Leung learned martial arts from his father at the
Cantonese opera. While his major style is
Goju ryu Karate, he also was a
Wing Chun practitioner. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he appeared in a large number of martial arts films. Most familiar to Western audiences may be
Jim Kelly's
The Tattoo Connection (in which he only appeared briefly, but choreographed the action sequences) and
Jackie Chan's
Magnificent Bodyguards, which was the first
Hong Kong film shot in 3D. He is also known for playing Bruce Lee in the notorious Bruceploitation classic,
The Dragon Lives Again. In addition, Leung appeared in his own star vehicles, including
My Kung-Fu 12 Kicks,
Kung Fu: The Invisible Fist, and
Black Belt Karate. Leung retired from acting after 1988's
Ghost Hospital. However, in 2004, he made a return to the screen as The Beast in
Stephen Chow's
Kung Fu Hustle (which, incidentally, was his first villainous role). In 2007, he appeared as himself in Italian documentary
Dragonland directed by Lorenzo De Luca. The interview was made by night on the set of
Shamo. He also appeared in a Chinese television series called
Heroes which aired in 2020. ==Personal life and death==