Hong Kong martial artist and actor Bruce Leung dies at 77

Hong Kong martial artist and actor Bruce Leung Siu-Lung (梁小龍) has died at the age of 77. He passed away on 14 January 2026 in Shenzhen, China, after suffering heart failure in his final years.

Born Leung Choi-Sang in Hong Kong in 1951, Leung grew up in a modest family and began studying martial arts at an early age, training in disciplines including Wing Chun and karate under his father and other teachers. He entered the film industry at 15 as a stunt performer, and his authentic fighting ability soon helped him build a career in action films.

In the 1970s, Leung was promoted alongside Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Ti Lung as one of Hong Kong cinema’s “Four Dragons,” and he worked not only as an actor but also as a stunt coordinator and action director. During this period he became closely associated with the Bruceploitation subgenre — a wave of martial arts films that emerged after Lee’s death in 1973 and cast look-alike actors in lead roles to capitalise on Bruce Lee’s global fame. Leung was frequently billed as Bruce Leung or Bruce Liang and appeared in a number of these productions, most notably ‘Bruce and the Iron Finger’ (1976) and the surreal fantasy ‘The Dragon Lives Again’ (1977). The cycle helped sustain international interest in kung fu films and established Leung as a recognisable screen fighter.

He also built a substantial body of work in mainstream martial arts features including ‘The Four Shaolin Challengers’ (1977), ‘Magnificent Bodyguards’ (1978), ‘Broken Oath’ (1977) and ‘Ten Tigers of Shaolin’ (1979), marking him as a prolific and respected action performer during the era.

Early in the 1980s he gained widespread popularity on television portraying Chen Zhen, the disciple of folk hero Huo Yuanjia, in the series ‘The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia’ (1981) and its follow-up ‘Chen Zhen’ (1982). After a period away from show business, Leung returned to the screen in 2004 with a prominent villainous role as the imposing “Beast” in Stephen Chow’s hit action-comedy ‘Kung Fu Hustle’, introducing him to a new generation of fans.

Bruce Leung worked across several decades of Hong Kong film and television, establishing a career that kept him popular with audiences old and new. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.