Hwang Jang-lee 1944 – 2026

Biography

Hwang Jang-lee was a South Korean martial artist and film actor known as the “Silver Fox” and the “King of Kicks,” the high-kicking villain who faced Jackie Chan in the Hong Kong classics Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow. Born on December 21, 1944, he was a taekwondo instructor before making his film debut in 1974, and held a ninth-dan grandmaster rank in Tang Soo Do and taekwondo. His screen career ran from the 1970s into the 1990s, and his duels with Chan in the 1978 films made him one of the most feared kung fu villains of the era. He later served as chairman of the Hwang Jang Lee World Martial Arts Federation. He collapsed at his home and died at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital on November 12, 2026, aged 81.