Chen Kuan-Tai

Acting

Chen Kuan-Tai

Born — Died

1945-09-24 — 2026-09-02

Place of birth

Guangdong, China

Known for

Acting

Credits

78 titles

Chen Kuan-Tai (Chinese: 陳觀泰, born 24 September 1945 in Guangdong, China) is a Chinese martial arts film star. He has primarily appeared in Shaw Brothers productions, and was one of the first solid trained, martial arts stars employed by the company. His first appearance in a Shaw work was in the 1969 film The Chinese Boxer, alongside Jimmy Wang Yu and Ben McDonald. Chen branched out as an actor with his tender roles in The Tea House and its sequel Big Brother Cheng, both directed by Chih-hung Kwei. These films gave Chen status as a "legitimate actor". After starring in the box office successes Challenge of the Masters and Executioners from Shaolin, both helmed by the legendary martial arts …

Known for

Film credits

2010s · 12 titles

The Man with the Iron Fists poster
5.5

In feudal China, a blacksmith who makes weapons for a small village is put in the position where he must defend himself and his fellow villagers.

The Man with the Iron Fists

2012

14 Blades poster
6.3

Commander Qinglong is the loyal leader of the assassin group that serves the emperor. But when his allies plan a rebellion against the ruler, he finds himself in danger.

14 Blades

2010

Gallants poster
6.4

Master Law awakes from a 30-year coma without memories, but his martial arts skills are intact. His renowned kung fu academy is now a teahouse, and greedy developers are trying to steamroll it to make way for condos

Gallants

2010

The Final Master poster
6.9

Determined to pass down his art, the Final Master of Wing Chun is caught in a power struggle with malicious local officials and ultimately must choose between personal honor and his master’s dying wish.

The Final Master

2015

White Vengeance poster
6.8

White Vengeance tells the story of two brothers contending for supremacy during the fall of the Qin Dynasty, which ruled Imperial China from 221 to 206 BC. As rebels rose, the nation fell into chaos. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, became leaders of the rebellious army, and also became sworn brothers in battle.Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are close friends who both serve King Huai of Chu. King Huai uses a plot, saying that whoever can subvert the Qin kingdom in Guanzhong would be the Lord Qin, in order to benefit from the competition between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Xiang Yu is over-confident. He fights against the main force of Qin army, and entrusts Liu Bang with Yu Ji, the woman he loves.Liu Bang expresses his love to Yu Ji and takes the chance to invade Guanzhong first when most of Qin army is outside fighting against Xiang Yu’s army.

White Vengeance

2011

Shed Skin Papa poster
6.3

As a director faces a series of setbacks in life including debt and divorce, his elderly father suddenly regains his youth.

Shed Skin Papa

2016

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai poster
7.1

A laborer moves to Shanghai in the hope of becoming rich. But ends up using his kung fu skills to survive. Remake of The Boxer From Shantung.

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai

2014

Iceman: The Time Traveler poster
6.5

The imperial guard and his three traitorous childhood friends ordered to hunt him down get accidentally buried and kept frozen in time. 400 years later pass and they are defrosted continuing the battle they left behind.

Iceman: The Time Traveler

2018

Fire of Conscience poster
6.6

A police detective must solve a brutal murder to prove his partner's innocence and unearth the truth behind Hong Kong's police force. The investigation brings him to an unlikely collaboration with an inspector from the Narcotics Bureau, whose motives may not be what they seem.

Fire of Conscience

2010

7 Assassins poster
5.2

When social unrest plagues a Kingdom in ancient China, the Imperial Court collects stockpiles of gold from local governments to expand the royal army. However, the gold is robbed while in transport. In a desperate move to retrieve the stolen treasure, elite royal guards are sent on a mission to go after the gold but soon find out they are not the only ones in pursuit of it.

7 Assassins

2013

Conspirators poster
5.9

Chen Tan, a private detective in Thailand, travels to Malaysia following a series of clues found in a photo. There he searches for a man called Chai, who might help reveal the truths behind the murder of his parents 30 years ago. Chen finds Zheng, a Malaysian detective born in China. Together they meet Chai's daughter, Zi-Wei who could hold the key to cracking the case.

Conspirators

2013

Dealer/Healer poster
5.9

The movie is based on a true story about a repented gangster preaching the word of God and guiding his brotherhood to turn over a new leaf. Chen once was the leader of the famous gang "The 13 Tsz Wan Shan", he lost his family, lovers, brothers and finally ended up imprisoned for his drug abuse and trafficking. After jail, he devoted himself to save the lost fellows and was selected as "The JCI Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons". Being respected by the world, Chen is always asked to solve the most difficult situations between evil and good. People give him a nickname "The Fixer". However, there are two sides of a coin, Chen can work out any problem of others, but he does not know how to deal with his personal knot with his love, with whom he has had guilty conscience all his life. Can he fix it eventually?

Dealer/Healer

2017

2000s · 2 titles

1990s · 8 titles

The Tigers poster
6.3

Cops find their careers and their lives in jeopardy when they spend a gangster's bribe money after releasing him from custody during a drug bust.

The Tigers

1991

Sleazy Dizzy poster
5.9

A common thief and an employee of a Hong Kong stock company try to help an amnesia-plagued undercover cop to regain his memory and locate the whereabouts of the 50 million dollars cash used in a drug deal. In the meantime, they try to avoid becoming victims of the crime-lord that was responsible for embezzling 50 million dollars out of the stock company.

Sleazy Dizzy

1990

How to Meet the Lucky Stars poster
6.0

How to Meet the Lucky Stars is a 1996 Hong Kong film and the final film in the Lucky Stars film series. Featuring the "Lucky Stars" Sammo Hung (in a supporting role and another role as a cop), Eric Tsang, Stanley Fung, Richard Ng, Michael Miu and new cast member Vincent Lau as Hung's younger cousin. Also featuring a number of guest appearances including Françoise Yip, Natalis Chan, Chen Kuan Tai, Cheng Pei-pei, Chan Hung Lit and Nora Miao. Produced by Eric Tsang, directed by Frankie Chan with action choreography by Yuen Cheung-Yan and Mars.The film was released as a benefit film for the famous Hong Kong film director, Lo Wei, who died in 1996.

How to Meet the Lucky Stars

1996

The World of Desire poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The World of Desire

1993

Ghost Killer poster
7.0

Drug courier Lousy Chao and his wife Ngor are killed by his boss, after being framed for drug substitution. His ghost finds a man with the same birthday, Ming, to help take revenge. The unfortunate Ming has just proposed to Hung, but Lousy hijacks his body, and starts by killing his immediate boss Shing Yiang To in a sauna. This alarms Shing's boss Nan. Meanwhile, the possessed Ming take nightclub host Jenny home for "late supper". Hung is sure something is amiss, and consults her taoist uncle Shun. Nan is further shaken when his partner Chuen is killed, but still keeps an appointment with Thai drug dealer Buddha. Up until this point, both Ming and Nan consider ghosts to be "bullshit", but they are soon convinced otherwise...

Ghost Killer

1992

The Fortune Code poster
6.5

Set in China during the Japanese occupation. A young man breaks out of a POW camp to marry his sweetheart, but finds she is now a spy for the resistance, code-named "Number 3". With the help of "Number 2" he returns to the camp to find "Fortune", an agent who possesses the pass-code to a Swiss bank account with $500 billion intended for the Chinese army.

The Fortune Code

1990

Shadow Cop poster
8.0

Hsiong, a young narcotics officer, hooks up through comic accidents with a party girl named Witty. She shops, plays mahjongg, and charges him for every kiss, and they are in love. When he dies in the line of duty, his ghost stays around for a few weeks, hoping to get Witty's attention, trying futilely face to face and by phone, and then through a relative of hers who claims to have occult powers. Through this shadow cop's investigations, it comes to light how he died and where $10 million is that was the cause of his death. Before he disappears into the void, they leave each other final messages. Can their last wishes come true?

Shadow Cop

1993

Today's Hero poster
5.3

Siu, who spends goofing off, finds out that he has Parkinson's Disease, and only one month to live. He decides to do something special before his death. He tries to help other, and accept challenges.

Today's Hero

1991

1980s · 15 titles

Human Lanterns poster
6.1

A psychotic craftsman pits two rival Kung-Fu masters against each other while designing special lanterns from a disturbing source.

Human Lanterns

1982

Just Heroes poster
6.6

A respected and well liked gang-boss is betrayed and killed. One of his three adopted sons are to take his place. One of them is the traitor.

Just Heroes

1989

Majestic Thunderbolt poster
4.3

Two rival bosses of diamond smuggling outfits, Tiger and Franco, get into conflict over a very valuable diamond. Tiger is an apparently conventional businessman. Franco is a psychopathic playboy whose pride and lust know no limits and who murders his own mistress for her infidelity. It is smuggled into Hong Kong by Richard who tries to make a deal with Franco but Tiger hears about this deal and sends in Philip, a New York assassin, to steal the diamond.

Majestic Thunderbolt

1985

Opium and the Kung Fu Master poster
6.9

A small town is protected by one of the famous Ten Tigers of Kwangtung. The town is very safe as Ti Lung and his Kung Fu students patrol for criminals. Enter the rival Kung Fu school whom Ti Lung's students have beaten in a lion dance competition and then humiliated in a brawl. The rival school is joined by an opium dealing Kung Fu master who plans to turn the town into a community of addicts!

Opium and the Kung Fu Master

1984

Shanghai 13 poster
6.1

A patriot finds evidence that the government is collaborating with a foreign power. If the people knew about the deception, they would revolt and overthrow the corrupt government. One patriot in office steals the proof and must make it out of the country. He gets assistance from a local rebel leader who is in charge of a motley group of fighters called the Shanghai 13. Not all of them can be trusted, as some of them will turn in the government official. Our weak protagonist must run a gauntlet of the who's who already mentioned.

Shanghai 13

1984

Little Dragon Maiden poster
6.0

Seeking to improve his combat skills, a young man falls in love with a woman with mystical powers but his past stands in the way of their union.

Little Dragon Maiden

1983

How to Choose a Royal Bride poster
6.0

Emperor Kangxi's mother tries to marry him with the daughter of an official, but she's too strong-willed to agree to an arranged marriage even if it is with the Emperor, so she dresses as a man and heads off to Jiang Nan to see the spring blossoms. As luck would have it, Kangxi also decides to head to Jiang Nan in disguise in search of adventure, and the two cross paths and quickly become firm friends.

How to Choose a Royal Bride

1985

Tai-Pan poster
5.3

The film begins following the British victory of the first Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong. Although the island is largely uninhabited and the terrain unfriendly, it has a large port that both the British government and various trading companies believe will be useful for the import of merchandise to be traded on mainland China, a highly lucrative market.

Tai-Pan

1986

Return of Bastard Swordsman poster
6.4

Wudang is in trouble again, with both Dugu Wu Di planning to attack the Wudang temple and an interloping group of martial artists from Japan waiting in the background.

Return of Bastard Swordsman

1984

Killer Constable poster
7.3

2 million taels in gold has been stolen from a vault within the Forbidden City. The Empress wants the money returned within 10 days. Chief Constable Leng Tian-Ying is hired to bring back the gold robbers, dead or alive- and Leng's earned a reputation of never bringing anyone back alive.

Killer Constable

1980

Citizen Shaw poster
7.0

A French TV documentary from 1980 directed by Maurice Frydland, in which Sir Run Run Shaw gives an all-access tour of the Shaw Brothers backlot (including behind-the-scenes footage from Return to the 36th Chamber.

Citizen Shaw

1980

The Challenge of the Lady Ninja poster
6.0

During the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, a Chinese woman trains in the covert arts. When she arrives in Hong Kong, she learns that her brother works on behalf the Japanese cause. She then pulls together a team of women warriors to stop her brother

The Challenge of the Lady Ninja

1983

Rendezvous with Death poster
7.0

Sun Chung had been recognized as an expert comedy and crime thriller director, but he was to gain even greater acclaim for his soulful, powerful, intelligent, and beautifully-made martial arts epics. This stands alongside The Deadly Breaking Sword and The Kung-fu Instructor as one of his very best. It’s not so much the plot – a master swordsman protects a treasure chest on a dangerous journey – that makes this great, but what Sun does with it, inspiring the cast and crew to some of their finest work.

Rendezvous with Death

1980

Long Road to Gallantry poster
7.2

Newly crowned queen of kung-fu films Hui Ying-hung, stars in Long Road To Gallantry, a rivetting swordswoman spectacle. Shaw Brothers' actress Lily Li teams up with one time kung-fu wonder boy Chen Kuan-tai in a quest to find a missing martial arts manual. It's new wave heroic bloodshed with new wave talent such as the upcoming Rosamund Kwan who went on to star in six Jet Li films.

Long Road to Gallantry

1984

The Master poster
6.4

Although injured, a martial-arts expert teaches an orphan his methods.

The Master

1980

1970s · 23 titles

The 14 Amazons poster
6.6

The Yang family, men and women, have served their country loyally for generations. During the war General Yang is ambushed and killed. His widow and the entire family set out to avenge his death and defend the country.

The 14 Amazons

1972

Man of Iron poster
7.1

Man of Iron was positioned as something of a follow-up to Boxer From Shantung, the rise-and-fall story of Ma Yung Chen and it reunites the directors and some of the cast in a similar but much slighter tale of a lesser gangster's rise and fall in Shanghai. While the opening narration specifically recalls the events and tragic conclusion of BOXER, this one is set 20 years later in the same section of Shanghai but otherwise has nothing to do with the events or characters of the previous film.

Man of Iron

1972

Executioners from Shaolin poster
6.7

After the destruction of the Temple, a Shaolin disciple devotes years to mastering the Tiger style in order to defeat the martial arts master who killed his teacher. His wife, a Crane style specialist, has a feeling one style won't be enough.

Executioners from Shaolin

1977

Crippled Avengers poster
6.8

A group of martial artists seek revenge after being crippled by Tu Tin-To, a martial arts master, and his son.

Crippled Avengers

1978

The Boxer from Shantung poster
6.9

Leaving the poverty of his life in Shantung to seek fortune in Shanghai, The Boxer is instead drawn into a world of corruption, gang warfare and evil... Where his only protection is his famed fighting technique.

The Boxer from Shantung

1972

The Chinese Boxer poster
6.2

Lei Ming, a noble young martial arts student who doesn't know the meaning of giving up. He faces a treacherous, blood-thirsty Japanese karate expert, which leads to many memorable battles as well as several unforgettable training sequences.

The Chinese Boxer

1970

Blood Brothers poster
6.4

Set in the waning years of the Ching Dyansty, this dramatic, tragic, romantic, blood-soaked martial arts tale of betrayal and revenge explores one of the most sensational scandals in Chinese history and marked the true ascension of its director and actors to superstar status. In fact, Ti Lung won Taiwan's Golden Horse Award for Outstanding Performance as the challenging role of a jealous provincial governor who kills his friend in order to steal the man's wife.

Blood Brothers

1973

7-Man Army poster
6.2

In 1933, 20,000 Japanese soldiers and 50 tanks invaded the Pa Tou Lou Tzu, a strategic key point of the Great Wall. With only seven men stationing, these heroes took on the entire army for five days before succumbing. Director Chang Cheh recreated this epic battle with his favorite cast including Ti Lung, David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan-tai, as a celluloid tribute to these nameless souls.

7-Man Army

1976

Men from the Monastery poster
5.5

The majestic Ming dynasty is invaded by the Manchu troops, its upto the Shaolin monastery to fight them and save the fate of the nation.

Men from the Monastery

1974

The Water Margin poster
6.8

The corruption in the Sung Dynasty of 11th century China is so rampant that it inspires a band of Oriental Robin Hoods - the Honorable 108. Mountain bandits who nevertheless live by a scrupulous code of conduct, the Honorable 108 pledge to end the repression of the brutal overlords.

The Water Margin

1972

The Savage Five poster
6.4

A pacifist village is beset by bandits in this martial arts thriller. "Savage Five" hands-down rivals the ornateness of "Kid With The Golden Arm" and the twist-heavy "Five Deadly Venoms". The always great David Chiang plays a lesser version of his Rover character from "Duel Of The Iron Fist", and Ti Lung, looking incredible here, is at his physical best. Accolades to Chen Kuan Tai and Wang Chung in great sympathetic roles, too. A kung fu classic where the actual martial arts display takes a back seat to the mesmerizing story.

The Savage Five

1974

Challenge of the Masters poster
6.2

The Wong family kung fu school gets smacked around by a rival school. Wong Fei-hong gets fed up with the abuse and goes to learn from his fathers master. After one of the rival schools members kills some of the towns people Wong Fei-hong becomes enraged trains even more comes back and gets his revenge.

Challenge of the Masters

1976

Four Riders poster
6.1

Four highly skilled fighters unite to take on a ruthless criminal gang, battling corruption, murder, and injustice in the wake of the Korean War.

Four Riders

1972

All Men Are Brothers poster
7.0

Based on one of China's enduring epic novels, written in the 14th century, "All Men Are Brothers" continues the patriotic story of righteous warriors battling despotic leaders, featuring mythic characters familiar to every Chinese, and with a cast that has achieved an equally celebrated status among Shaw Brothers devotees.

All Men Are Brothers

1975

The Flying Guillotine poster
6.7

The Emperor's armies have developed a new weapon: a thrown blade that can remove someone's head from long distance. As the paranoid Emperor begins decapitating anyone he fears might be a threat, his guard Mau Tang becomes disillusioned with the excesses of his master. He leaves his post and takes up the quiet life of farming and raising a family. Eventually, though, his past catches up with him, and he must find a way to fight the flying guillotine if he is to save his head.

The Flying Guillotine

1975

Vengeance! poster
6.4

A violent martial artist is bent on avenging his older brother, who was killed by a cabal of four wicked businessmen and a cheating wife.

Vengeance!

1970

The Big Holdup poster
7.0

A group of down-on-their-luck robbers pull off a spectacular job - only to find themselves hunted by cops and possible betrayers! Chan Koon Tai leads the diverse pack of criminals, which also includes such Shaw Brothers luminaries as Ngok Wah, Chung Wong, Ling Yun, and a young Danny Lee in one of his first featured roles. The group pulls off the robbery in action-packed fashion, but betrayal and the relentless police end up marking the five robbers for death.

The Big Holdup

1975

The Bloody Fists poster
5.4

Yuen Woo Ping, who would in time become one of the world's leading martial arts choreographers, blocked the fight scenes for this Kung Fu action extravaganza. A small Chinese town is being torn apart by a conflict between local farmers and Japanese soldiers of fortune, who have been brought to town to liberate supplies of a rare Chinese herb. A martial arts expert gifted in both Chinese and Japanese fighting disciplines passes through town, and takes it upon himself to settle the feud.

The Bloody Fists

1972

Heroes Two poster
6.6

A band of fighting Ming Dynasty loyalists branded as enemies of the state are driven underground following the burning of the Shaolin Temple by Qing Dynasty officials. Due to a misunderstanding, Shaolin kung fu prodigy Fong Sai-yuk is duped into helping Qing agents to capture leading Shaolin rebel Hung Hei-gun. Upon discovering his mistake, Sai-yuk teams up with the remaining rebels to free Hei-gun before his planned execution. Plotting to stop them is General Che Kang, a formidable Tibetan kung fu master who commands an army of fighters including four deadly Tibetan llamas.

Heroes Two

1974

The Duel poster
6.9

After a gang massacre that resulted in the killing of his adopted father and gang leader, a martial artist goes into exile to take the blame. A year later, his gang is mysteriously trying to kill him, and he slowly discovers why.

The Duel

1971

The Spiritual Boxer poster
6.7

Wang Yu plays Hsiao Chien, a con artist vagabond who uses his kung fu skills and parlor tricks to convince superstitious villagers that he can use his body as a vessel for angry gods. However, when the villagers are threatened by a hostile force, Chien must learn to use his skills to protect the innocent.

The Spiritual Boxer

1975

The Teahouse poster
5.3

Chen Kuan-Tai is Big Brother Cheng, a former refugee who runs a local teahouse in Hong Kong. Respected by his peers, Big Brother Cheng runs the teahouse - and unofficially the neighborhood - with a firm righteous hand. However, when the triads come calling, Big Brother Cheng finds out respect and common decency may not be enough. The triads use underage kids to terrorize the teahouse, and since the law won't do anything, Big Brother Cheng may have to step in and take care of it himself!

The Teahouse

1974

The House of 72 Tenants poster
6.8

Set during a period of depression, the film chronicles the daily lives of a single urban building split up into several separate units, and the actual people that dwell within.

The House of 72 Tenants

1973

Series credits

Behind the camera

Return to Action poster
7.5

HK action movie directed by Chen Kuan Tai, starring himself with Alex Man, who both want to seek revenge!

Return to Action

1990

Return to Action poster
7.5

HK action movie directed by Chen Kuan Tai, starring himself with Alex Man, who both want to seek revenge!

Return to Action

1990

Forsaken Cop poster
7.0

Heroic Bloodshed movie from 1990.

Forsaken Cop

1990

Xanda poster
4.8

Rural kung fu whiz Qiang travels to the big city to visit his friend Lung, who's taken up Xanda, a new martial art that fuses multiple styles. When Lung is grievously wounded by the Xanda champ, Qiang trains in the sport to seek revenge in the ring.

Xanda

2004

Who Is the Killer? poster
NR

Taiwanese movie

Who Is the Killer?

1982

Blood Stained Tradewind poster
8.0

Shing and Hsiong are competitive young men raised by the head of a powerful Triad group. Shing appears to have the winning edge; his gunfighting skills are unsurpassed earning him the nickname Golden Gun and the pretty daughter of the Triad boss appears to favour him more than eager brother Hsiong. But when Shing turns down his godfather’s appointment to head the triad group his luck runs out and he’s kicked out of the group and shunned by the family. Hsiong becomes the new boss and the pretty daughter marries him instead. Shing moves to Macau and becomes a common labourer and rooms with Carrie Ng and her small son. But Carrie’s kid brother is a bad egg who brings the world of crime back into Shing’s life. Then all hell breaks loose and everyone’s life is in jeopardy when traitors and double crossers rise up and take over.

Blood Stained Tradewind

1990

Big Boss of Shanghai poster
5.4

Chen and his brother travel to Shanghai in search of fame and fortune, but end up pitted against Chinese Mafia bosses - and can only fight their way out of the web of violence and betrayal they find themselves caught up in.

Big Boss of Shanghai

1979

The Iron Monkey poster
6.9

Iron is the son of a rebel leader, but prefers to spend his days gambling and getting into fights. When his father's group is arrested and executed, Iron is forced to flee and hide in the woods as a beggar and thief. After being taken in by a Shaolin monastery and trained in the art of Monkey-Style Kung Fu, Iron vows to hunt down his father's killer and avenge his death.

The Iron Monkey

1977

Dangerous Person poster
10.0

Elder brother, Big Cat is a flirt and younger brother, Small Cat is mean and cold. They were sent to prison for commiting crimes. Uncle Tse, a dominant criminal, accepted Small Cat in admiration of his tuff character. Inspector Tai, who caught them in jail is a responsible, efficient an dhard crime destructor. Soon as the brothers were out from jail, they ran into Tai in doing a case. Small Cat who was very anxious to take revenge on Tai...

Dangerous Person

1981

Dangerous Person poster
10.0

Elder brother, Big Cat is a flirt and younger brother, Small Cat is mean and cold. They were sent to prison for commiting crimes. Uncle Tse, a dominant criminal, accepted Small Cat in admiration of his tuff character. Inspector Tai, who caught them in jail is a responsible, efficient an dhard crime destructor. Soon as the brothers were out from jail, they ran into Tai in doing a case. Small Cat who was very anxious to take revenge on Tai...

Dangerous Person

1981

Invincible Monkey Fist poster
7.0

The master of the secret Monkey Fist Kung Fu style must fight a gang of warrior thugs who are terrorizing his village. Shaw legend Chen Kuan Tai (Iron Monkey, Boxer from Shantung) made this film at the height of his fame. As a true exponent of the Monkey Fist style, Chen added authenticity to his movie roles and the characters he portrayed by using elements of his strong foundation in kung fu. Also making his screen debut is Billy Chong (Kung Fu Zombie, Super Power, Crystal Fist). Shot against the backdrop of exotic Indonesia, Invincible Monkey Fist brings you top rate stars and action.

Invincible Monkey Fist

1978

No artwork available
NR

Hong Kong movie

The Simple-Minded Fellow

1976