Member kokuryuha Posted October 7, 2015 Member Share Posted October 7, 2015 If I ever stop doing posts here or anywhere else,I had to make sure I do at least one on my favorite henchman/stuntman...Al "Ka-bong"Leong.As a kid he always had me mystified because he had that look about him that made you believe in that stereotype back in the day that most chinese people knew kung-fu.I couldn't speak for the rest of them but I was pretty sure he did! Born Albert Leong in 1952,The youngest of three kids he spent his early years in St.Louis,Missouri.His parents were the owners of a laundromat and ironically not a kung-fu school.It was only when His family migrated to California in 1962 Al was to take that step into the martial arts world.He began his formal training while attending high school under the tutelage of Ark Yuey Wong,a trailblazer in Martial Arts being among the first(If not the first)to start teaching kung-fu formally in the US to non chinese despite coming from a traditional background that forbade it.He taught Ng Ga Kuen kung-fu translated as: Five family/Five animals fist. Having a strong foundation and being taught by one of the best,It was no surprise that those skills were put to use.But like some of the best success stories it wasn't planned that way.It was a chance encounter that brought Al to being involved with movies that came during the early eighties when he accompanied a friend to the set of a movie where he was given work as grip.Due to the stereotype about Asians mentioned earlier on this post The director asked if he knew any martial arts.Al admitted:"Yes I do" The director then invited him to teach some actresses on the set some moves.Al complied and the rest as they say is history. Al became the guy to call upon when producers needed an shall we say..."Instant kung-fu man" This allowed him to secure gigs on mainstream t.v.shows like The A-Team,Magnum P.I.,Knight Rider,MacGuyver,etc.becoming that familiar face you kept seeing.The time eventually came for transitioning to the big screen for that iconic role as the leader of the Wing Kong Gang in John Carpenter's(cult favorite and box office smash and inspiration to mortal kombat's Raiden character)Big trouble in little china (1986)Al starred alongside other fellow martial arts contemporaries and familiars such as Carter Wong,James Lew,Gerald Okamura,and Peter Kwong.I'll never forget his opening scene in the back alley striding nonchalantly through the fog with a meat cleaver twirling it with dexterity in his hands.He epitomized that tagline..."someone you don't want to meet in dark alley" Al has an impressive filmography starring in mainstream movies with the lion's share of them box office hits.My favorites besides BTILC are Bill & Ted's excellent adventure(1989) where someone with good taste cast him as Genghis Khan.Of all his movie roles I felt this one suited him the most because he actually resembles the Notorious Conqueror/Warrior figure and got to show off his weapon proficiency with the Kwan Dao.He even gets to wreck havoc in a sporting goods store! (I was secretly hoping he would kill somebody!) Let's not forget his best fight scene ever with the scion of "The little dragon" himself Brandon Lee in Rapid fire(1992) Those two should've gotten an award for best fight of the year or at least nominated in a viewer poll or something.Al had the distinction of really putting Brandon to the test and allowing him to shine like in no other movie with The Crow as the only exception.Brandon did good in Showdown in little Tokyo but he was a sidekick to Dolph Lundgren in that flick.In Rapid Fire,Brandon was the lead man and Al was his only worthy foe.Good back and forth exchanges between the two with Brandon showing some Yong Chun boxing and Al with his trademark kung-fu brawling style.Classic. Al's road to stardom wasn't without it's share of disappointments though.Two missed opportunities to work with Sly Stallone fell through the pocket.One of them being in Cobra (1986)When Al originally was cast as the Ax Gang leader.Brian Thompson was only an ersatz replacement because An Asian rights group protested against the role because "It put Asians in a negative light" (Where were those groups when they had buck toothed asians as coolies in movies and cartoons with the over exaggerated accents I wonder?) Anyway that was one.The other opportunity arose when Al was already doing Die Hard(1988) and was offered a role in Rambo 3.Al intended to shuttle back and forth to simultaneously work on both productions but was told he couldn't leave because they had paid him in advance for two weeks and refused to let him fly out to England to participate in a rival movie on their dollar.Al was let down because he was looking forward to working with Sly and doing a memorable fight with him.One could only think of how grueling a fight Ka-Bong would've given Sly for his money to our delight. Through it all,tribulations came with the territory as well.Al testifies to breaking all of his ribs,cracking his sternum,Breaking both arms and collarbones as well as having a life threatening bout with brain cancer.Despite surviving it,extensive radiation treatments has left him without the use of his right eardrum and one saliva gland.Yet,true to his screen image he's diehard.With over 30 plus years in the business of movie acting and stunts Al is showing no signs of giving up or slowing down.He's published his first memoir "The eight lives of Al "Ka-Bong" Leong" an autobiographical account on his life(2011) On a final note...Al Leong is one of those individuals who although he never got the chance to star in a leading role and deserved to with his enviable skills,he humbly played the background content with making other actors/actresses look good and making sure that you got your money's worth.He was a man of pride and standards though and had no gripes with walking off a production if he felt it wasn't worth his time.A true craftsman and an admirable marital artist as well as a good guy even though he portrayed a villain onscreen,Al Leong deserves a round of applause.?Or bow if you prefer.? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 8, 2015 Member Share Posted October 8, 2015 I love Al Leong. He should've been given an important role in any of three Expendables films. That said, I agree that the highlight of his career was his showdown with Brandon Lee in Rapid Fire, which surpassed all that film's attempts to rip off Police Story. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted October 8, 2015 Member Share Posted October 8, 2015 Great article, nice to know more about the guy who's Ive seen in so many films but knew nothing about. He turned up in Showdown with Billy Blanks which I bought while the old forums went down. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted September 4, 2017 Member Share Posted September 4, 2017 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member whitesnake Posted March 3, 2018 Member Share Posted March 3, 2018 The above video is a promo for a documentary, Henchman: The Al Leong Story, a tributary to Al Leong, exploring his martial arts career and personal life. He had a stroke is unable to perform now. The documentary is nearing completion, and needs some help with funding to finish it - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/henchman-the-al-leong-story#/. Al Leong appeared in "Awesome Asian Bad Guys (2014), "an action/comedy about two offbeat filmmakers reuniting the Asian bad guys from action films from the 80s and 90s, to carry off one impossible mission." Available to view streaming on Amazon. Official trailer - Here's an interview with Al Leong from four year ago - 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted May 10, 2019 Member Share Posted May 10, 2019 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted September 22, 2019 Administrator Share Posted September 22, 2019 HENCHMAN: THE AL LEONG STORY- I'm so happy this documentary exists! If you grew up in the '80s and '90s, or are a fan of action films from that time period, then you've definitely seen Mr. Leong get killed by Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brandon Lee, Van Damme and many more iconic cinematic heroes. He's the most memorable looking guy whose name you probably never knew, and has been in everything from BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA to BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (playing Genghis Khan). He looks like a comicbook version of a killer, but in real life he's seriously just the sweetest guy! His book THE EIGHT LIVES OF AL "KA-BONG" LEONG is cool too, and filled with fantastic photos from his colorful career and life. In my opinion, his on-screen martial arts battle with Brandon Lee in RAPID FIRE is the best fight scene the gone-too-soon Lee ever appeared in. The doc is a little shaky from a technical standpoint, with less than ideal sound recordings, and obviously shot for little to no budget, but it doesn't really need all those bells and whistles. I mean... it has Al Leong! An interesting array of industry people show up to talk about Al, as does the man himself. There were are few little gaps that I think should've been filled in as far as some of Al's biographical details, but you get a whole lot of fascinating behind-the-scenes stories that are well worth the $12 you'll pay for this at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Henchman-Al-Leong-Story-Unrated/dp/B07TMRS26B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ARHIC0FTTXTV&keywords=henchman+the+al+leong+story&qid=1569181684&s=movies-tv&sprefix=henchman%3A+the+al+leong%2Caps%2C146&sr=1-1 We love you Al! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted October 6, 2019 Member Share Posted October 6, 2019 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted October 16, 2019 Member Share Posted October 16, 2019 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted December 4, 2020 Member Share Posted December 4, 2020 Al is in everything lol. He featured quite a bit in films I watched alot as a kid, Die Hard and Bill & Ted's Excellent adventure, so I salute him. I was suprised when I saw Rapid Fire, this guy doesn't look it but he can really bust out some moves. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member edher_M.A. Posted December 15, 2020 Member Share Posted December 15, 2020 This man is a legend. Here in latinamerica we mostly knew him as "El Chino que siempre muere" (The chinese that always dies). Now He is knows as Sifu Al Leong. Respect! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wuxiaman Posted January 6, 2021 Member Share Posted January 6, 2021 I met him at Dragon Fest in 2018; very nice and down to Earth! The Martial Arts History Museum uploaded their Biography video of him today. Worth a watch. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted January 6, 2021 Member Share Posted January 6, 2021 He's the guy my friends would go "I love that guy!" as he just had that perfect Asian henchman look. I went down to his master's school and I was just not impressed. He did a bunch of books (His brother owned a publishing company) but even compared to free Wu Shu lessons at UCLA (and the ability of the Wu Shu kids was on a whole other level) it was this big disappointment. I had seen all those nicely made books and I expected them to look very clean, with excellent form and speed. Al Leong knows his stuff, but it sure didn't show in the school by 1988. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wuxiaman Posted January 6, 2021 Member Share Posted January 6, 2021 1 hour ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said: He's the guy my friends would go "I love that guy!" as he just had that perfect Asian henchman look. I went down to his master's school and I was just not impressed. He did a bunch of books (His brother owned a publishing company) but even compared to free Wu Shu lessons at UCLA (and the ability of the Wu Shu kids was on a whole other level) it was this big disappointment. I had seen all those nicely made books and I expected them to look very clean, with excellent form and speed. Al Leong knows his stuff, but it sure didn't show in the school by 1988. Was it Ark Yuey Wong's school that you visited? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted January 6, 2021 Member Share Posted January 6, 2021 Douglas Wong's. Now that I think about it, Leong was most likely a fellow student of Ark Yuey Wong, I think him and James Lew posed for photos, but Lew's Bio mentions training in TKD and Bak Mei as well as some Choy Lay Fut before training in 5 animals. I went to a magazine famous Wing Chun master and his school was a dump as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wuxiaman Posted January 6, 2021 Member Share Posted January 6, 2021 20 minutes ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said: Douglas Wong's. Now that I think about it, Leong was most likely a fellow student of Ark Yuey Wong, I think him and James Lew posed for photos, but Lew's Bio mentions training in TKD and Bak Mei as well as some Choy Lay Fut before training in 5 animals. I went to a magazine famous Wing Chun master and his school was a dump as well. Al Leong mentioned studying under Ark Yuey Wong after moving to California in the Biography video I shared above. I took the rope dart seminar from Douglas Wong and his wife Carrie Ogawa Wong at Dragon Fest in 2019, so I cannot comment on anything else he teaches (they only focused on the rope dart). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted January 6, 2021 Member Share Posted January 6, 2021 Hey, didn't mean to offend you. I just was shocked at the school, it was one of those things where you compare modelling shots with meeting someone in person, etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wuxiaman Posted January 6, 2021 Member Share Posted January 6, 2021 43 minutes ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said: Hey, didn't mean to offend you. I just was shocked at the school, it was one of those things where you compare modelling shots with meeting someone in person, etc. No offense taken at all! I do not claim him as my instructor, and it's always interesting to hear these things. I have first hand experience of an instructor and his school being VERY different from what was mentioned in a book, but that's for a different story. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cognoscente Posted June 2, 2021 Member Share Posted June 2, 2021 From the August '93 issue of Kung Fu Masters (the same issue where Adrian Marshall talked about not wanting to sell Bruce Lee's Mercedes). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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