David Da-Wei Chiang
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
David Chiang was born in Suzhou, China on June 29, 1947. His mother
Hung Wei and father Yim Dut were very popular movie stars. Young David
began his acting career at a very early age, appearing in black & white
films while he was only 4 years old. "John" is David's real English
name, while "David" was a stage name given to him by Director Chang
Cheh. In 1966, while working as a Stuntman and Fight Instructor for the
acclaimed Shaw Brothers Studio, he was spotted by Director Chang Cheh.
The Director immediately saw potential & screen presence in the young
actor & took David under his wing, slowly grooming him. The pair got
along like father & son. With Wang Yu's sudden departure in 1969, Run
Run Shaw and his senior executives were searching for their next
leading man to take the reins to satisfy the frenzy left from the
departed Wang Yu. The movie impresario made David an offer he could not
refuse. With the guidance of Director Chang Cheh, David won "The Best
Actor" Award at the 16th Asian Film Festival in 1970 for his role in
"Vengeance!". In 1972, at the 18th Asian film Festival, David was
awarded "The Best Actor" for his role in "Blood Brothers" & "The Most
Contemporary" Award in 1973 at the 19th Asian Film Festival for "The
Generation Gap". David left Hong Kong with his mentor Chang Cheh and
set up an Independent Production Company in 1973 known as Chang's Scope
Company. With the backing & blessings of Run Run Shaw, their films
continued to be distributed through an enormous Shaw circuit. There,
David was able to try his hand at directing, producing and script
writing. As the 70s came to an end and the 80s approached, David
continued to work his magic on the silver screen working with Directors
Lee Han Chiang, Hsueh Li Pao, Ho Meng-hua and Chia-Liang Liu. 1980 was
also the start of his first TV series "The Green Dragon Conspiracy",
followed by "Princess Chang Ping" and "Dynasty" which are all classics.
In the mid 80s, David worked alongside his two brothers, Paul Chun &
Derek Yee, directing, producing and acting in the comedy "Legend of the
Owl". David's talents in comedy also was showcased in the movies "The
Challenger" and "The Loot" directed by Eric Tseng . In late 80s into
the 90s David successfully directed movies: "Heaven Can Help", "Silent
Love", "The Wrong Couples", "Mr. Handsome", "Double Fattiness", "My
Dear Son", "Will of Iron" and "Mother of a Different Kind" . In 1991,
David and his family emigrated from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Canada,
returning to Hong Kong to make one or two TV series each year. As 2000
approached, David has continued to work in movies & TV series. He was
nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" in 2006 for his role in
"Revolving Doors of Vengeance". With over 4 decades under his belt,
David is indeed an icon and a legend and is well regarded as one of
Kung Fu's top action heroes.