Ken Lo


Kenneth Lo Wai-Kwong, professionally known as Ken Lo, is a Cambodian-Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and stuntman. He is known for his martial arts and stunt work as a former member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, most notably for his antagonistic role as John in Drunken Master II.

Early life

Ken Lo was born on 17 March 1959 as Kenneth Lo Wai-Kwong in Stung Treng, Cambodia (1953-1970)|Cambodia]. Lo's father is Hong Kong-Chinese and his mother is a Laotian. In 1975, at age 18, Lo and his family moved from Cambodia to Udon Thani, Thailand.
Five years later, in 1980, he went to Hong Kong and worked as a tour guide. His idol was Bruce Lee which led him to practise Muay Thai and Taekwondo in Thailand. He won the freestyle fighting championships seven times, so his chance came when he made his debut in Working Class.

Career

In 1986, Lo met Jackie Chan in a disco in Hong Kong, where he was head of security, and Chan hired him as his own bodyguard. Lo not only became Chan's bodyguard but also acted in many of his martial arts films. One of his best-known roles is "John", the main antagonist and right-hand man of the British ambassador in Drunken Master II, in which he and Chan engaged in a protracted final fight; Lo stepped in when another stunt actor was injured. That climactic ten-minute fight sequence has become legendary and one of the most remarkably sustained examples of martial arts choreography ever filmed in Hong Kong cinema.
In 2005, Lo acted in the American action film Into the Sun with Steven Seagal, with whom he was involved in a fight scene. Lo is currently active in Hong Kong film industry.

Personal life

Lo married Hong Kong actress Lai Sok-yin and they have two sons. The couple divorced in 2006. His cousin Brian Yu has performed stunts for Mark Chao movies.
In addition to his native Cantonese, he also speaks Thai, having learned when he lived in Thailand. As such, some of his film roles have lines in Thai.

Filmography