Meng Fei

[Alexandra]

Ah that is a good question!

As far I know, and I saw few movies or part of them, Meng Fei played always the good boy. But is a good question for a research. I posted in the other message a picture of a tv drama, the crown seems more thailandese than taiwanese. Everyone knows the name of the drama?

Back to your question:

I can only give you a list of his filmography:

- Sword Knight-Errant (1999)

Clan Of Amazons (1996)

Ninja Death (1987)

Take The Rap (1983)

Great Massacre (1982)

Matching Escort (1982)

September Falcon (1982)

Guy With Secret Kung Fu, The (1981)

Imperial Sword, Crouching Devil (1981)

Bruce Tuan's 7 Promises (1980)

Kung Fu Of Eight Drunkards (1980)

Sun Moon Legend, The (1980)

Unbeaten 28 (1980)

Boxer's Adventure, The (1979)

Eunuch Of The Western Palace (1979)

Everlasting Chivalry (1979)

Immortal Warriors (1979)

Iron Fists (1979)

Silver Spear (1979)

Sword Shot At The Sun (1979)

Dragon Of The Swordsman (1978)

Great General (1978)

Green Jade Statuette (1978)

Invincible Kung Fu Trio, The (1978)

Snake Crane Secret (1978)

Super Kung Fu Fighter (1978)

Three Shaolin Musketeers (1978)

Unique Lama, The (1978)

Ways Of Kung Fu (1978)

Clutch Of Power (1977 )

Dragon, The Lizard, The Boxer, The (1977)

Return Of Bruce (1977)

Secret Of The Shaolin Poles, The (1977)

Bloody Hero, A (1976)

Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue (1976)

18 Shaolin Disciples (1975)

Born Of Fire (1975)

Young Hero Of Shaolin (1975)

Five Shaolin Masters (1974)

Five Kung Fu Daredevil Heroes (1973)

Young Tiger, The (1973)

Prodigal Boxer (1972)

King Boxer, The (1971)

From:

http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/people.asp?id=763

Check this page for the credits of the movies, but don't pay attention to the biography, is incomplete and with mistakes.

I will back over this topic

Alexandra

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

Yes I too was smitten with Meng Fei when I was much younger. I saw a VHS in a store window, Prodigal Boxer, something about him. I became obsessed to see the movie. I eventually I saw it. And was very pleased I did.

He is great in all respects in my book. I especially like his comedy side he just bursts with good cheer. And those good looks. As a 1/2 Italian male I can appreciate where 1/2 of his looks came from.

No one has mentioned his martial arts skill in this thread or I missed it.

What is his martial background? Opera or a real martial arts background or like Beardy he picks things up quickly.

GD Y-Y

[Alexandra]

He is great in all respects in my book. I especially like his comedy side he just bursts with good cheer. And those good looks. As a 1/2 Italian male I can appreciate where 1/2 of his looks came from.

No one has mentioned his martial arts skill in this thread or I missed it.

What is his martial background? Opera or a real martial arts background or like Beardy he picks things up quickly.

Hello

He had a splendid comedy side and his smile, as I use to say, is the second most astonishing on screen in all South East Asia screen. Concerning his half italian blood, for me is a blessing!

He was trained in martial art skills, not opera as far I know. The style he learnt I guess was Hung Gar, but you can see him in the character of Fang Shih Yu, he fight with the fan with great versatility. I think in my opinion that the three actors whom hold the fan with elegance and fight with this weapon correctly (on screen) was him, Ti Lung and today Nicholas Tse.

Alexandra

[silver hermit]

Which is the name of the tv drama where Fei Fei play a character with a strange helmet?

Alexandra

that looks like its from the film the great general

[Alexandra]

You are right my friend!

I found this short video of this movie, The Great General (1976) but don't show up Fei Fei.

_Bq0nFqP2kc

Alexandra

[Alexandra]

I was thinking in an evil character played by Meng Fei but still, I don't remember one...

Alexandra

[slazenger_7]

I remember seeing Meng Fei for the 1st time in Five Shaolin Masters(1974) back in the mid-70's at Kim Sing theatre in Chinatown, L.A. on Figueroa...In fact, it was the 1st time I saw the whole Shaw Bros. gang : David Chiang; Ti Lung; Chi Kuan Chun; Fu Sheng. My Dad had taken me to see his 2nd favorite martial arts star [Chen Kuan Tai's Man Of Iron] which was running as a double bill with FSM; the late Bruce Lee was his favorite...We had stumbled onto the world of Shaw Bros' Shaolin epics by virtual accident. I was 9 yrs. old then. But I remember that Meng Fei's Fang Ta-Hung character the most from FSM. Director Chang Cheh really paired Mr. Fei with a perfect counterpart in screen villain Leung Kar Yan[we came to nickname him Evil Bruce Lee]. Fei's death in that climactic fight was what I remember the most from that initial viewing; I don't think anyone who saw FSM for the 1st time, and without knowing the history of the Fang Ta-Hung character, expected Mr. Fei to get killed at the end. Meng Fei was HIGHLY underrated as an actor and a movie star...But there are so many people out there that rank him second only to Bruce Lee as their FAVORITE martial arts star...I saw the YouTube interview...Seems like a very affable gentleman. Mr. Fei was born in 1951...As the late, great Alexander Fu Sheng was not only among the youngest of that whole Shaw Bros. clique, but also the 70's Asian martial arts cinema roster...Heroes, villains, supporting players, et al.

Shih Kien (1913/01/01)

Ching Miao (1913/03/13)

Tetsuro Tamba (1922/07/17)

Wong Chung Shun (1925/05/27)

Wei Ping Ao (1929/11/29)

Ku Feng (1930/07/03)

Ramon Zamora (1935/06/27)

Lau Kar Leung (1936/08/01)

Chin Han (1937/08/11)

Bolo Yeung Tze (1938/07/03)

Lo Lieh (1938/07/25)

Sonny Chiba (1939/01/23)

Chan Shen (1940/03/11)

Wang Hsia (1940/05/05)

Bruce Lee (1940/11/27)

Lin Yung (1941/05/11)

Lau Kar Wing (1942/01/01)

Chiang Tao (1942/06/17)

Yueh Hua (1942/11/14)

Tsai Hung (1942/12/29)

Lung Fei (1943/01/22)

Jimmy Wang Yu (1943/03/28)

John Liu (1944/01/01)

Toshio Kurosawa (1944/02/04)

Chen Kuan Tai (1944/02/16)

Hwang Jang Lee (1944/12/21)

Chang Yi (1945/02/24)

Yasuaki/Shoji Kurata (1946/03/20)

Ti Lung (1946/08/03)

Huang Chia Ta (1947/03/22)

Wang Chung (1947/04/02)

David Chiang (1947/06/29)

Tang Yen Tsan (1947/09/26)

Tan Tao Liang (1947/12/22)

Leung Kar Yan (1949/01/20)

Chi Kuan Chun (1949/06/14)

Wang Lung Wei (1949/07/14)

Fung Hak On (1949/09/18)

Bruce Li (1950/06/05)

Chiang Sheng (1951/04/27)

Meng Fei (1951/05/25)

Philip Kwok (1951/10/21)

Sammo Hung (1952/01/07)

Liu Yung (1952/02/07)

Lo Meng (1952/08/04)

Li Hisu Hsien (1952/08/06)

Lu Feng (1953/05/15)

Jackie Chan (1954/04/07)

Alexander Fu Sheng (1954/10/20)

Sun Chien (1955/01/26)

Gordon Liu (1955/11/30)

Erh Tung Sheng (1957/12/28)

Dragon Lee (1958/08/12)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Some pics of Mr. Meng Fei : If you click on the thumbnails, they enlarge for full viewing--

[MarsHarmony]

"But there are so many people out there that rank him second only to Bruce Lee as their FAVORITE martial arts star...I saw the YouTube interview...Seems like a very affable gentleman" ...Slazenger_7

Welcome to another Kung Fu cinema fan, especially a Meng Fei fan!

Very nice write up here of your first Meng Fei viewing! And a Shaw double feature in Chinatown, how very cool indeed.

You saw a youtube interview? With Meng Fei? could you post the link here? That would be great!

[slazenger_7]

I saw the Meng Fei game-interview with his 2 sons and spouse from the URL provided right here on an earlier post...

My father was actually involved in film distribution of HK martial arts films of Goldig Film Studios (whose president was Alex Guow) to India from '77-'83. He actually met some HK martial arts alumni in person : Steve Chan; Fung Yi [bruce Lee's portly, bespectacled Japanese nemesis from Fists Of Fury]; John Liu [who co-starred with Meng Fei]; etc...

He never met any Shaw Bros. alumni though...Dad only dealt with Goldig Films of HK and Mr. Alex Guow & Guow Hiap Hoo. A couple of the films Dad help distribute to India to get passed by NFDC (Natl. Film Distr. Corp.) were :

The Best Of Shaolin Kung Fu [aka 18 Golden Men]--with Koo Lung [aka Cliff Lok] & Huang Chia Ta [aka Carter Wong] as the supervillain.

The Godfather's Kung Fu Family [aka The Last Challenge]--with Shih Kien [Han of Enter The Dragon]; Yeung Tze [bolo of Enter The Dragon]; Tino Wong Cheung; and Steve Chan[also the film's director]. This movie was a martial arts remake of Coppola's screen adaptation of The Godfather(1972).

I myself went to Sensei Bill Ryusaki's Lankersheim Dojo back as a grade-schooler in 1975-76. I also knew the Prince of Kata, Mr. Eric Lee. He was friends with Dad and once took me and my little sister roller-skating. Mr. Lee also came to my elementary school--Colfax Avenue--in North Hollywood to give a live demonstration to my class.

I met in person Master Bong Soo Han in 1979 at a private screening of Kill The Golden Goose which starred Bong Soo Han & Grandmaster Ed Parker [he played the heavy]. My Dad had been invited to that private screening and took me along. By then, I was a teenager.

The last time I attended a martial arts school was in '79. It was Master Yong Kim's school of the WTKDF [World Tae Kwon Do Federation] directly across the street from the campus of LACC [L.A. City College]...I never made it to brown belt, though...

Lot's of childhood memories...In retrospect, I was very lucky to have experienced the whole martial arts craze of the 1970's and early '80's...Wouldn't have traded it in for the world.

[slazenger_7]

As for Meng Fei playing a villain :

I do remember seeing him in one sword-fighting film where he was a special guest star, I believe, and he had a black patch over one eye...Cannot remember the title as I saw it only once back in the late '70's at Kim Sing theatre in CT L.A. ...

He was most definitely the villain and I remember he was actually VERY effective in it...

I couldn't believe it was him, at first...Unfortunately, I NEVER saw that flick again...Not even in the TV re-runs of the '80's to make a positive identification that it was indeed Meng Fei playing that villainous, guest starring role...

Also, I remember reading somewhere online that Mr. Meng Fei was a direct descendant from his paternal line of one of the real-life, anti-Ching heroes known in history as the Ten Tigers of Kwantung. Can anyone please help find the online source or verify if this is true...?

Incidentally, I too, as many others, agree that Five Shaolin Masters(1974) is probably one of the greatest of all martial arts films ever...It opened in HK on Christmas Day 1974.

As I vividly recall, some comparisons made of the following...

Chi Kuan Chun = A Chinese, good-looking version of Lee Van Cleef

Chen Kuan Tai = Chinese Tommy Lee Jones

Yasuaki[shoji] Kurata = Japanese Alain Delon

Leung Kar Yan = Evil Bruce Lee.

Tsai Hung = Chinese Christopher Lee

Toshio Kurosawa = Japanese Stephen Boyd

And of course, they all had tremendous, NOBLE screen presence that was missing in Hollywood film heroes or anti-heroes of the time (i.e. 1970's)...

Finally, we as kids growing up in the '70's NEVER saw ripped physiques like that of Bruce Lee or Chi Kuan Chun in Hollywood or Bollywood heroes...Keep in mind, this was before Stallone's Rambo or Schwarzenegger [who finally made it to the mainstream thanks to his buddy Sly who paved the way for modern mainstream Hollywood muscleheads]...Mr. Chuck Norris appeared too hairy, like an ape, in Bruce Lee's ROTD or WOTD...As a skinny kid, dreaming or hoping of some day attaining a muscular physique was certainly a priority back then...LOL.

[slazenger_7]

To Alexandra...

I always thought back as a kid, that Alexander Fu Sheng looked a little like Argentine boxing legend Carlos Monzon...Or is it just me?

P.S.--As a kid, I was a huge boxing fan as well...It was second only to martial arts for me.

Some pics of former UNDEFEATED middleweight world champ Carlos Monzon :

[Alexandra]

Meng Fei was HIGHLY underrated as an actor and a movie star...But there are so many people out there that rank him second only to Bruce Lee as their FAVORITE martial arts star...I saw the YouTube interview...Seems like a very affable gentleman. I believe Mr. Fei was born in 1949 and not 1951...As the late Alexander Fu Sheng was the youngest of that Shaw Bros. clique...

Jimmy Wang Yu(28/3/1943)

Chen Kuan Tai(16/2/1944)

Yasuaki/Shoji Kurata(20/3/1946)

Ti Lung(3/8/1946)

David Chiang(29/6/1947)

Tang Yan Tsan(?/?/1948)

Leung Kar Yan(20/1/1949)

Chi Kuan Chun(14/6/1949)

Wang Lung Wei(14/7/1949)

Meng Fei(?/?/1949)

Alexander Fu Sheng(20/10/1954)

Dear friend

Thank you for sharing your nice experiences, it was very touching. You are right, Meng Fei was underrated all the time, but many people loves him. Some day, he will receive the respect of a star like others. And interesting your suggestion of 1949 as birthdate. Maybe if someone can read chinese and translate magazines, set some light over the subject. Thanks for the pictures and I invite you to join the Social Group Meng Fei Fans and post all the information you want.

Alexandra

[Alexandra]

To Alexandra...

I always thought back as a kid, that Alexander Fu Sheng looked a little like Argentine boxing legend Carlos Monzon...Or is it just me?

P.S.--As a kid, I was a huge boxing fan as well...It was second only to martial arts for me.

Some pics of former UNDEFEATED middleweight world champ Carlos Monzon :

Thank you for your memories of our champion. He was unique. Both, Alexander and Carlos in facial features are not similar, or boxing style, but who knows? You really touched my heart. I have not words.

Alexandra

[slazenger_7]

I mentioned this in the "Ten Tigers From Kwantung" thread in the Shaw Bros. forum.

I was watching the trailer for "Enter the Whirlwind Boxer" a.k.a. "Prodigal Boxer 2", a.k.a. "Young Hero of Shaolin" (1975). Produced by South Sea Film Co. Hong Kong, it included a title card that said,

"Meng Fei, grandson of Tan San, Cantonese 5th Tiger, and the heir of Tsai-li-fu."

The closest character name from "Ten Tigers From Kwantung" that I can match was Yeung Hung (1) as 'Tieh Chow San'. The Ten Tigers live on. I think it is an amazing tidbit that ties life and cinema together, but it would be an outrageous statement to print on film if it is not true.

@ MarsHarmony :

Tsai Li Fu[Choy Li Fut] was a Kung Fu system...[Tsai Li Fu=Mandarin; Choy Li Fut=Cantonese]

Master Tam Sam[i.e. Tan San] was a practitioner of Choy Li Fut[Tsai Li Fu]...

Even though I have yet to confirm it, Tam Sam(1873-1942) could possibly be Meng Fei's paternal grandfather; the one advertised in that trailer for Young Hero of Shaolin(1975) by South Sea Film Co. ...

Here is a virtually copy-pasted bio [i made only some minor corrections in spelling, grammar, & punctuation] on Master Tam Sam(1873-1942) :

Tam Sam learnt Hung Kuen Kung Fu as a child and at the age of 15 he become a student of Master Lui Charn, who was the top disciple and relative of Master Cheong Hung Sing. Under Master Lui Charn, he made progress with astonishing achievement, promoting him into the role of Instructor at the Hung Sing Gwoon. Tam Sam was a true believer in the superiority of Hung Sing Style, openly challenging Kung Fu masters to test their style and fighting skills in either "closed door" sparring duels or open challenge tournament matches.

Tam Sam eventually broke away from the Choy Li Fut school where he was training. This was due to an unfortunate incident in which a fight broke out between Tam Sam, his Si Sook (his master's junior class mate) and two of his family members. Master Lui Charn expelled Tam Sam from the Choy Li Fut school before he completed his training. After his expulsion, Tam Sam asked some of Lui Charn's students to help him open a new Choy Li Fut branch in Guangzhuo, Siu Bak(little north) district and called it Siu Bak Hung Sing Choy Li Fut. Eventually it was shortened to Bak Sing Choy Li Fut. Tam Sam's students referred to themselves as the Bak Sing branch of Choy Li Fut. A Northern Shaolin master named Ku Yu Jeung (Gu Ruzhang) befriended and joined Tam Sam and thus added more techniques to the Bak Sing Choy Li Fut curriculum.

It was only upon the urging of his students that he accepted the title of "SIFU". Tam Sam is credited for developing the "successive killer leopard punch" (also known as "Leen Whan Charp Choi" or "the consecutive charp-kuen" or "Fore-knuckle punch"). In retrospect he is seen as a major icon in Choy Li Fut history for his development of the style. It was this and his imposing persona that won him the status of "The Legendary Fist of The North".

Tam Sam was not just a great fighter though; he was a cultured individual who studied calligraphy. He worked as a law clerk in Guangzhou as he never could make enough money from teaching Kung Fu, in fact, he never managed to pay the school's bills from the school's income, opting to share the training expenses between himself and his students. All in all, he was a prominent martial arts figure in Guangdong.

Tam Sam, Lau Chang and Wong To were considered the three best fighters of Choy Li Fut in their time. It was truly through the effort of masters Tam Sam and Lau Chang that Choy Li Fut became so famous.

Tam Sam created the devastating "Leen Whan Charp Choi" - a continuous hammering of long straight fore-knuckle punches. This remarkable technique helped the name of Choy Li Fut to thunder throughout the whole middle part of Southern China and attracted many people to join the Buck Sing Gwoon. The sharp, knife-like technique gave Choy Li Fut a distinct identity, somewhat like the karate "chop" or the Judo "shoulder-throw".

He died at the age of 69 from a disease that was deemed incurable due to the limited medical help of the day.

Tam Sam was survived by his son, TAM FEI PANG who had a large following of disciples in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

In memory of Tam Sam, his anniversary is celebrated on the 24th of December, by the Chinese calendar.

Kung Fu folklore abounds with legends, and many are historically incorrect, but Tam Sam was recognized, even during his own lifetime, as a martial arts legend. Even recently, movie producers researched him as a subject for a string of martial arts action movies based on his legendary life. In interviewing his senior students and family, the producers were told quite bluntly that "There is no-one good enough to portray in a movie". The producers boasted "We had Jet Li in mind for the role of ", but those interviewed were still not convinced, highlighting that he was a very real person, not a fantasy. His life left controversy lingering in many Kung Fu circles due to his relentless and provoking nature.

(NOTE: The producers ended up making films on Wong Fei Hung instead).

----------------------------------------------------------

End of virtual copy-paste.

Master Tam Sam's surviving son TAM FEI PANG could possibly be our Meng Fei's father...

As for Master Tam Fei Pang, I researched the following :

Tam Fei Pang learned the Tsai Li Fu[Choy Li Fut] system from his legendary father Master Tam Sam[Tan San]. He was also sent by his father in an exchange program to the famous Bak Shaolin master Ku Ye Cheung. Consequently, Master Tam Fei Pang incorporated both styles.

As for that title card from Young Hero of Shaolin(1975), the only inaccurate content of South Sea Film Co.'s claim about Meng Fei was that Master Tam Sam[Tan San] was the 5th Tiger of Canton. Everything else apparently checks out, though. Maybe South Sea Film Co. publicists confused Master Tam Sam with Master Wong Fei Hung, who was the son of Wong Kai Ying--one of the real life Ten Tigers of Canton[Kwangtung].

A photo of Sifu Tam Sam[Tan San] :

[MarsHarmony]

This is great stuff Slazinger_7! More details than I have seen so far for this tale of grand scope. Thank you for sharing this, it is fascinating!

I knew of Choy Li Fut because of Fu Sheng's film demonstration from New Shaolin Boxers! I am still trying to track down a copy of Meng Fei's Prodigal Boxer 2, the trailer on youtube looked pretty clean and widescreen. Hope that more of Meng Fei's films will be restored to a good viewable condition some day.

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

Slazenger_7

Man very interesting indeed.

I too think Meng Fie is very underrated.

Are you implying that Mr. Fie learned martial arts from the line of masters you spoke of?

Or do you know if Meng Fie has a martial background and if so what is it?

GD Y-Y

[Athena]

I love Meng Fei ! I like all his movies ( that I have managed to find so far !!)

" THE GREEN JADE STATUETT " I think is very COOL !! : ! I even like him in stuff like " SILVER HERMITT FROM SHAOLIN TEMPLE " The whole 5 minutes of the opening sequence before he dies ! but it is true that he is very underrated in the western part of the world . There is even a few books & SEVERAL dvd audio commentaries where he is casually mention & dismissed as the " whathisnamebabyfacedguy " VERY IRRITATING !!!! He is cool when he plays Fang Sai Yuk too ! All around good !!

I realise it seem weird for some of the stars to decide to stay in Taiwan ( when not even of Taiwanese origins ) & do movies but in some way they maintain their privacy better there , The Triad influence is different than HK ( although prevalent , from a different perspective ) . In addition the industry ( esp. TV is doing quite well now , along the lines of the mainland TV industry explosion). Chi Kuan Chun is another star that comes to mind in this aspect.

Xiexie Athena

[shapes]

Meng Fei was born in Canton China in 1954, he studied Choi Lee fat kung fu there ,He is direct descendant of one of the Ten Tigers of Canton, I forget which one,in 69 or 70 he fled Red China and swam shark infested watrers to Hong Kong, wher he worked on Construction jobs, after seeing an ad in the newspapers for a Chang Cheh based film company looking for new young kung fu actors, Meng Fei turned up for the audition and the rest is history. not sure if he is really half Italian, since this would be realy rare at that time period and if he was he coud have left China by more conventional means

[Athena]

Meng Fei was born in Canton China in 1954, he studied Choi Lee fat kung fu there ,He is direct descendant of one of the Ten Tigers of Canton, I forget which one,in 69 or 70 he fled Red China and swam shark infested watrers to Hong Kong, wher he worked on Construction jobs, after seeing an ad in the newspapers for a Chang Cheh based film company looking for new young kung fu actors, Meng Fei turned up for the audition and the rest is history. not sure if he is really half Italian, since this would be realy rare at that time period and if he was he coud have left China by more conventional means

Thank you Shapes , that is awesome! He never really looked 1/2 Italian to me, do you think he had that look ?

Athena

[slazenger_7]

Slazenger_7

Are you implying that Mr. Fie learned martial arts from the line of masters you spoke of?

Or do you know if Meng Fie has a martial background and if so what is it?

Here is a copy-paste from a kungfumagazine.com forum by a member that acutally states that Mung Fei[Meng Fei] was the adopted son of Sifu Tam Fei Pang--son of Tsai Li Fu[Choy Li Fut] pioneer Tam Sam :

Satori Science

01-13-2007, 04:21 PM

I made the same assumption when I first heard Sifu talk about him. It actually wasn't until the footage got posted & I showed it to sifu and started asking questions about Tam Sing that I learned more about him. I had actually confused stories about him with Grand Master Fei Pang's adpoted son Mung Fei.

http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-43196.html

-------------------------------------------------------

I also included the URL from which I tracked this down. This is all I could dig up so far. Australian Dave Lacey, a pioneer of Tsai Li Fu[Choy Li Fut] in Australia, was a pupil of Master Tam Fei Pang. I have included below a photo of the late Master Tam Fei Pang with Dave Lacey. The above copy-paste is the only documentation which I have found thus far which actually states that Mung Fei[Meng Fei] was the son of Master Tam Fei Pang; albeit, an adopted son. This is still an ongoing investigation & research. However, there is nothing that I have found that links Meng Fei's genealogy with any of the Ten Tigers of Canton aside from the probable error made in the South Sea Film Co. title card from the trailer of Young Hero Of Shaolin(1975)...Click on thumbnail to enlarge photo of Sifu Tam Fei Pang [Meng Fei's biological or adoptive father],

[slazenger_7]

Meng Fei was born in Canton China in 1954, he studied Choi Lee fat kung fu there ,He is direct descendant of one of the Ten Tigers of Canton, I forget which one,in 69 or 70 he fled Red China and swam shark infested watrers to Hong Kong, wher he worked on Construction jobs, after seeing an ad in the newspapers for a Chang Cheh based film company looking for new young kung fu actors, Meng Fei turned up for the audition and the rest is history. not sure if he is really half Italian, since this would be realy rare at that time period and if he was he coud have left China by more conventional means

@Shapes

According to this news excerpt dated 1st Jan 2009, Meng Fei is age 60. This would mean he was born in 1948. Could you provide us some of your sources which document Meng Fei to be born in 1954 or even 1951...Much appreciated if you can...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.nownews.com/2009/01/10/340-2393337.htm

Hair is a man's dignity? Fei Meng blew: the Mediterranean crisis once told him to distress(2009/01/10 20:51)

Fei Meng, 60, blew, there was the Mediterranean partial alopecia head, so he was very depressed. (Qiu Rongji She's) Bell's poetry / Taipei

Fei Meng, 60, blew, there was the Mediterranean partial alopecia head, so he is very depressed, and later to Korea to do hair, the only solution on top of the crisis. As fat as life's Mengfei Jiang stressed: "would rather have no money, nor did the hair." He believes that hair is simply a man of dignity and self-confidence, but also to the Chou Yi loudspeaker, with bonds of friendship, quite willing to help and then helped to raise him from wig under the embarrassment.

Even if 60 years old, Fei Meng does not recognize the old, regular maintenance, injecting a toxin into plants to send them altogether! Today, his hair in particular to share experience, he said, his head appeared 10 years ago, McDonald's pattern baldness crisis, so he is not acceptable, then relied on to Korea to do hair transplant surgery, only to save the Mediterranean crisis, given that many of Taiwan also have this trouble, Fei Meng was to introduce the latest hair techniques.

Fei Meng said that he would rather not have the money, nor did the hair, stressed: "This is a man of dignity with self-confidence." Fei Meng to martial arts star was born that year to perform with and Pan Ying-Zi "evil" play Yang Guo and hit. Fei Meng said, year in Hong Kong, with Dillon, David Chiang, Fu Sheng, Qi Guanjun such as adding Shaolin, he broke the news: "At the time Dillon had also joked that I definitely was the first to get bald, and did not think Dillon is the first a first bald. "

But because long-term need to take the lead in martial arts costume play set, Fei Meng was able to escape the bald crises, and it finds a solution, saying, Fei Meng also Chou Yi propaganda, if you need help, he must be very similar, "said free too hypocritical, but as long as he began, I will try to solve the top worry for him. "

Aged 60, still has to maintain a living dragon, he revealed his secret: the night wandering large dog Running 2 hours, plus twice-yearly injection of botulinum, Fei Meng laughs and says: "look to ensure fans than my grandmother still young. "

Fei Meng said his mother, a doctor from the maintenance concept, "I grew very concerned about the daily facial care, like brushing your teeth, like, sooner or later, heavy maintenance, and pay attention to skin changes, spreading face 3 times a week, a year injection two Clostridium botulinum. "Fei Meng boast, as long as ground maintenance, must tender skin.

----------------------------------------------------------

I copied this very link from right here in the Meng Fei thread by Wuxiawuxia in post #13 ...

One cannot help but notice that in the above news excerpt about Mr. Meng Fei, the fact that he is age 60 at the beginning of year 2009 is stated at least 4 times!

Also, Meng Fei has two supporting roles listed in his IMDB filmography for the year 1969. I have an IMDB account under the same username I have used here in this forum. I had posted a message in the Meng Fei message board at IMDB as well as uploaded 5 photos of Mr. Fei under the IMDB external links-photographs section...

Long yin hu xiao (1969)

... aka "The Challenge" - International (English title)

Mie men zhi huo (1969)

... aka "Avenging Eagle" - USA (video title)

... aka "Shaolin Hero" - International (English title)

... aka "Sheng-piao Hero" - Hong Kong (English title)

Meng Fei rose to overnight stardom throughout East Asia with the release of his starring title role of The King Boxer--which opened in HK on 1st Jan 1971. Mr. Fei followed this with an even bigger boxoffice hit the following year in 1972 with the release of The Prodigal Boxer. When Meng Fei joined the cast of Five Shaolin Masters(1974), he was already a much bigger boxoffice star than either Alexander Fu Sheng or Chi Kuan Chun; which explains Mr. Fei's disappointment & frustration with Mr. Chang Cheh for having less screen time than either of them in FSM. Both The King Boxer(1971) and The Prodigal Boxer(1972) were worldwide releases (including the most desired markets of USA & Can). Mr. Fei had already starred in 5 five films before he joined Chang Cheh & Shaw Brothers for FSM in '74; in the earlier '74 release The Invincible Kung Fu Trio, Mr. Fei was already top billed over Angela Mao & John Liu (who made his screen debut that same year with either that film or Zen Kwan Do Strikes In Paris, also released in '74).

Now that I saw both films[TKB & TPB] again just within the past week, I realized that I had seen BOTH FILMS back in the summer of '74 in L.A.! It wasn't until a week ago that I realized the star of both those flicks was one of the same stars[i.e. Meng Fei] of Five Shaolin Masters(1974)! I believe I had seen FSM toward the end of '75 with English subtitles at the historic Kim Sing movie theatre on Figueroa St. in Chinatown L.A. Back then, as a pre-junior high schooler, I didn't pay that much attention to martial arts actors' names, with the obvious exception of Bruce Lee...There were just far too many of them with the virtual avalanche of martial arts films that were released in North America between '74-'76! I started to pay attention to their names after we started frequenting Kim Sing, Royal Pagoda, and Sing Lee theatres for well over a year...I would say from '77 onwards...

I had seen TKB & TPB with hordes of other martial arts films that were dubbed in English at the World, Pacific, Wiltern, etc., theatres in L.A.; not to mention the Downtown L.A. theatres of Cameo, Arcade, and Orpheum...To be honest, I had almost completely dropped out of the entire martial arts scene from '83 onwards (when I finished high school)...And it wasn't until over a month ago that I revisited that aspect of my youth. We're talking 27 years! So many more things are now coming back to memory regarding those martial arts years of my life...

[shapes]

I got that birth date from a Japanese book on kung fu actors, however wikipida states that he as bron in 1951, they also state that his fatheris a Shanghainese and his mother a Cantonese, this was also mentioned in a pressbook for prodigal boxer.

as for IMDB forget tham when it comes to Chines movies they are a total mess, shaolin hero was made in the early 80's

[slazenger_7]

I got that birth date from a Japanese book on kung fu actors, however wikipida states that he as bron in 1951, they also state that his fatheris a Shanghainese and his mother a Cantonese, this was also mentioned in a pressbook for prodigal boxer. as for IMDB forget tham when it comes to Chines movies they are a total mess, shaolin hero was made in the early 80's

Thanks. Much appreciated.

Is that Japanese book possibly available anywhere online to purchase or even accessible for an excerpted reference?

Also, could you copy-paste the Wikipedia info regarding Meng Fei here on this thread as I only found info on the female gymnast Meng Fei & the male figure-skater Meng Fei in Wikipedia...I couldn't find anything on actor Meng Fei in AsianMediaWiki either...

However, Wikipedia too can be a mess, like IMDB...

From that article, it might be safe to assume that Mr. Fei's mother is a doctor in some branch of healthcare[maybe dermatology or cosmetology].

The part of Mr. Fei swimming across shark-infested waters to arrive in HK sounds like studio manufactured publicity. He was already a well-established star before his collaboration with Chang Cheh & Shaw Bros.

You were right about :

Mie men zhi huo (1969)

... aka "Avenging Eagle" - USA (video title)

... aka "Shaolin Hero" - International (English title)

... aka "Sheng-piao Hero" - Hong Kong (English title)

IMDB itself lists it as a 1982 release in the more info section. I just missed it.

However --

The film The Challenge(Long Yin Hu Xiao) has Meng Fei listed as a supporting player and was released on 4th Dec 1969, though...

On the other hand, Hong Kong Movie Database has the 1969 Taiwanese release Clover[Xing Yun Cao]--directed by Gao Shan Lan--listed as Meng Fei's cinema debut. Below are URL's for reference.

http://hkmdb.com/

http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=4129&display_set=big5

Maybe Mr. Fei appeared in both 1969 releases...

[shapes]

http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh/%E5%AD%9F%E9%A3%9B

Says his real name is Yang An Tung

孟飛（1951年－），本名:楊安東，於1984年與潘迎紫合拍電視劇《神鵰俠侶》。1985年，又與潘迎紫合作拍攝《神州俠侶》一片，當時被認為與潘迎紫是「螢幕情侶」。之後，與仍是秀場藝人的陳美鳳交往，但交往數年後即分手，有過三段婚姻。

現在從事醫學美容的事業，並育有一子孟翔（本名王柏翔）。

出生，祖籍山东，自幼在上海跟随叔父习武。15歲那年與同好一起跑到了廣州，然後再一塊偷渡到了香港（據當事人称最后游泳10个小时到港），途中有人因體力不支而放棄，只剩孟飛與關聰到達目的地。1971年左右，邵氏電影公司招募演员，他从千名应征者中脱颖而出，但在邵氏发展并不出色，主要是邵氏明星太多了，出頭的機會不大。1972年凭非邵氏电影《方世玉》而走红，陆续拍了30多部功夫片。曾到菲律宾发展演艺事业，最后定居台湾并接拍多部电视连续剧。现在從商是蓮華經典國際有限公司及紅采生物科技股份有限公司副董事長，公司是研發一系列麥飯石的保養品、日用品及健康食品。

除《方世玉》外，《七巧凤凰碧玉刀》、《神刀流星拳》、《新月传奇》、《侠影留香》皆為代表作品，最近的一部电影演出是1993年的楚留香后传《西门无恨》。

Like IMDB, HKMDB make some mistakes too they say that Meng Fei made a film called Born of Fire in 1975, this film is in fact "Bruce Tuan's 7th promise (79)"

so no he was not an established star prior to Young Tiger, king of boxers ect.

[slazenger_7]

http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh/%E5%AD%9F%E9%A3%9B

Says his real name is Yang An Tung

孟飛（1951年－），本名:楊安東，於1984年與潘迎紫合拍電視劇《神鵰俠侶》。1985年，又與潘迎紫合作拍攝《神州俠侶》一片，當時被認為與潘迎紫是「螢幕情侶」。之後，與仍是秀場藝人的陳美鳳交往，但交往數年後即分手，有過三段婚姻。

現在從事醫學美容的事業，並育有一子孟翔（本名王柏翔）。

出生，祖籍山东，自幼在上海跟随叔父习武。15歲那年與同好一起跑到了廣州，然後再一塊偷渡到了香港（據當事人称最后游泳10个小时到港），途中有人因體力不支而放棄，只剩孟飛與關聰到達目的地。1971年左右，邵氏電影公司招募演员，他从千名应征者中脱颖而出，但在邵氏发展并不出色，主要是邵氏明星太多了，出頭的機會不大。1972年凭非邵氏电影《方世玉》而走红，陆续拍了30多部功夫片。曾到菲律宾发展演艺事业，最后定居台湾并接拍多部电视连续剧。现在從商是蓮華經典國際有限公司及紅采生物科技股份有限公司副董事長，公司是研發一系列麥飯石的保養品、日用品及健康食品。

除《方世玉》外，《七巧凤凰碧玉刀》、《神刀流星拳》、《新月传奇》、《侠影留香》皆為代表作品，最近的一部电影演出是1993年的楚留香后传《西门无恨》。

Like IMDB, HKMDB make some mistakes too they say that Meng Fei made a film called Born of Fire in 1975, this film is in fact "Bruce Tuan's 7th promise (79)"

so no he was not an established star prior to Young Tiger, king of boxers ect.

Thanks! Although I can no more read Chinese than Japanese or Korean...LOL. Could you please translate or have it re-pasted under the translate page sometimes available on the internet. This is a great find on the seemingly ever-elusive, mysterious Meng Fei...

By the way, I never stated that Meng Fei was an established star before TKB('71) or TPB('72). I had stated that Mr. Fei was an established star before FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS(1974).

If his real name is Yang An Tung, then I wonder if it is true that he was the adopted son of Master Tam Fei Pang...?