Corey Yuen, the actor, action choreographer and director of “So Close” and “DOA: Dead or Alive,” died in 2022, the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers confirmed to Variety.
Local and English-language reports say that Yuen died of COVID-19 on an undisclosed date in Hong Kong. He was born on Feb. 15, 1951 as Ying Gang-ming.
His death was initially kept private at the request of his family. But on Monday, the news was revealed on Chinese-language social media by fellow action star Jackie Chan, who paid tribute to Yuen and others in the industry who had died.
Yuen and Chan were contemporaries and trained together with Sammo Hung Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu and Yuen Biao at the Peking Opera School. Together, they were sometimes referred to as the Seven Little Fortunes or The Lucky Seven and made their mark during the heyday of Hong Kong cinema from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.
Yuen initially focused on acting and appeared in “Zu Warriors From the Magic Mountain” and “Eastern Condors.” His acting roles put him alongside Chan, Hung, Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock and longtime associate Jet Li.
Shortly after, he moved into action choreography, stunts and directing. In Asia, Yuen directed “Ninja in the Dragon’s Den,” the Stephen Chow-starring “All for the Winner” and its sequel “Top Bet” with the late Anita Mui.
With Li, Yuen directed “Fong Sai-yuk,” “Fong Sai-yuk II” and “The New Legend of Shaolin.” His close association with Li later took Yuen to Hollywood.
He provided action choreography and martial arts material for six Li films in the U.S., including “Romeo Must Die,” “Kiss of the Dragon” and “The Expendables” as well as for 2000’s “X-Men.” Yuen directed “So Close” and co-directed “The Transporter,” both released in 2002. He was the fight choreographer on its sequel “Transporter 2,” alongside his stunt and action team. In 2006, Yuen directed the game-to film adaptation “DOA: Dead or Alive,” with stars Holly Valance, Jaime Pressly, Devon Aoki and Sarah Carter.
