Editing Sammo Hung (section)

===1960s and 1970s===
Hung appeared as a child actor in several films for [[Cathay Organisation|Cathay Asia]] and [[Bo Bo Films]] during the early 1960s. His film debut was in the 1961 film ''[[Education of Love (film)|Education of Love]]''.<ref name="YahooBio" /> In 1962, he made his first appearance alongside Jackie Chan in the film ''[[Big and Little Wong Tin Bar]]'', followed by a role in ''The Birth of Yue Fei'',<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Yue Fei Chu Shi
 |url         = http://www.cnmdb.com/title/45623/
 |publisher   = China Movie DataBase
 |access-date  = 2007-07-17
 |language    = zh
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215851/http://www.cnmdb.com/title/45623/
 |archive-date = 27 September 2007
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> in which he played the ten-year-old [[Yue Fei]], the historical figure from the [[Song Dynasty]] who would go on to become a famous Chinese general and [[martyr]]. The majority of Hung's performance was alongside another actor portraying [[Jow Tong|Zhou Tong]], Yue's elderly military arts tutor.
In 1966, at the age of just 14, Hung began working for [[Shaw Brothers Studio]], assisting the [[stage combat|action director]] Han Yingjie, on [[King Hu]]'s film ''[[Come Drink with Me]]'' thanks to the fact that Han was his master's son-in-law.<ref>{{cite book |title=When the Wind Was Blowing Wild: Hong Kong Cinema of the 1970s |date=2018 |publisher=Hong Kong Film Archive |page=106 |edition=1st}}</ref> Between 1966 and 1974, Hung worked on dozens of films for Shaw Brothers, their two main rivals Golden Harvest and Cathay, as well as numerous independent production companies,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=4074&display_set=eng | title=Sammo Hung Kam-Bo }}</ref> progressing through the roles of [[extra (actor)|extra]], stuntman, [[stunt co-ordinator]] and ultimately, action director.

In 1970, Hung began working for [[Raymond Chow]] and the [[Orange Sky Golden Harvest|Golden Harvest]] film company.<ref name="YahooBio" /> He was initially hired to assist Han Yingjie in choreographing the action scenes for the very first two Golden Harvest films, ''[https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=5197&display%20set=eng The Invincible Eight]'' and ''[[The Angry River]]''. Golden Harvest sent Hung to Korea to choreograph films with their director Huang Feng where Hung studied hapkido with Master [[Ji Han-jae|Ji Han-Jae]] and earned his black belt.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4DbQ_Uk9Q8&t=70s | title=Lady Kung Fu Speaks – an Interview with Angela Mao | website=[[YouTube]] | date=10 July 2023 }}</ref> While in Korea he became the martial arts director on three Angela Mao vehicles, ''[[Lady Whirlwind]]'', ''[[Hapkido (film)|Hapkido]]'', and ''[[When Taekwondo Strikes]]''. His popularity soon began to grow, and due to the quality of his choreography and disciplined approach to his work, he again caught the eye of celebrated Taiwanese director, King Hu. Hung choreographed Hu's ''[[The Fate of Lee Khan]]'' (1973).

Also in 1973, he was seen in the [[Bruce Lee]] classic ''[[Enter the Dragon]]''. Hung was the [[Shaolin kungfu|Shaolin]] student Lee faces in the opening sequence. In 1975, Hung choreographed the action for  ''[[The Man from Hong Kong]]'', the first Australian co-production undertaken by Golden Harvest.

In the mid-70s, martial arts movies began to lose some of their punch at the box office and Golden Harvest signed the Hui Brothers to a contract. Michael, Ricky, and Sam Hui had been at Shaw Brothers but wanted to direct their own movies.<ref>https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-02-Filmmakers-Search/English/Michael-Hui_e.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> When Shaw refused they signed with Golden Harvest and their blockbuster comedies kicked off a comedy wave in Hong Kong.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.yesasia.com/us/yumcha/the-hui-brothers-the-first-family-of-hong-kong-cinema/0-0-0-arid.69-en/featured-article.html | title=YESASIA: YumCha! - the Hui Brothers: The First Family of Hong Kong Cinema - Feature Article - North America Site }}</ref> When it came time to direct his first film, ''[[The Iron-Fisted Monk|The Iron Fisted Monk]]'' (1977), Hung made sure to lean into the comedy, delivering what many feel to be the first out-and-out kung fu comedy film.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2009-1-1-8.html | title=The Iron-fisted Monk - Hong Kong Film Archive }}</ref>

In 1978, Raymond Chow gave Hung the task of completing the fight co-ordination for the re-shoot of ''[[Game of Death]]'', the film Bruce Lee was unable to complete before his death in 1973.

In 1978, Hung directed his second film, the comedy ''[[Enter the Fat Dragon (1978 film)|Enter the Fat Dragon]]'', for [[H.K. Fong Ming Motion Picture Company]], also playing the lead role Ah Lung; a character who idolises and impersonates Bruce Lee.<ref name="YahooBio" /> Hung has impersonated Lee on film twice more - in the final fight scene against [[Cynthia Rothrock]] in ''[[Millionaire's Express]]'' (1986),<ref name=SkinnyTiger>{{cite video
  | title = ''[[Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon]]'', Sammo Hung: The Bruce Lee Connection (DVD featurette)
  | medium = DVD
  | publisher = Hong Kong Legends, UK
  | orig-year=1990
  | date = 2004}}</ref> and throughout the 1990 [[Lau Kar-wing]] film ''[[Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon]]''.

After Jackie Chan's success with ''[[Drunken Master]]'' (1978), Hung was scheduled to make a similar film featuring ''Drunken Master'''s "Beggar So" character played by [[Yuen Siu Tien]] (aka Simon Yuen). As his elder, Sammo's films were expected to surpass Chan's in popularity. The film was ''[[The Magnificent Butcher]]'' (1979), which Hung co-directed with [[Yuen Woo-ping]]. However, during filming Yuen Siu Tien died of a heart attack. He was replaced by [[Fan Mei Sheng]] and Yuen's absence may have led to low ticket sales.