AKA: Kan Chia-fong, Gam Ga-fung, Lam Sau, Lin Xiu, Lin Siu, Lin Hsiu, Phoenix Kim, Yuen Chau
Gender: Female
Born: 1950
Biography: Yuen Qiu has the distinction of being one of very few female stunt actors in Hong Kong during the 1970s, although she will now likely be remembered best as the chain-smoking landlady in Stephen Chow's martial arts comedy Kung Fu Hustle.
Born as Kan Chia-fong, she was admitted to the China Drama Academy at the age of ten where she would spend the next seven years of her life in rigorous training in martial arts, dance, singing and acting to become a Peking Opera performer under the strict guidance of Master Yu Jim-yuen. She was given the name "Yuen Qiu" as a performance name that she would continue to use professionally to honor her master. She became one of the famous Seven Little Fortunes, a traveling performance troupe that included future martial arts movie stars Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Wah.
Yuen Qiu's first break into feature film came in 1973 when she was cast in Not Scared to Die, an early Jackie Chan film. She had her first starring role shortly thereafter in Police Woman, again with Jackie Chan who costarred and co-choreographed the action sequences. After a brief appearance in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, Yuen would appear in at least eleven more martial arts movies where she put her opera school training to good use.
Arguably her best physical performance is in Joseph Kuo's kung fu classic Dragon's Claws (1979) where Yuen plays the kung fu-fighting mother of the young hero, played by Lau Ga-yung. Although it's ultimately up to Lau to take on the film's lead villain, played by real-life martial arts expert Hwang Jang-lee, it is Yuen who must train and defend him through much of the film. Yuen Qiu repeatedly gets to show off her impressive acrobatic and kicking skills.
In Lau Kar-leung's Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985) she can be seen in the opening credits displaying more of her leg work by battling the film's star Hsiao Ho with a steel-toed shoe. She retired from the movie business shortly thereafter.
In 2004, Yuen Qiu, who had recently become a grandmother, went with a friend to an audition for Kung Fu Hustle where she was spotted by the film's director Stephen Chow. Intrigued by the image of her smoking, Chow not only convinced her to come out of retirement to take on the role of the chain-smoking landlady in his comedy, but also to put on thirty pounds for the role. For her efforts in Kung Fu Hustle, Yuen Qiu received a Best Actress nomination at the 2004 Hong Kong Film Awards.
Filmography:
2004 - Kung Fu Hustle (actor)
1985 - Disciples of the 36th Chamber (actor)
1985 - Crazy Shaolin Disciples (actor)
1984 - New Tales of the Flying Fox (actor)
1983 - Bastard Swordsman (actor)
1981 - Dragon, the Young Master (actor)
1981 - Dreadnought (actor)
1979 - The Dragon's Snake Fist (actor)
1979 - Dragon's Claws (actor)
1978 - Fearless Duo (actor)
1978 - Dragon Lee vs. the Five Brothers (actor)
1975 - The Black Dragon's Revenge (actor)
1974 - The Man with the Golden Gun (actor)
1973 - Heroine (actor)
1973 - Police Woman (actor)
1973 - Not Scared to Die (actor)
http://image2.sina.com.cn/ent/m/2005-03-13...50313104802.jpg
Here's a pretty good website with more info on Yuen Qiu =D http://simonyam.com/hkmw/actors/kan-chia-f...iu-phoenix-kim/