Eddy Ko
Eddy Ko Hung | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ho Yiu-sum December 13, 1937 Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, martial artist |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Known for | Chan Chung in Heroes Shed No Tears, Hong in Lethal Weapon 4, Huo Yuanjia in Fist of Fury |
Eddy Ko Hung (; originally named Ho Yiu-sum (); born 13 December 1937) is a distinguished Hong Kong actor and martial artist, boasting a career that spans over 150 film and television appearances since 1969. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Chan Chung in the 1984 action war movie Heroes Shed No Tears and as Hong in the 1998 Hollywood production Lethal Weapon 4. More recently, Ko has participated in international projects such as the 2015 film The Martian.
Early life
Ko was born Ho Yiu-sim in Zhongshan, located in Guangdong Province in 1937. During his childhood, he relocated to British Hong Kong. He developed skills in kung fu and judo, alongside practicing traditional lion dancing.
Career
Ko's entry into the entertainment industry began as a stunt performer with Shaw Brothers Studio in the late 1960s, making his acting debut in 1969 under the stage name Ko Hung. Throughout his career, he has also been credited under various names including Ko Hung, Gao Xiong, Eddie Ko, Edward Ko, and Lin Sheng ().
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Ko took on significant roles in martial arts cinema with titles such as The Avenging Eagle (1978), The Butterfly Murders (1979), The Postman Strikes Back (1982), and The Miracle Fighters (1982). He notably starred in John Woo’s 1984 film Heroes Shed No Tears.
Transitioning to television, Ko worked with TVB before moving to competitor ATV from 1990 until 1995. He returned to TVB in 2000. One of his prominent television performances was as Huo Yuanjia in the 1995 series Fist of Fury, which solidified his reputation in mentor roles within martial arts narratives.
In 1998, Ko emigrated with his family to Canada, where he landed his first international role portraying an illegal immigrant in Lethal Weapon 4. Since then, he has appeared across productions from the United States, Hong Kong, and Mainland China.
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Blade Spares None | ||
| The Invincible Iron Palm | |||
| The Comet Strikes | |||
| Thirty Six Killers | also known as Story of the Thirty Six Killers | ||
| 1972 | The Roaring Lion | ||
| The Invasion | also titled The Bold Brothers | ||
| The Notorious Ones | |||
| Life and Death | alternative titles include Bloody Duel: Life and Death, The Bloody Fight | ||
| The Peeper, the Model and the Hypnotist | |||
| 1973 | Thunderbolt | ||
| A Gathering of Heroes | |||
| Knight Errant | |||
| The Smugglers | |||
| 1974 | Chinese Kung Fu Against Godfather | known also as Fist of Fury in China | |
| The Virgin Mart | also called Fan Mai Ren Kou | ||
| 1975 | The Young Rebel | ||
| The Monk | |||
| Female Fugitive | |||
| 1976 | The Private Eyes | Nine Uncle's underling | |
| End of the Wicked Tigers | |||
| The Big Family | |||
| 1977 | Battle Wizard | ||
| 1979 | The Butterfly Murders | Guo, The Magic Fire | |
| The Deadly Breaking Sword | |||
| The Avenging Eagle | Wan Da | ||
| Sleeping Fist | |||
| Law Don | |||
| 1980 | The Sword | Ching Ti-yi | |
| The Chief | The Chief | ||
| The Jade Fox | |||
| The Thundering Mantis | also known as Mantis Fist Fighter | ||
| The Master | Pupil of Shi (Ko Han) | alternative title: 3 Evil Masters | |
| San Mao Liu Lang Ji | Mr. Chu | ||
| 1981 | Hitman in the Hand of Buddha | Uncle 33 | |
| The Phantom Killer | Captain Chao | ||
| Art of War by Sun Tzu | |||
| 1982 | Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils | Kau Mo-chit | |
| 'Health Warning' | The Master | alternative titles: 'Digital Master', 'Flash Future Kung Fu' | | |||
| Kenji | | | |||
| 'The Postman Strikes Back' | Hu | also known as 'The Postman Fights Back' | | |||
| 'The Miracle Fighters' | Royal Guardsman Kao | | | |||
| 1983 | 'The Champions' | Tong's Uncle | | | |||
| 'Little Dragon Maiden' | Da'erba | | | |||
| | | | |||
| 'Shaolin Drunkard' | Master Lee | | | |||
| 'Demon Fighter' | | also titled 'Faster Blade, Poisonous Darts', 'The Demon Fighter' | | |||
| 'Heroes Shed No Tears' | Chan Chung | | | |||
| 1985 | 'It's a Drink, It's a Bomb' | Bearded Killer | | | |||
| Professor | | | |||
| 'Flaming Brothers' | Brother Hung | | | |||
| 1988 | 'Peacock King' | Jigume | | | |||
| | | | |||
| 1989 | 'Iron Butterfly, Part 2: See No Daylight' | Kurada | | | |||
| Johnny Fan | | | |||
| Kau Chen | | | |||
| 'Fatal Bet' rowspan=2 | Gold Teeth | | |||
| 'Casino Raiders' | | |||
| 'Live Hard' | Ironman | | | |||
| | | | |||
| | | | |||
| Hung | | | |||
| 'Vampire Settle on the Police Camp' | Chan | | | |||
| 1991 | 'Spiritually a Cop' | | | | |||
| 'Lee Rock' | Police Instructor | | | |||
| Ngon | alternative titles: 'Angel Force', 'Mission of Condor' | ||
| Fok | |||
| 'Evil Black Magic' |'La Pin' | |||
| 'Justice, My Foot!' |'Yang Ching' | |||
| 'Cheetah on Fire' | Fok Chi-Kien | ||
| 'Mountain Warriors' | |||
| 'The East is Red' | Chin | aka 'Swordsman III' | |
| 'The Bride with White Hair' | Wu Sangui#Wu San-kuei | ||
| 'Executioners' | President's Deputy | ||
| 'The Bride with White Hair 2' | Wu San-kuei | ||
| '1994' | 'Master of Zen' | Bodhidharma#father | |
| '1995' | 'Rumble in the Bronx' | Prospective Market Buyer | |
| 'rowspan=2' 1996 | Evening Liaison | Edward Ko | |
| The Hero of Swallow | |||
| 'rowspan=2' 1998 | 'Lethal Weapon 4' | Hong | |
| A Killer's Expiry Date | |||
| '1999' | 'The Mission' | Lung | |
| 'rowspan=2' 2003 | 'PTU' | Eye Ball | |
| 'Night Corridor' | Father Chan | ||
| 'rowspan=3' 2004 | Explosive City | ||
| Cop Unbowed | Mr. Dick | ||
| To My Dearest Father | Uncle Gun | ||
| '2006' | Lethal Ninja | Ba-jiu | |
| 'rowspan=3' 2007 | Mad Detective | Retired officer | Cameo |
| Wonder Woman | Chairman Chan | ||
| The Counting House | Andrew | ||
| '2008' | 'Kung Fu Dunk' | Fang's Master | |
| '2009' | 'Largo Winch' | Tattooer | |
| '2015' | 'The Martian' | Guo Ming | |
| '2016' | 'Window Horses' | Stephen (voice) | |
| '2022' | 'Warriors of Future' |
Television
| Year | Title | Character | Broadcasting Network | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Tai Chi Master | Jai-sum Monk | RTV | |
| 1981 | The Big Boss | Chien Bat | TVB | |
| 1982 | The Magic Crane | RTV | ||
| Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils | Kung-ye Kon | TVB | ||
| The Legend of the Condor Heroes | Chuen Kam-fat | |||
| 1983 | The Return of the Condor Heroes | Fung Mut-fung | ||
| 1984 | The Legend Continues | Tam Wing-git | ||
| 1985 | Chor Lau-heung | Hu Tiehua | CTV | |
| 1986 | New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre | Monk Kok-yuen | TVB | |
| The Unyielding Master Lim | Master Lim | |||
| 1987 | When Silken Hands Get Rough | Goo Jat-yun | ||
| Foundling's Progress | Nip Dong-shing | |||
| The Dragon Sword | Yong Siu-tin | |||
| Police Cadet '88 | Bin Shing | |||
| 1988 | The Saga of the Lost Kingdom | Dan Fu | ||
| Military Power | ||||
| Flame of Fury | ||||
| 1989 | Deadly Secret | Mui Nim-sang | ||
| The Final Combat | Ngai Ding-san | |||
| Greed | Yung Tung-shing | |||
| 1990 | No Way Out | |||
| Road to Eternity | Tam Mei's partner | |||
| The Blood Sword | General Shan Dan | ATV | ||
| 1991 | Rebuilding Prosperity | Lam | ||
| Who's the Winner | Fong Jan | |||
| Shanghai 1949 | ||||
| 1992 | Spirit of the Dragon | |||
| Who's the Winner II | Hung Ying | |||
| Who's the Winner III | Cheung Kuen | |||
| Police Story | ||||
| Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story | Yim Sing-nam | |||
| Mythical Crane, Magic Needle '92 | Nam Hoi-ping | |||
| 1993 | Reincarnated II | Tong Bak-chuen | ||
| Police Story II | ||||
| 1994 | Secret Battle Of The Majesty | Miu Lo-sam | ||
| Heroic Legend of the Yang's Family | Yeung Yin-chiu | |||
| 1995 | Fist of Fury | Fok Yuen-gap | ||
| Outlaw Hero | Cho Hin-lung |