It’s been revealed that longtime action choreographer and actor Corey Yuen reportedly passed away around two years ago.
Information on the star’s private passing comes from Variety, which says it confirmed his death with the Federation of Hong Kong recently. Yuen is said to have passed due to COVID-19 in 2022, with news of his death kept secret at the request of his family. His fate was brought to light after long-time collaborator and friend, Jackie Chan, spoke about it on Chinese social media website Weibo. Born in February of 1951, Yuen would have been about 71.
Yuen is known for action choreography, so it should be no surprise to see that his resume includes a long list of adrenaline-fueled movies that goes back as far as the ‘60s. His most iconic work came during the ‘80s and ‘90s, including films like Righting Wrongs, The Legend, The Ring of Death, and Ninja in the Dragon’s Den. His stunt experience then carried him into the 2000s with films like Jason Stathum’s The Transporter series, War, Blood: The Last Vampire, and The Expendables.
Now that news of Yuen’s passing has made its way to the public, fans are taking the time to remember moments from his career. It’s resulted in a waterfall of action clips highlighting his skill and creativity as a director, choreographer, and stuntman.
Action star Statham owes so much to Corey Yuen for making him look legit and deadly right out of the gate. Just watch this fight scene to see a master of the craft give us something new and unique while helping create a new action hero. Absolute legend!! https://t.co/gzWDMuKoCS pic.twitter.com/p8kQv8g34a
— Andy “Action Movie Guy” Gorham (@AndrewMGorham) August 12, 2024
R.I.P. Corey Yuen, this scene from Righting Wrongs (1986) lives in my head daily. pic.twitter.com/lxv0V2QMoX
— Will Sloan (@WillSloanEsq) August 12, 2024
Yes, Madam has one the most legendary final boss battles of all time. RIP Corey Yuen pic.twitter.com/lB41AmDHOE
— Stephen Scarlata (@StephenScarlata) August 12, 2024
RIP to Corey Yuen an absolute legend in action filmmaking. He directed one of my favorite HK movies Righting Wrongs. Here’s just one of the amazing fights featuring Biao and Rothrock under Yuen’s watchful eye. pic.twitter.com/yjXVZm48cf
— Andy “Action Movie Guy” Gorham (@AndrewMGorham) August 12, 2024
Gaming fans might also recognize Yuen as the director behind 2006’s DOA: Dead or Alive movie adaptation starring Jamie Pressly, Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, and Eric Roberts. Yuen’s career also saw him working with legendary action movie stars like Chan, Jet Li, and Michelle Yeoh.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
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