Yang Sze preferable known as Bolo Yeung was born on 3 July 1946, in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. He is a martial artist, actor, and former competitive bodybuilder, best known for his villainous role in the Bruce Lee film “Enter the Dragon”, in which he portrayed Bolo. He later collaborated with Jean-Claude Van Damme in the film “Bloodsport”.
Who is Bolo Yeung?
Bolo Yeung is a Hong Kong former competitive bodybuilder, martial artist, and martial arts film actor who was born and brought up in Guangzhou, China as Yang Sze.
He was primarily cast as the villain in the movies in which he stars, he is best known for his
performances as Bolo in entering the Dragon (starring Bruce Lee), Chong Li in Bloodsport (starring JeanClaude Van Damme), Chang Lee in Bloodfight (starring Yasuaki Kurata and Simon Yam) and for his numerous appearances and long career in Hong Kong’s martial arts films.
Bolo Yeung Age
Yang Sze is 76 years old as of 2022, he was born on 3 July 1946, in Guangzhou, China. He celebrates his birthday on 3 July every year and his birth sign is Cancer.
Bolo Yeung Family
Yeung was born and raised by his parents in Guangzhou, China. Our efforts to find out more about his family came to no avail as no such information is publicly available. Thus, the identity of Bolo’s parents is still unclear. It is also not known if he has any siblings. We will update this section once this information is available.
Bolo Yeung Education
Yang Sze was enrolled by his parents in martial arts training when he was ten years old.
Bolo Yeung Wife
Bolo Yeang’s wife is not known. Yang Sze has not gone public with his relationship, it is not publicly known whether he is married or in a relationship. His partner’s information will be updated as soon as the information is available.
Young has two sons that are Danny Yeung and David Yeung, and also he has a daughter called Debbra Yeung. David was a bodybuilder champion, like his father. They both regularly train together. Yeung’s daughter is called Debbra Yeung. She is the wife of Anu McKnight. Both Anu and Debbra are bodybuilding and fitness champions. Also, Anu dabbles in music and rapping as well. Debbra comes by bodybuilding naturally as her father, Yang Sze. Anu and Debbra were married in 2014 and they have two kids together.
Bolo Yeung Career
While living and working in Hong Kong, Bolo developed a love for bodybuilding and became a frequent visitor to a local gym.
He quickly developed a massive physique and competed in bodybuilding competitions in the locality. He eventually won the Hong Kong contest which is held to determine the competitor in World. His large physique led him to be noticed by several film producers, and his earliest collaborations were with the largest Hong Kong film production company, Shaw Brothers.
During this period he appeared in several films, mostly portraying a villain, including “Angry Guest”, “The Deadly Duo”, and “The Heroic Ones”. After leaving the company, he did a bit of commercial work, and while filming for an ad for Winston cigarettes would meet fellow martial artist Bruce Lee.
At the time, Lee was starting to become popular in the film industry as well, thanks to his martial arts prowess and the rise in popularity of kung fu films. The two became friends, and this would eventually lead to Bolo’s international breakthrough.
Yeung’s friendship with Bruce Lee would lead him to become stun a dent of the famed martial artist. He enjoyed Lee’s martial arts philosophy of trying various styles, using what was necessary and discarding what was not useful.
His physique combined with his passion reached out to Lee, and soon he was asked to become a part of his film “Enter the Dragon”, which would be one of Lee’s most iconic film projects. The film was released a month after Bruce’s death, and was highly successful at the box office – it’s considered one of the best martial arts films of all time.
Along with Lee, many other martial artists gained recognition from the film including Leung. A few years after Lee’s death, he mentioned how it was an honour that he was able to become a friend with a man like Bruce Lee, as there will never be anyone else like him.
As the decade progressed, he gained more film projects, mostly in villainous roles.
It wasn’t until the film “Bloodsport” in 1988 that he continued to make a name for himself, working alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme. Playing the role of Chong Li, Bolo also formed a close friendship with Van Damme. The film was also very successful at the box office and is one of Jean-Claude’s earliest starring roles which established him in mainstream cinema. He later recommended Bolo to work with him in the film “Double Impact”, set in East Asia with director Sheldon Lettich at the helm.
Afterwards, he experienced a bit of difficulty as he wasn’t able to frequent the US due to the lack of support. He was originally set to move to the US with Bruce Lee, but due to the latter’s death, it took him over a decade before he was able to take on roles more consistently.
He eventually met and befriended director Jalal Merhi, who would cast him in his debut film “Fearless Tiger”, and the two continued to collaborate in “Tiger Claws” and “TC 2000”. In the later part of his career, he started taking less film work, appearing in a few independent features from time to time. He made a rare appearance as a protagonist in the film “Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter”.
He also appeared in the show “Warrior” produced by Cinemax, a project created from the initial writings of Bruce Lee, planning a television show.
Bolo Yeung on Social Media
Bolo Yeung has around 46k followers on her Instagram handle. He has 0 followings. In his Instagram bio, he says, ” I am here to give thanks to the loyal fans who share the same passion as myself”. This shows his dedication and love towards his fans.
Bolo Yeung Wiki
Name | Bolo Yeung |
Age | 76 years (as of 2022) |
Profession | Bodybuilding, Martial Arts, and Actor |
Nationality | Chinese |
Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Birth Date | 3 July 1946 |
Place of birth | Guangzhou, China |
Religion | Buddhism |
Ethnicity | Asian |
Marital Status | Married |
Children | 3 |
Bolo Yeung’s Physical Appearance
Height | 5 feet 6 inches |
Weight | 75 kgs |
Eye Colour | Black |
Hair Colour | Black |
Body Measurements | 55-27-37 |
Bolo Yeung’s Net Worth
Yeung has an estimated net worth of 1.5 million dollars as of 2022. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as a competitive bodybuilder, martial artist, and martial arts film actor. Through his various sources of income, Yeung has been able to accumulate a good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle. He got his start in the entertainment industry thanks to his good looks, first appearing in commercials; while filming a commercial for Winston cigarettes, he met and befriended Bruce Lee, and their friendship quickly turned into professional collaboration for the film “Enter The Dragon” (1973), in which Bolo played Bolo under the pseudonym of Bolo. Before this part, he had several roles in Hong Kong films, including “The Wandering Swordsman,” which was his debut, “The Oath of Death” (1972), and “Man of Iron” (1972), among others, all of which helped him establish his career and improve his net worth.
Bolo Yeung Photos
Bolo Yeung lifestyle
In the early years of the 1970s and ’80s, Bolo starred in numerous kung fu films, but his breakout film was Bloodsport, based on the claims of Frank Dux. Shot on a $1.5 Million budget, it became a US boxoffice hit in the spring of 1988.
Yeung met Bruce Lee while they were both filming a Winston cigarettes commercial. A friendship began and Lee invited him to star in entering the Dragon, after which he became known as “Bolo”, the name of the character he portrayed.
Yeung and Lee became close friends during the filming of entering the Dragon, in which Lee and Yeung worked very closely on technique training. Yeung once stated in an interview, many years after Lee’s death, “There will never be another Bruce Lee; I am privileged to have had the honour of calling him, my friend.”
In the year 2019 Cinemax series Warrior, Rich Ting portrays a Hong enforcer named “Bolo” to pay homage to Yeung’s character in entering the Dragon. Warrior was developed from Bruce Lee’s initial writings for the series as well as features the fictional Bolo as a rival to Ah Sahm, the protagonist who bears many similarities to Lee.
Yeung started his martial arts training when he was 10 years old in Canton, where he trained under several kung fu masters. Growing up, he took an interest in bodybuilding, and later became Mr Hong Kong bodybuilding champion.
Bolo Yeung Facts
- Jalal Merhi, a Canadian action film actor, director, and producer met Yeung in Hong Kong while shooting his first film Fearless Tiger, then again on the set of Double Impact.
- Merhi was impressed with Yeung’s personality as well as his ability and decided to create a part specifically for him. Later Merhi served with Yeung on more films such as Tiger Claws, TC 2000, and Tiger Claws2.
- Yeung starred in numerous martial arts films during the 1970s and 1980s, but his breakout film was Bloodsport. Shot on a 1.5 million USD budget, it became a box office hit in the spring of the year 1988.
- Jean-Claude Van Damme had the leading role of Frank Dux, while Yeung performed the role of Chong Li. A strong friendship formed between the two actors on the set of Bloodsport, and Van Damme invited Yeung to appear in his subsequent film Double Impact.
- Bolo held the title for ten years. Because of his muscular physique, he was chosen for several bad guy roles in films produced by Shaw Brothers Studios, such as The Heroic Ones, The Deadly Duo, Angry Guest as well as others. He left Shaw Brothers in the year 1971.
- Yeung started his martial arts training when he was 10 years old in Canton, where he trained under several kung fu masters. Growing up, he took an interest in bodybuilding and later became a Hong Kong bodybuilding champion.
- In the year 2019 Cinemax series Warrior, Rich Ting portrays a Hong enforcer named “Bolo” to pay homage to Yeung’s character in entering the Dragon. Warrior was developed from Bruce Lee’s initial writings for the series as well as features the fictional Bolo as a rival to Ah Sahm, the protagonist who bears many similarities to Lee.
- Yeung and Lee became close friends during the filming of entering the Dragon, in which Lee and
Yeung worked very closely on technique training. Yeung once stated in an interview, many years after Lee’s death, “There will never be another Bruce Lee; I am privileged to have had the honour of calling him, my friend.”
- In the early years of the 1970s and ’80s, Bolo starred in numerous kung fu films, but his breakout film was Bloodsport, based on the claims of Frank Dux. Shot on a $1.5 Million budget, it became a US boxoffice hit in the spring of 1988.
- Yeung has two sons known as Danny Yeung and David Yeung. David was a bodybuilder champion, like his father. They both regularly train together.
Bolo Yeung FAQs
Who is Bolo Yeung?
Bolo Yeung, is a Hong Kong former competitive bodybuilder, martial artist, and martial arts film actor who was born and brought up in Guangzhou, China as Yang Sze.
How old is Bolo Yeung?
Yeung is an American national born on 3 July 1946, in Guangzhou, China.
How tall is Bolo Yeung?
Yeung stands at a height of 1.75m
Is Bolo Yeung married?
Yes, Yeung is married and Yeang has two sons that are Danny Yeung and David Yeung, and also he has a daughter called Debbra Yeung. David was a bodybuilder champion, like his father. They both regularly train together.
How much is Bolo Yeung worth?
Yeung has an approximate net worth of $1.5 million. This amount has been accrued from his leading roles in the entertainment industry.
Where is Bolo Yeung Now?
Yeung is still an active participant in the creative entertainment industry.
Did Bruce Lee ever fight bolo?
Bolo Yeung, who played a villain in the movie, revealed in an interview that Lee was challenged by one of the film’s extras. According to Yeung, this person wanted to test out his Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts style and philosophy founded by Lee himself. Lee accepted the challenge, and the fight began.
What did Bolo Yeung weigh?
72 kgs
Were Bolo Yeung and Bruce Lee friends?
A friendship emerged and Lee invited him to star in entering the Dragon, after which he became known as “Bolo”, the name of the character he portrayed. The two became close friends during the filming of entering the Dragon, in which Lee and Yeung worked very closely on technique training.
Conclusion
Since then Bolo Yeung has appeared in countless martial arts movies, to date, also working on two movies with “The Muscles from Brussels”-Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport and Double Impact.
Now Bolo still looks great and still regularly trains at his local gym. Martial Arts and Bodybuilding are an integral part of his life and career.