Member J.J. Hayden Posted February 9, 2023 Member Share Posted February 9, 2023 (edited) Mars 火星, born Jiang Rong-fa 蔣榮發 on 28th of February 1954 in Shanghai (though some sources say Hong Kong) was an "official member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team". As a child he was sent to learn Peking Opera at Madame Fan Fok-fa's "The Spring and Autumn Drama School", which was considered the rival school to Yu Jim-yuen's China Drama Academy, where the 7 Little Fortunes (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Biao Yuen, etc.) were trained. He began his film career early, appearing as the "Sand Demon" in 1966's The Monkey Goes West [1966]. As he got older he became a stuntman playing small fighting roles in many films, he worked together with Jackie Chan on films in 1971 the two became best friends, it was also around this time that the name "Mars" which became his stage name around 1971, was suggested by an action director, due to his nickname on stage being Martian Monster, although Jackie Chan claims that he got the name following medical complications when having head surgery, after which he acted like he was from another planet. He became a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and was regular player in Jackie's movies, but also had some prominent roles in many of Sammo Hung's movies too such as; Knockabout [1979] and Odd Couple [1979]. He was with the team for at least 20 years and as an actor appeared in over 120 movies. One of his most memorable onscreen appearances was as Jackie's co-star in Dragon Lord [1982] where the duo face off against Korean super-kicker Hwang In-shik. For a full list of "official members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team" see here: Edited February 9, 2023 by J.J. Hayden 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chu Liu Hsiang Posted February 9, 2023 Member Share Posted February 9, 2023 I like Mars a lot, always happy to see him in a movie, even if it's a minor role. Nice to see that he is still active. I thought he had been one of the Seven Little Fortunes without ever looking it up. Thanks for corrective. I recently saw him in STAGE DOOR JOHNNY, playing a kind humble loyal guy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted February 9, 2023 Author Member Share Posted February 9, 2023 11 minutes ago, Chu Liu Hsiang said: I like Mars a lot, always happy to see him in a movie, even if it's a minor role. Nice to see that he is still active. I thought he had been one of the Seven Little Fortunes without ever looking it up. Thanks for corrective. Mo man tai It's easy to think that he was in 7LF, since him and JC seem to have been best mates forever. I'm thinking of posting a list at some point of the students known to be from each of the two opera academies. Should be interesting. It's a shame that Mars didn't really have the looks to be a huge star, he's certainly endearing to watch and he certainly put in the hard work when it came to the stunts. At least he's well known among the fans. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted March 2, 2023 Member Share Posted March 2, 2023 Just realized he celebrated his 69th birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Mars! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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