Chow Yun-Fat

When asked what if it never comes true, he replied "I would just have to laugh about it...". Nevertheless, he is best remembered today as one of the original action heroes of the cinema. He once admitted to a Hong Kong reporter that his ultimate goal is to win an Oscar as an actor. Crabbe's career waned somewhat in the 1950s, though he did make regular television appearances including one on an episode of the 1979 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century where he plays a retired warrior named "Brigadier Gordon" in honor of Flash Gordon. Chow is still waiting for the type of success he once enjoyed in Asia. Crabbe starred in the television series, Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion (1955 to 1957) as Captain Michael Gallant; the adventure series aired on NBC. Ironically, he receded to a supporting role in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and it became a winner at both the box office and the Oscars. Other characters he portrayed included Western hero Billy the Kid and Buck Rogers.

His next film Anna and the King (1999) did better, but the success was mostly credited to actress Jodie Foster. His next major role was as Flash Gordon in the popular Flash Gordon serial (a role he reprised in two sequels). His first two films Replacement Killers (1998) and The Corruptor (1999) were box-office sleepers. In the 1933 movie, King of the Jungle the 1941's Jungle Man, and the 1952 serial, King of the Congo he played similar roles...but that's not Tarzan. Being the hottest screen commodity in Asia, Chow was called upon by Hollywood in an attempt to duplicate his success on an international scale. Other than a 1964 remake of the same movie, it would be the only movie in which he starred as Tarzan. He is best known for playing honorable tough guys, whether cops or criminals. Crabbe's role in a 1933 Tarzan serial, also issued as a full length movie Tarzan the Fearless, launched a successful career in which he starred in over one hundred movies.

His later films include The Killer (1989), An Autumn's Tale (秋天的童話, 1988) and Hard Boiled (1992). Ironically, at that Olympics, he broke the record held by Johnny Weissmuller, whose role as Tarzan he would later assume. Taking the opportunity, Chow quit TV entirely and dedicated himself to making more 'gun fu' movies. Raised in Hawaii, he excelled as a swimmer and participated in two Olympic Games: 1928, where he won the bronze medal for the 1,500 meter freestyle, and 1932, where he won the gold medal for the 400 meter freestyle. Success finally came when he teamed up with an then-relatively-unknown director John Woo in the 1986 low-budget action movie A Better Tomorrow, which swept the box offices throughout Asia and established both Chow and Woo as mega stars. According to the Internet Movie Database he was born February 17, 1907, and his birth name was Clarence Linden Crabbe. However, his occasional ventures onto the big screens with low-budget movies were disastrous. Larry 'Buster' Crabbe (February 7, probably in 1908, Oakland, California - April 23, 1983, Scottsdale, Arizona) was an American athlete turned actor, who starred in a number of popular serials in the 1930s and 1940s.

Although Chow continued his TV success, his ultimate goal was to become a big screen actor. It didn't take long for Chow to become a household name in Hong Kong following his role in the hit series The Bund (上海灘) in 1980. His life started to change as his application was accepted as an actor-trainee by the local television station, TVB. Raised on the tiny offshore island of Lamma, Chow spent his childhood in poverty.

Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發, Jau1 Yeun6 Faat3, Pinyin: Zhōu Rùnfā) (born May 18, 1955 on Lamma Island, Hong Kong) is among a handful of internationally recognized screen actors that Hong Kong has ever produced, along with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Bulletproof Monk (2003). Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Anna and the King (1999).

The Corruptor (1999). Replacement Killers (1998). Hard Boiled (1992). An Autumn's Tale (1988).

All About Ah-Long (1989). The Killer (1989). A Better Tomorrow (1986).