Kongque Cheng 1987 Actor
Eight Thousand Li of Cloud and Moon 1988 Action director, director
Pili Shen Bu 1988 Actor
Yi Men Yinglie Mu Gui Ying 1989 Actor, action director, director
Taiji Prodigy 1990 Actor, director
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 1990 Actor
Li Shi Shi 1990 Actor
The Youthful Swordsman 1990 Actor
San Mao Zai Sheng 1990 Actor
Zhan Dan Sao 1991 Director
The Blood Brothers 1992 Director, producer
Ci Ma 1992 Actor, action director
Liu Bowen Chuanji 1992 Director
New Legend of Madame White Snake 1992 Actor, action director
Tian Shi Zhong Kui 1995 Action director
Guan Gong 1996 Actor
Sui Yang Zhong Hun 1996 Actor, director
My Fair Princess 1997 Action director, director
Shen Yi Hua Tuo 1998 Action director, director
Da Ren Wu 1999 Director
Taiwan Mystery 1999 Actor
Legend of Dagger Li 1999 Actor, director
Gone with the Peach Blossom 2000 Director
San Ge Shao Ye De Jian 2002 Action director
Xiaoli Feidao 2 2002 Director
My Fair Princess 3 2002 Action director
Paishan Daohai - Fan Lihua 2003 Director
Manhan Quanwei 2004 Director
Cannot Live Without You 2005 Director
Jin Yi Wei 2005 Action director
Tie Jiangjun Ah Kui 2006 Director
Da Ming Wang Chao 2006 Action director
Zhuangshi Chuzhen 2007 Director
The Peony Pavilion 2008 Director
Sange Hua Xiang Shou 2010 Action director, director
Justice Bao 2010 Director
Ji Ren Zi You Tian Xiang 2012 Director
Wen Fang Si Bao 2012 Director
Chihou Zhijian 2013 Director
Fuji 2013 Director
Xu Xiang Qian San Zhan Yan Xisha 2014 Director

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lu Feng". Hong Kong Movie DataBase.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Cool Ass Cinema Presents: An Interview With Former Shaw Brothers Star & Director/ Action Choreographer, Lu Feng". Cool Ass Cinema.
  3. 1 2 3 "Cool Ass Cinema Presents: An Interview With Former Shaw Brothers Star, Actor & Martial Arts Choreographer Philip Kwok". Cool Ass Cinema.
  4. ↑ "Kuo Chui Interview with Toby Russell". Archived from the original on 2009-04-09.
  5. 1 2 "Interview with Lu Feng, A Shaw Brothers Legend and Icon". Asian Movie Pulse.
  6. 1 2 "The Wild, Wild East: Duel of the Independent Film Companies Part 4". Cool Ass Cinema.
  7. ↑ "The Five Venoms". Hong Kong Movie DataBase.
  8. ↑ "How Chang Cheh's Venom Mob martial arts films, starting with 1978's The Five Venoms, became cult favourites in the West". South China Morning Post.
  9. ↑ "Shaolin Rescuers Awards". Hong Kong Movie DataBase.
  10. ↑ "Past Host Cities". Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
  11. ↑ Bramhall, Paul (March 18, 2021). "Attack of the Joyful Goddess (1983) Review". City on Fire.
  12. ↑ "Urban Fists of Legends Hall of Honors 2017 Honorees". The Urban Action Showcase and Expo.
  13. ↑ New Legend of Madame White Snake 30th anniversary cast interview
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