Chiang Sheng (Chinese: 江生; born Chiu Kang Sang 趙岡生; April 27, 1951 - August 18, 1991) was a Taiwanese martial arts actor, director, and action director. Chiang rose to prominence in the late 1970s as a member of the Venom Mob, a group of actors at Shaw Brothers Studio renowned for their acrobatic and martial arts skills.
Early life
Chiang Sheng was born on April 27, 1951, to a large family in Taiwan. He was sent to the Fu Sheng Drama School in Taipei where he met his future costars Lu Feng, Philip Kwok, and Robert Tai. They, together with students from other drama schools, earned pocket money playing extras in films that were being shot nearby.[1] In addition to being trained as a martial arts opera performer, Chiang was also enlisted in the army.[2] When he was 19, Chiang and Kwok briefly worked as street performers dubbed the Fu Xing circus act.[3] He was fond of drinking.[4]
Career
In 1975, Chiang was recruited by Chang Cheh along with Kwok and Lu and signed with the Shaw Brothers. He relocated to Hong Kong where he was predominantly cast as extras in films such as Shaolin Traitorous with Sammo Hung before landing a more prominent role in Shaolin Temple in 1976. In 1978, Chiang, Kwok, Lu, along with fellow newcomers Sun Chien, Lo Mang, and Wai Pak, were cast in Five Deadly Venoms. The movie was a cult hit and became especially popular with North American audiences.[5] The main cast became known internationally as the Venom Mob, with Chiang often being referred to as the "hybrid venom" due to the fighting style of his character being an amalgamation of his costars'.[6] The Venom Mob would go on to make several films together such as The Magnificent Ruffians (1979), Shaolin Rescuers (1979), and Ten Tigers of Kwantung (1980) before disbanding in 1981. In addition to acting, Chiang worked as action director and assistant director in several of his films, for which he is credited in a combined total of over 40 films from 1978 to 1984.[7] He was further lauded for enriching his movies with his acrobatic skills and for infusing action with comedic elements.[8] He was also listed by Chang Cheh as one of his favorite actors to work with.[9]
Later life
Following the disbandment of the Venom Mob, Chiang returned to Taiwan and starred in, directed, and choreographed the action scenes in Ninja in the Deadly Trap (1982) with Venom costars Lu Feng and Philip Kwok. Kwok later returned to the Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong while Chiang remained in Taiwan, reportedly at his wife's behest.[3] He would cofound Hong Kong Chang He Film Company with Lu and the duo would star in and choreograph the company's debut film, Attack of the Joyful Goddess (1983).[10] Throughout the later half of the decade, Chiang went on to make a few movies and television series including Ode to Gallantry (1985) and The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1988). During this time, he divorced his wife and developed depression and a heavy alcohol addiction as he struggled to find work. The 1989 film, The Biography of a Fox, was his final film role.
Death
Chiang's body was discovered by friend and costar Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi on August 21, 1991. The cause of death was a heart attack. Chiang was 40 years old. In a 1995 interview, Philip Kwok stated that Chiang had been dead for three days before Cheng found him, and attributed the cause as "a broken heart" induced by the drastic decline of his film career.[1] However, actor and student of Robert Tai, Toby Russell suggested otherwise stating in 2007 that "Chiang could not care less about movies" and that they "mean nothing to him".[11] Lu Feng described his passing as a "great sadness" and remembered him as a jovial person who "had no temper and held no grudges" and "could get along with anyone he met."[4]
