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RUN RUN SHAW, the billionaire film pioneer hailed as the inventor of the kung fu genre, died today at the age of 106.
The colourful mogul, whose flagship Shaw Brothers Studio helped shape Asian cinema in the 20th century and influenced the films of directors such as Quentin Tarantino, passed away at his home in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying, leader of the city of seven million people, praised Shaw’s legacy.
Sir Run Run Shaw has for a long time promoted the entertainment industry in Hong Kong, his philanthropy also has spread from Hong Kong to China and beyond. He is an elder that we very much respect.
Shaw, listed by Forbes as a billionaire, was also a generous philanthropist who was knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 1977 for his public service as a long-time backer of the Red Cross.
Blade Runner
He co-produced Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult hit “Blade Runner”, and his studio’s kung fu films became genre-defining – but he famously missed out on signing Bruce Lee following failed talks over remuneration.
Lee instead joined Golden Harvest, a Hong Kong-based production house founded by Shaw’s former employee Raymond Chow, which propelled the martial arts icon to international stardom.
Shaw and his older brother Runme first founded a film production house in Shanghai in 1927, before moving in to Hong Kong and Singapore.
Shaw Brothers Studio has since produced around 1,000 titles, including “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” and “Five Fingers of Death”.
The studio, which mostly produced Chinese-language films, dominated Hong Kong’s “Movie Town”, and bred local directors – some of whom would later reach the top of their industry in Hollywood, such as John Woo.
Hong Kong actor Gordon Liu, who appeared in multiple Shaw films, played the stereotypical Shaw-esque kung fu master Pai Mei in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 2.
(Loosefanclub/YouTube)
Hong Kong
In 1967 Shaw helped found Hong Kong broadcaster TVB, whose sitcoms, variety shows and soap operas became immensely popular among the Chinese diaspora in southeast Asia, putting the former British colony on the global entertainment map.
Silver screen mega-stars such as Chow Yuen-fat, Tony Leung, Stephen Chow and Andy Lau all had their big breaks on TVB television dramas in the 1980s before switching to movies.
Shaw was born in Ningbo, in Zhejiang province in China, in 1907. He was nicknamed Uncle Six as he was the sixth of seven siblings.
He had an affection for Rolls Royce vehicles, and was often pictured accompanied by glamorous actresses at glittering social events.
He was famously reported as saying that he and his brother had buried up to $4 million in gold, jewellery and cash in their garden before the Japanese invaded Singapore during the Second World War. “After the war we were still rich,” he said.
Shaw was also the backer of the $1 million Shaw Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of Asia.
In 2013, the tenth year it was awarded, three scientists whose groundbreaking studies using fruit flies helped to uncover the workings of the human biological clock were named among the winners.
Shaw’s funeral will only be attended by family members, TVB said.
He is survived by his second wife Mona Fong, and his two sons and two daughters.
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There is not many of the shaw brother movies I have not seen, the movies really are the stand Alone’s of Kung fu For movies that were released in the 60′s they can rival a lot of the modern garbage that’s on the telly. They are also some of the funniest movies I have seen due to the outrageous stunt scenes and really out of sync voice overs. Mr shaw will be missed but what he left behind will entertain AND BE remembered for a long time to come. RIP
Woah that’s old
It is sad, I did like the journal news app for the actual intelligent criticism on it due to controversial stories. But after seeing so many really stupid supposedly smart comments by degenerates and nobody’s I think it is time to move on. Cause reading other peoples stupid input can be contagious
Nigel, if you think the death if a 106 year old is “sad” then you really do need to move on. Your sensitive nature obviously requires a more sensitive type of newspaper App so really, move on!
Well Margaret the death of any human being is sad especially if they have given so much to making people happy in the way of Arts and Media no matter what age they are. Oh Margaret I am not sensitive either, I am just respectful of the Dead. He did have an impact on what I am interested in and think he brought a lot of people Joy. Obviously not you ie – Are they the movies endlessly parodied by bad dialogue and worse voice syncing?
Anyway my comment was not related to the passing of this man it was people who new nothing of him making racist jibes and comments like your own and ACTUALLY GETTING LIKES, did you even bother looking into this guy, wait no u watched the video the journal attached to it and made your assumptions on about 5 seconds of seeing it…..
Margaret=PMS
Thoughts and prayers with his family and friends. It must be a hard way to start the year. I can’t imagine what they are feeling. It’s a pity he had to die at the young age of 106.
Shove your thoughts and prayers up your hole Seamus.
Any relation to the Shaws of Newtown Mount Kennedy?
Poor man spent his whole life running from people who just wanted a chat
He co produced Blade Runner which is good enough for me and was when I first heard of him back in the day. Btw Blade Runner was not a hit when it came out first. It has only retrospectively been seen as a classic and rightly so.
Who cares? Red thumb alert
I care. That bloke lived through two world wars. Hero
There is a serious smell of want from all the trolls that have taken over this site.
Are they the movies endlessly parodied by bad dialogue and worse voice syncing?
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