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1[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2f89b94dfdba198e22c2c6ae6f2ac56c.jpg]]
2 [[caption-width-right:336:A screenshot of Liu from ''5 Shaolin Masters''. Or ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin''. Or '' Shaolin Drunken Monk''. Honestly who can tell the difference?]]
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4Gordon Liu (刘家辉, born Sin Kam-hei 冼锦熙, August 22, 1951) is a retired Hong Kong martial artist, stuntman, actor and veteran action star whose career started in Creator/ShawBrothers. He is most well-known outside of China for his role as the Shaolin monk San Te in ''Film/The36thChamberOfShaolin'' and appearing in both ''Film/KillBill'' films, respectively as Johnny Mo in the first and Pai-Mei in the second.
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6Born Sim Kam-hei in Guangdong, Gordon Liu was given away as a child to another wealthier, prestigious family, with the surname Liu, where Gordon officially changed his name to match that of his adoptive family.
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8Having an interest in martial arts since young, Liu started his martial arts training at age 8, despite his family's objections, in Hong Kong's prestigious Lau Opera Stunt Troupe (headed by veteran director and action choreographer Lau Kar-leong). As a child, Gordon Liu would actually skip school to train in martial arts, being the top of his class in the academy. Upon graduation, he spends most of his youth working two jobs at a time to support his family, being an clerk as his day job while teaching night classes in his former martial arts academy.
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10Liu started his acting career in 1973 at age 22, mostly as extras, in Hong Kong's prestigious Shaw Brothers studios, then making a booming business in their golden era in the 70s with their stable of martial arts icons whose ranks includes Creator/TiLung, Creator/DavidChiang, Creator/DannyLee, Chen Kuan-tai, Fu-sheng, Lo Lieh, Philip Kwok, and several others, but as their stars begin jumping ship to seek further opportunities, the studios noticed Gordon Liu, then having been in a few of their movies and having the potential as a new action icon, decide to cast the up-and-coming Liu as UsefulNotes/WongFeiHung in 1976's ''Challenge of the Masters''.
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12Gordon Liu would make it big a couple years later in ''Film/The36thChamberOfShaolin'', one of the most iconic and influential martial arts films in action cinema, and cementing himself as a worthy successor of Shaw Brother studio's alumni of action icons. His portrayal in ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' would typecast him as Shaolin monks in ''Martial Club'', ''Fury in Shaolin Temple'', ''Executioners from Shaolin'', ''Legendary Weapons of China'' and of course the sequel to his breakout hit, ''Return to the 36th Chamber'', although every now and then Liu would show up in modern-day films mostly as villains.
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14Creator/QuentinTarantino has a soft spot for Gordon Liu's older films, to the point of requesting Liu to show up in the ''Film/KillBill'' duology.
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16Gordon Liu retired from acting in 2011 due to ongoing health issues after suffering a stroke.
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18----
19!! Tropes related to this performer:
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21* BarefistedMonk: Most of his roles.
22* MartialArtsStaff: He's an expert in using these to kick copious amounts of ass.
23* TrainingFromHell: He's subjected to these in most of his Shaolin-themed films. In the second ''Kill Bill'' he notably subjects Creator/UmaThurman through one.
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25----
26!!Notable Films:
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28* ''Film/SevenManArmy''
29* ''Film/DirtyHo''
30* ''Film/ShaolinAndWuTang''
31* ''Film/FistsOfTheWhiteLotus''
32* ''Film/ExecutionersFromShaolin''
33* ''Film/The36thChamberofShaolin''
34* ''Film/ReturnToThe36thChamber''
35* ''Film/DisciplesOfThe36thChamber''
36* ''Film/TheEightDiagramPoleFighter''
37* ''[[Film/TheMasterOfKungFu Challenge of the Masters]]''
38* ''Film/TigerOnBeat'' - appears in both movies, but as different characters
39* ''Film/MarcoPolo''
40* ''Film/ShaolinMartialArts''
41* ''Film/ShaolinMantis''
42* ''Film/ShaolinVsEvilDead''
43* ''Film/TheSpiritualBoxer'' - shows up in the sequel
44* ''Film/DrunkenMaster''
45* ''Film/FlirtingScholar''
46* ''Film/MyHeartIsThatEternalRose''
47* ''Film/KillerAngels''
48* ''Film/KillBill'' - both movies, respectively as Johnny Mo and Pai Mei
49* ''Film/TrueLegend2010'' - TheCameo
50* ''Film/TheManWithTheIronFists'' - TheCameo
51* ''Film/FlyingSwordsOfDragonGate''
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