Although his family is from Canton, Yueh Hua was born in Shanghai under the name of Liang Le-Hua. After training at the Shanghai Music Institute, he came to Hong Kong in 1962. A year later he entered the Shaw Brothers acting class after a stint with the Nan Guo experimental film group. And in 1966 was contracted with Shaw Brothers. He was cast opposite the soon to be crowned "Queen of Kung-fu films", Cheng Pei-pei, in Princess Iron Fan (1966) then in Come Drink With Me (1966), considered by many to be the precursor for all swordswomen films to come.
During the 1960's and 1970's he averaged five films per year, mostly classic martial art films such as Chin Ping's Killer Darts (1968), Cheng Pei-Pei's Lady of Steel (1969) and The Shadow Whip (1970), and Taiwan's kung-fu queen Shih Szu's The Young Avenger (1972) and The Villains (1973). He also made an appearance in Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx (1995).
A film career that spanned more than 50 years, he was in over 140 films. Yueh and his wife, Tanny Tien Ni, moved to Canada in the 1990's. His peers and fans labelled him "Mr. Nice Guy" He became the chairman of the Association of Performing Artists in Canada. He returned to act in Hong Kong from 2006 to 2015. After that, he went back to Canada and later died from cancer in Vancouver, British Columbia, on 20 October 2018.
(Adapted from Celestial)
Active Years: 1964 - 2016
Education: Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Occupation: actor, screenwriter
Died: October 20, 2018