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John Woo (I)


Born in southern China, John Woo grew up in Hong Kong, where he began his film career as an assistant director in 1969, working for Shaw Brothers Studios. He directed his first feature in 1973 and has been a prolific director ever since, working in a wide variety of genres before A Better Tomorrow (aka... See full bio »

Projects In Development help

2014
Caliber
2013
Ninja Gold
Details only on IMDbPro »

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13 wins & 14 nominations See more awards »

Known For


Filmography

Hide HideDirector (40 titles)
2009 Red Cliff II
 
2008 Red Cliff
 
2007 Stranglehold (Video Game)
 
2005 All the Invisible Children (segment "Song Song and Little Cat")
 
2004 The Robinsons: Lost in Space (TV movie)
 
2003 Paycheck
 
2002 Hostage (short)
 
2002 Windtalkers
 
1998 Blackjack (TV movie)
 
1997 Face/Off
 
1996 Once a Thief (TV movie)
 
1996 Broken Arrow
 
1993 Hard Target
 
1992 Hard Boiled
 
1991 Once a Thief
 
1989 Yi dan qun ying
 
1989 The Killer
 
1985 Xiao jiang
 
1981 Hua ji shi dai (as Wu Hsiang-fei)
 
1980 Qian zuo guai
 
1977 Fa qian han
 
1976 Shao Lin men (as Wu Yu Sheng)
 
1976 Dinü hua (as Yusen Wu)
 
1975 Nu zi tai quan qun ying hui (as Wu Yu-shen)
 
1968 Accidentaly (short)
 
1968 Sijie (short) (co-director)
 
Show ShowProducer (32 titles)
???? Flying Tigers (producer) (pre-production)
 
????/II The Killer (producer) (pre-production)
 
2011 7 Brothers (TV series) (executive producer)
 
2010 Reign of Assassins (producer)
 
2010 A Better Tomorrow (executive producer)
 
2009 My Fair Gentleman (supervising producer)
 
2009 Red Cliff II (producer)
 
2008 Red Cliff (chief producer, producer)
 
2007 Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina (producer)
 
2007 Blood Brothers (producer)
 
2007 Stranglehold (Video Game) (producer)
 
2005 The Glass Beads (short) (producer)
 
2004 The Robinsons: Lost in Space (TV movie) (executive producer)
 
2003 Paycheck (producer)
 
2003 Bulletproof Monk (producer)
 
2002 Red Skies (TV movie) (executive producer)
 
2002 Windtalkers (producer)
 
1998 Blackjack (TV movie) (executive producer)
 
1998 The Big Hit (executive producer)
 
1998 The Replacement Killers (executive producer)
 
1997-1998 Once a Thief (TV series) (executive producer)
 
1996 Once a Thief (TV movie) (executive producer)
 
1996 Lang man feng bao (executive producer, producer)
 
1995 Woh ping faan dim (producer)
 
1990 Bullet in the Head (producer)
 
1986 Ying xiong wu lei (producer)
 
1986 A Better Tomorrow (producer)
 
1985 Gu lian hua (producer)
 
1985 Liang zhi lao hu (producer)
 
1983 Zhua gui te gong dui (producer)
 
Show ShowWriter (24 titles)
2010 A Better Tomorrow (original screenplay)
 
2009 Red Cliff II (screenplay)
 
2008 Red Cliff (screenplay)
 
1992 Hard Boiled (story)
 
1991 Once a Thief (screenplay / story)
 
1989 The Killer (written by)
 
1986 A Better Tomorrow (written by)
 
1985 Xiao jiang (screenplay)
 
1982 Ba cai Lin Ya Zhen (screenplay)
 
1981 Hua ji shi dai
 
1980 Qian zuo guai (screenplay / story)
 
1978 Ha luo, ye gui ren (writer)
 
1978 Da sha xing yu xiao mei tou (writer)
 
1977 Fa qian han
 
1976 Shao Lin men
 
1976 Dinü hua (as Yusen Wu)
 
1968 Sijie (short) (as Ng Yu Chen)
 
Show ShowActor (23 titles)
2009 The Founding of a Republic
Liu Wenhui (scenes deleted)
 
2008 Team-Up: John Woo and Shinji Aramaki (video short)
 
2007 Stranglehold (Video Game)
Mr. Woo (voice)
 
1997 Yit huet jui keung
Police Chief
 
1992 Hard Boiled
Mr. Woo (uncredited)
 
1992 Twin Dragons
Priest (as John Wu)
 
1991 Hao men ye yan
Man on Stairs
 
1991 Once a Thief
Stanley Wu (uncredited)
 
1990 Yong chuang tian xia
Kwong
 
1990 Bullet in the Head
Police inspector
 
1988 Gam ye sing gwong chan lan
Father Fan
 
1987 Heng cai san qian wan
Man in Bed
 
1985 Gu lian hua
 
1982 Ba cai Lin Ya Zhen
John Wu
 
1978 Da sha xing yu xiao mei tou
Miss Chen's father
 
1976 Shao Lin men
Scholar Cheng
 
1968 Accidentaly (short)
Young Man
 
1968 Sijie (short)
Young Artist
 
1974 The Godfather from Hong Kong (assistant director)
 
1973 Fists of the Double K (assistant director - as Wu Yu Shen)
 
1973 Blood Brothers (assistant director - as Wu Yu Shen)
 
1972 Si qi shi (assistant director - as Wu Yu Shen)
 
1972 Young People (assistant director)
 
1972 Please Sir, We're Sorry! (assistant director - as Yu-shen Wu)
 
1972 The Casino (assistant director - as Wu Yao Shen)
 
1972 The Water Margin (assistant director)
 
1972 Boxer from Shantung (assistant director)
 
Show ShowEditor (3 titles)
Show ShowCamera and Electrical Department (2 titles)
2009 My Fair Gentleman (camera operator)
 
1986 Ying hung jing juen (action unit photography)
 
Show ShowMiscellaneous Crew (2 titles)
1998 The Replacement Killers (advisor - uncredited, technical consultant - uncredited)
 
1995 American Cinema (TV series documentary) (title designer)
 
Show ShowThanks (12 titles)
2011 The Suppressor (special thanks)
 
2010 Crank Up (short) (dedicatee)
 
2010 Vixen Highway 2006: It Came from Uranus! (special thanks)
 
2009 The Founding of a Republic (special thanks)
 
2009/I Little Red Riding Hood (video short) (special thanks)
 
2008 Heroic Bloodshed (short) (in tribute to)
 
2008 Ten Dead Men (inspiration, thanks and love to the works of)
 
2007 Wings of Defeat (documentary) (special thanks)
 
2003 Street of Pain (short) (special thanks)
 
2001 Chow Yun-Fat Goes Hollywood (video documentary short) (special thanks)
 
1998 Psycho (special thanks)
 
1996 Diablo (Video Game) (thanks)
 
Show ShowSelf (31 titles)
2011 Kurosawa's Way (documentary)
Himself
 
2009 Secret's Out (TV series)
Himself - Guest
Red Cliff (2009) … Himself - Guest
 
2009 Charlie Rose (TV series)
Himself - Guest
Episode dated 27 November 2009 (2009) … Himself - Guest
 
2009 The Rotten Tomatoes Show (TV series)
Himself - Director
2012/The Messenger/Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) … Himself - Director
 
2009 How Bruce Lee Changed the World (TV documentary)
Himself
 
2009 World Film Report (TV series)
Himself
 
2008 Bokura no jidai (TV series)
Himself
 
2007 The Light and the Dark: The Making of 'Face/Off' (video documentary)
Himself
 
2005 Chang Cheh & le sabreur manchot (video documentary short)
Himself
 
2004 L'art de la guerre (video documentary short)
Himself
 
2004 From Hong Kong to Hollywood: The Making of John Woo (TV documentary)
Himself
 
2003 Tinseltown TV (TV series)
Himself
Episode dated 13 December 2003 (2003) … Himself
 
2003 The Code Talkers: A Secret Code of Honor (video documentary short)
Himself
 
2003 Cinema Hong Kong: Wu Xia (TV documentary)
Himself
 
2003 Chop Socky: Cinema Hong Kong (TV documentary)
Himself
 
2003 Biography (TV series documentary)
Himself
John Travolta (2003) … Himself
 
2002 The Art of Action: Martial Arts in Motion Picture (TV documentary)
Himself - Interviewee
 
2002 John Woo: Bullet in the Plate (documentary)
Himself
 
2001 2001 ABC World Stunt Awards (TV special)
Himself
 
2000 Behind the Mission: The Making of 'M:I-2' (video documentary short)
Himself
 
2000 2000 MTV Movie Awards (TV special documentary)
Himself
 
2000 The RDA (TV series)
Himself
Episode #1.2 (2000) … Himself
 
2000 Mission: Improbable (TV short)
Himself
 
1999 Kurosawa: The Last Emperor (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1998 Making of 'Blackjack' (video short)
Himself
 
1998 Jackie Chan: My Story (video documentary)
Himself
 
1996 HBO First Look (TV series documentary)
Himself
Broken Arrow (1996) … Himself
 
1994 Cinema of Vengeance (documentary)
Himself (uncredited)
 
Show ShowArchive Footage (2 titles)
2009 American Masters (TV series documentary)
 
2002 Jackie Chan: Fast, Funny and Furious (video documentary)
Himself
 

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Personal Details

Other Works:

Print advertisement for Nortel Networks (2001) See more »

Publicity Listings:

3 Biographical Movies  | 3 Print Biographies  | 10 Interviews  | 17 Articles  | 1 Magazine Cover Photo  | See more »

Alternate Names:

Ng Yu Chen | Wu Hsiang-fei | Yu Chen Ng | Yu-Sam Ng | Wu Yao Shen | Wu Yu Shen | Wu Yu Sheng | John Wu | Yao Shen Wu | Yu-Sheng Wu | Yu-Shen Wu | Yu-shen Wu | Yusen Wu | Wu Yu-shen

Height:

5' 4½" (1.64 m)
Edit

Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

I like doves. They look so beautiful, like a woman. For me they represent peace and love and purity. And sometimes they're seen as the messengers of God, so they're important to me because I'm a Christian. See more »

Trivia:

He has never owned a car. See more »

Trademark:

[thrown gun]: One character throws a gun to another character See more »

Star Sign:

Libra