was still a baby. In 1958, young Hwang began his career in Taekwondo against his parent ' s will, and after seven years of hard training would be recruited by the Korean army where he came to get the 7th Dan, becoming a martial arts instructor, both of Korean and Vietnamese army. It was precisely during this time that one of his most unfortunate stories happen. A U. S. soldier stationed in the Vietnamese army insisted that he could easily defeat Hwang with his knife fighting style, and after trying a couple of surprise attacks with the knife, Hwang instinctively launched him a roundhouse kick to the temple, killing him instantly.
The fact of being a 7th Dan in Taekwondo also opened for him the doors of the martial movie world and after participating in some Korean productions, Hwang would be hired by the Hong Kong producer Ng See-Yuen, who was in search of new talents after the death of the legendary Bruce Lee. The film that would mark his debut in the martial movie industry of the former British colony was " Secret Rivals "( 1976) with John Liu, also trying luck in small films like " Bruce Lee ' s Secret "( 1976), " Secret Rivals 2 "( 1977), " Snuff Bottle Connection "( 1977) and several others. However, his true emergence as a premier villain was yet to occur.
CONSOLIDATION OF HIS CAREER
In 1978, following in his search for a new formula that would transform the world of Martial Cinema, Ng See- Yuen would undertake the production of two major films: " Snake in the Eagle ' s Shadow "( 1978) and " Drunken Master "( 1978), both directed by the world-wide acclaimed Yuen Woo-ping and starring the international superstar Jackie Chan, the commendable Simon Yuen Siu- Tien, and the incombustible Hwang Jang Lee playing the main villain. The result could not be more deific, breaking all money raising records so far, even above Bruce Lee films, inevitably becoming martial film classics and giving rise to a new style within the genre: the Kung Fu Comedy.
Hwang on his part, displaying his unique style of " bad guy " and his amazing leg and kicking techniques in flight, also managed to revolutionize in his way martial films. In fact, he was hardly the first to practically not use his fists to fight, the only one with the ability of performing different combinations of three kicks in the air with a single pulse and wireless, and capable to bring to the screen villains who truly gave the impression of being unbeatable. Thanks to all this, and with these two major successes under his arm, Hwang received a great reception from the specialized critics, earning nicknames like " Thunderleg ", " Thunderkick ", " Superkick " and many more.
STARDOM AND CAREER
Ironically, the two films that meant his greatest success almost cost his film career. While it is true that the intricate Yuen Woo-Ping choreographies allowed Hwang to show off his best techniques like never before, it is well known that during filming there were many problems between him and the star Jackie Chan. It is said that after being beaten again and again by Hwang, including a kick in the final scene of " Snake in the Eagle ' s Shadow "( 1978) that made him lose a couple of teeth, Chan declared that he ' d never work again alongside Hwang, reproaching him for his lack of accuracy in the moment of controlling his techniques in front of the camera. And it was so. Not only they would never worked together again, but also when Chan began directing his own films, like " The Young Master "( 1980) and " Dragon Lord "( 1982), he would rather hire another great Korean expert, Hwang in-Shik, instead of the reputed " Thunderleg ". However, this fact in no way affected the popularity of Hwang, who retained his luxury secondary status during the following years with titles like " Dance of the Drunk Mantis "
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