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Sammo Hung. Image by Sasoriza / Bryan Chan –

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Sammo Hung

Hung Kam Po popularly known as Sammo Hung, was born on 7 January 1952. He is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, producer, and director. He is known for his work in many kung fu films and Hong Kong action cinema.

His acting career began while he was training in acrobatics, martial arts, and dance as a child at the China Drama Academy. He received acclaim for his performance with a troupe called “The Seven Little Fortunes.” He made his feature film debut as an actor at the age of 12.

He established his reputation as a skilled physical comedian in several kung-fu comedies, beginning with entering the Fat Dragon (1978). He also produced and starred in numerous successful films throughout the 1970s and 1980s for Hong Kong’s leading film studio, Golden Harvest.

Hung is also an award-winning action choreographer who has worked with renowned action actors such as Jackie Chan, King Hu, and John Woo. He works closely with a group of film professionals and martial arts experts collectively known as Hung’s Stunt Team. Team members past and present have made significant contributions to the local film industry. Hung’s recent works include SPL (2005) and Ip Man 2 (2010).

1. Sammo was born into a family of filmmakers

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His grandfather was a director Hung Chung-ho and his grandmother, Ching Chi-ang was China’s first-generation martial arts actress,

Sammo was often involved in street fights. At age seven, Hung was sent to the Hong Kong-China Opera Institute, where he was the eldest of what came to be known as the ‘Seven Little Fortunes’.

At 12, he began acting in films such as Education of Love (1961) and The Grateful Monkey (1963) using the stage name Chu Yuen-lung. At 18, he became a stuntman. Then in 1975, he became an action choreographer and actor. His directorial debut was made with The Iron-Fisted Month in 1977. Thus began a successful career that saw him directing and starring in some of Hong Kong’s highest-grossing action comedies.

2. His nickname came from a cartoon character

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His name Sammo is a nickname. He picked up the name from his friends. They claimed that he resembled a popular Chinese cartoon character, Sanmao.

Sanmao was created by Zhang Leping in 1935. He is one of the world’s longest-running cartoon characters and remains a landmark as one of the most famous and beloved fictional characters in China today.

When his work first started getting released in the West, English speakers kept mispronouncing his first name as ‘say-mo’. Then the M was doubled to get the ‘Sammo’ that we are more familiar with now.

3. Sammo married his first wife after a hotel staff asked for proof of their relationship when she was helping him check-in

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Sammo is one spontaneous man. This is evidenced by the reason he married his first wife. Sammo and Jo Eun Ok wet on a work trip, Eun who was Sammo’s assistant then was helping her husband check-in in a hotel.

One of the staff refused her entry as he did not know how the two were related. He asked for proof. Sammo in annoyance took Eun to the altar the following day and they said I do.

Not much is known about the first wife. They divorced after 21 years of being partners. They have three sons and a daughter together.

4. Bruce Lee challenged him to a test fight

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Now challenging a master like Bruce Lee takes guts. This is exactly what Sammo did.

The two were on a movie set. According to Sammo, he wanted to know if Lee was as fast as they say. Lee took it as a challenge and demonstrated with a fast kick to the face, but didn’t connect. Sammo was impressed with the speed.

According to Jackie Chan, there was some light contact.  He claimed that Sammo told him it was an even fight and wouldn’t admit if he thought Lee was the better fighter. Chan thought that since there were no witnesses there was no way to know what happened that day.

5. He is superior to Jackie Chan in martial arts

Jackie Chan is termed as the younger brother of Sammo. They did grow up and train together. Jackie is more successful in the western world.

Both are great martial artists, directors, and producers. However, Sammo is generally far superior. This may come as a shock because of Sammo’s appearance. He is overweight with a jovial easy-going manner. He lacks the traditionally heroic physical traits that his friend has.

Chan films had great visual inventiveness and physical comedy and gags are emphasized over action. Sammo’s have harder-edged action scenes, a more brisk sense of timing, polished compositions, and inspired use of locations. Not known for his ego, he happily played as a sidekick to Chan.

6. He helped reinvent the martial arts genre and started the vampire-like jiangshi genre

Jiangshi fiction is a literary and cinematic genre of horror based on the jiangshi of Chinese folklore. It involves a reanimated corpse controlled by Taoist priests. It resembles the zombies and vampires of western fiction.

Encounters of the Spooky Kind was a film directed by Sammo in 1980. It was the first film based on the jiangshi of Chinese legends. The film is an early example of kung fu horror comedy in Hong Kong and the jiangshi of the film are played by martial artists. A sequel, Encounters of the Spooky Kind II, was directed by Ricky Lau in 1990.

7. Started as a child actor

Star, hand prints, and autograph of Sammo Hung Kam-Bo on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. Image by BrokenSphere –

During his training at the academy, one teacher had a liking for him. The teacher used connections to get him a job doing stunts for a movie. This brief interaction with the Hong Kong film industry piqued his interest in film.

He was 14 years old at the time. He was particularly interested in the operation of film cameras. He began working for Shaw Brothers Studio, assisting the action director Han Yingjie, on King Hu’s film Come Drink with Me.

Between 1966 and 1974, Hung worked on over 30 wuxia films for Shaw Brothers, progressing through the roles of an extra, stuntman, stunt co-ordinator, and ultimately, action director.

8. He highly values his friends

Sammo Hung and his friends during a Q&A. Image by Sasoriza –

How one treats his friends shows what kind of a person he is. Sammo got a gig as a teenager performing stunts on a movie. He often got compensated and as the eldest of the group, he would give his opera school brothers pocket money. This made him very loved by his friends.

As Hung’s fame grew, he did not forget about them. He used his newly found influence to elevate them. Aside from regular collaborations with Chan, others such as Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Lam Ching-Ying, and Mang Hoi also began to make regular appearances in his films.

9. Summo has a large frame but is surprisingly agile and a formidable martial artist

At the age of 16, he suffered an injury that left him bedridden for an extended period. This was just before he left the academy.  During which this time his weight increased.

Despite his weight, he is one of the greatest martial artists. This practice requires both agility and flexibility. Most of his fans at home would pick him for Jackie Chan any day!

10. His collaboration with Jackie Chan cemented his reputation as an actor and director

Sammo and Jackie Chan got together in a highly successful series of action comedies. This film cemented Hung’s reputation as an actor and director. It also launched Chan’s career as an international star. For a while, Hung also starred in an American TV series, Martial Law (1998).

There are often referred to as brothers. Chan is “Dai Goh”, meaning Big Brother. Sammo being the eldest of the kung fu brothers is nicknamed “Dai Goh Dai”, meaning, Big, Big Brother, or Biggest Big Brother.