Yang Sze, better known as Bolo Yeung, is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and former bodybuilder. Yeung started training in martial arts at the age of 10 in southern China under several Kung Fu masters.
In the 1960’s he escaped Communist China by swimming to Hong Kong. He desired a life with more opportunities and swimming minimized the risk of being caught by the border patrol.
As he matured, he started to train in bodybuilding and he went on to be the Mr. Hong Kong bodybuilding champion for a full decade before transitioning into a successful film career. Because of his massive size and fighting ability, he was dubbed the “Chinese Hercules.”
Early Acting Career
Yeung’s physique and martial arts ability caught the eyes of movie producers in Hong Kong. Yeung signed on with Shaw Brothers, the largest production company in the area at the time. Yeung was almost always cast as the villain in his movie roles because of his muscularity and menacing gaze. Under the Shaw Brothers banner, he filmed notable films such as Angry Guest, The Heroic Ones, and The Deadly Duo before leaving the studio in 1971.
Enter The Dragon
Not without irony, the champion bodybuilder went on to meet martial arts legend Bruce Lee while filming a commercial for Winston cigarettes. This was the start of a strong bond between the two, and the friendship helped Bolo land the role of an intimidating enforcer in Bruce Lee’s classic Enter the Dragon (1973). This was the role in which Yang Sze took on the nickname Bolo, the name of his character in the film.
Another fun fact: A photo has been circulating that shows Bolo using a man identified as Jackie Chan as a weapon while fighting Bruce Lee in the film. This was one of Jackie’s first film roles, in which he played an uncredited henchman. However, there is some debate about whether or not the man in the photo is actually Jackie. The scene in question was purely for promotional purposes to show off Bolo’s immense strength.
Bloodsport
In the late 1980’s he would form another unbreakable bond with a second infamous tough guy, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The two men have remained friends over the years, highlighted by a publicized dinner they both attended back in 2011.
Yeung truly was a huge part of Bloodsport, released in 1988. He played Chong Li, the main rival to Van Damme’s character Frank Dux.
Double Impact
The titanic pairing would go at it one more time in Double Impact, released in 1991. Yeung played a henchman named Moon who worked for an old Hong Kong Crime boss that killed Van Damme’s character’s father.
What is Bolo doing now?
(photo)
At 76 years old, Bolo is still alive and (quite literally) kicking. He likes to attend conventions to talk with his loyal fans when he has the time. A few lucky fans even get to be tossed around by the legendary Chinese Hercules:
Bolo isn’t done acting. He will star in a thrilling action film directed by Birol Tarkan Yildiz titled AFEREZ. The film is about a man who wakes up, tied up in a strange place. A strange voice demands that he hands over “the formula.” From the looks of the movie’s IMDb page, Bolo will play the lead role. The film has been completed but doesn’t have a listed release date.
There appears to be a documentary about Bolo’s life in the works. The documentary is titled “Chinese Hercules” and has been in production since 2018 with very few updates about its potential release. It’s possible that the pandemic paused the production and that we will be surprised by a Bolo doc in the near future.
Personal Life
Bolo currently lives in Monterey Park where is chairman of the Hong Kong Gym Business Association. Yeung is married but he keeps his wife’s identity a secret.
He has two sons named Danny and David and one daughter named Debbra. This Instagram post reveals his pride for his children and how they take after their father as bodybuilders and martial artists.
Bolo was also one of the only Chinese stars of the era to be known not only for his martial arts prowess but also for his supersized physique. You could say that this combination helped Bolo make double the impact.
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