Actors - Lam Ching Ying

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	Actors - Lam Ching Ying

Lam Ching Ying (林正英 real name: Lam Gun-Bo)(born: December 27, 1952 in Shanghai; died November 8, 1997 in Hong Kong) was a Chinese actor, action director and director. A graceful martial artist and one of the most physically-talented bodies to have graced the screens, Lam was best-known for playing the stoic taoist priest in Mr. Vampire
(1985). Lam passed away in 1997 of liver cancer.

The early years

The third of seven children, Lam attended Shun Yi Association Elementary School in Hong Kong for two years before leaving school. In 1963/4, he joined the "other" Peking Opera School in Hong Kong: that of Madame Fan Fok Fa (Fun Guk Fa), the "rival" of Yu Jim Yuen where Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung were trained at around the same time. In actuality, the schools were friends and students from both schools often mingled. A year after joining, Lam made his first public appearance. Madame reported Lam as a disobedient student who was beyond her ability to handle.

At 17, Lam became a stuntman and martial arts coach at the Shaw Brothers Studio. Due to his slender build, he was often called upon to substitute female actors. He received $HK60 a day, $HK20 of which went to his master.

At 19, he was hand-picked by Bruce Lee for the role as assistant action director on The Big Boss
. After The Big Boss
, Lam continued to work with Lee until Lee's death. Lam later joined Hung's stuntman association (known as the Hung Kar Pan).

The 1980s

In 1982, Lam won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Direction, in the film Prodigal Son. Prodigal Son featured what is widely acknowledged as amongst the best Wing Chun caught on film, performed by Lam. He also underlined his acting talent by convincingly playing a frail, elderly Taoist priest in The Dead And The Deadly (1983).

Lam's star did not rise until 1985, with the release of Mr. Vampire
, the movie that fueled the hopping vampire genre. Lam was nominated for Best Actor for his role as the taoist priest. The character was an engaging mixture of naivety and stoic authority, and became a favourite for audiences. Lam was to reprise this role many times throughout his career.

Shortly after the release of Mr. Vampire
, the Golden Harvest film company attempted to make an English version of the movie with Tanya Roberts (of Charlie's Angels) and Jack Scalia. Due to various difficulties, the film was never made and Lam did not make another attempt at the foreign market.

The 1990s

The success of Mr. Vampire
eventually became burdensome on Lam, who found himself typecasted into the role. As the hopping vampire genre began to lose its popularity, quality roles for Lam also began to dry, aside from small roles in Swordsman (1991) and a supporting role in Pom Pom and Hot Hot, most of his roles were in low-budget movies. Lam also briefly became a director in the film, Green Hornet (1994).

In 1995, Lam was offered the starring role in a television series called Vampire Expert. Shown on ATV, the series was a success and revived Lam's career. A second series aired in 1996, and in 1997, production on the third series began. The production was halted when Lam was informed he had liver cancer. Contrary to rumours that the cancer was caused by years of heavy drinking, the cancer was hereditary.

On November 8th, 1997, Lam passed away at St Theresa's Hospital in Hong Kong.

Select filmography

Pom Pom and Hot Hot(1992)(Actor)
Swordsman (1991)(Actor)
Magic Cop (1989)(Actor)
Painted Faces (1988)(Actor)
Mr. Vampire
(1985)(Actor)
Winners And Sinners (1983)(Actor/Action Director)
The Dead And The Deadly (1983)(Actor/Stuntman/Action Director)
The Prodigal Son (1982)(Actor)
Enter The Dragon (1973)(Stuntman/Assistant Action Director)
Fist of Fury
(1972)(Stuntman)
The Big Boss
(1971)(Actor/Assistant Action Director)

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