10 unknown facts about the late 林正英, the grandfather of all vampire hunters

Last Updated on 2020-01-01 , 11:01 pm

If you’ve been a Hong Kong movie buff in the 80s to 90s, you’ll have known that before Twilight, vampires, especially those Chinese vampires, were not handsome with six-pac: they were scary as hell, and knew kung fu as well as Kung Fu Panda.

To kill them, you would need a sword made with coins, and you need 林正英, the grandfather of all vampire hunters.

If you’re old enough to understand what I’m talking about, then here’re ten facts about this actor who made vampire-slaying so cool.

He came from a very poor family
Born in 1952, he was then known to be a mischievous kid who enrolled in a drama society to learn Beijing Opera. Yeah, in other words, he had his roots from opera!

He used to cross-dress as females during his opera days
From 12 to 17, he was in opera and due to his slender built then, he was often given female roles. Bet you didn’t know that!

He used to be a stuntman for female roles
Starting out as a stuntman when he was 17, he was often called to be the stuntman for female actresses due to his slim built.

He was spotted by the legend Bruce Lee
No one could verify this story, but it was rumoured that when 林正英 was 19, he challenged Bruce Lee, claiming that he wasn’t as strong as he seemed to be on movies. 林正英 put a pillow in front of his chest and when Bruce Lee struck, 林正英 flew all the way back. Bruce Lee was so impressed with his courage that he engaged 林正英 as his personal assistant.

He worked on a number of movies behind the scene for Bruce Lee’s movies
Before moving to the screen, he was helping Bruce Lee as a co-action choreographer and as Bruce Lee’s personal assistant. In fact, 林正英 was then Bruce Lee’s favourite mentee!

He got his first acting gag after joining Sammo’s stuntman team
His first movie was Magnificent Butcher, but that did not propel him to instant stardom. It was only three years later that he got real popular with the movie Mr Vampire.

His breakthrough movie in Mr Vampire created the jiangshi genre
Before that, Chinese vampires were not known, and they didn’t hop. It was so popular that it became a franchise, something that wasn’t common in the 80s!

The success of Mr Vampire wasn’t all good for him
Because of his association in Mr Vampire as a Taoist priest, there was less demand for him in other roles. That’s why we all only remember him as the vampire slayer.

He was known to be a very disciplined guy
People who knew him remember him as a guy who was disciplined and having uncompromising professionalism. Even when he was sick, he refused to be hospitalized and finished his job.

He passed away at a young age of 44
林正英 kept his liver cancer from the public, therefore it was unknown when he was diagnosed. In 1997, there were rumours about his condition, but he continued to finish his job before passing away on 8 November 1997.