Hwang began learning
Taekwondo from age 14 and received a seventh
dan (rank) black belt. In 1965 at 21, he became a martial arts instructor for the Republic of Korea and South Vietnamese armies, specializing in taekwondo. In addition, he holds a ninth dan rank with the World
Tang Soo Do General Federation. Hwang still teaches martial arts. He is an instructor with the tang soo do federation and technical adviser. Among his most notable students is
Roy Horan, who appeared with Hwang in several films and also directed the instructional video series
The Art of High Impact Kicking (1982), based on Hwang's taekwondo techniques. In 2013, Hwang completed a tour of the U.S. and Canada in which he, along with other Korean
Grandmasters, promoted the study and practice of traditional martial arts. Stressing that powerful kicks come from the hips, Hwang said, "You know my legs are just normal, there's nothing special about them. When I train I always use my hips, use the circular motion… the hips is where the power comes from. Then I kick like this… and like this… it's all coming from the hips." He named
Jackie Chan,
Yuen Biao,
Lo Lieh,
Ti Lung and
Sammo Hung as his picks for the top five kung-fu fighters. Hwang has criticized
Olympic Taekwondo, saying, "You know this is very different, Taekwondo, you know, it's for killing people. Taekwondo in the Olympics, it's a sport, you know, it's not a martial arts, so I don't really like this style. For me, Taekwondo is a martial art."
Acting Hwang began his acting career in Korea. In 1976,
Ng See-yuen offered Hwang employment in
Hong Kong, where he first appeared in
Secret Rivals as the villain Silver Fox. Hwang had major roles in many martial arts movies, usually playing the villain. His nicknames "King of the Leg Fighters" and "Thunder Leg" attest to his dexterity of his kicks. In the mid-1970s, Hwang appeared in two
Jackie Chan movies, ''
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow as Sheng Kuan and Drunken Master'' as Thunderfoot (Thunder Leg). In 2002, writer-producer Mike Leeder interviewed Hwang for the Contender
Hong Kong Legends DVD series.
Directing In 1981, Hwang directed his first movie,
Hitman in the Hand of Buddha and was credited as Wong Chin.
Other work and retirement from acting In 1987, Hwang trained German actor Matthias Hues in preparation for the latter's film debut as Yuri the Russian in
No Retreat, No Surrender 2. Cast at the suggestion of producer Roy Horan, a student of Hwang, Hues had no martial arts experience and trained under Hwang. Hues enjoyed the experience so much that upon arrival in Los Angeles, he continued training in martial arts throughout his career. In the film, Hwang's opening scene of a firing squad was cut from the U.S. version. Hwang would play Yuri's enforcer, Gen. Ty, who engages in a brief fight against
Cynthia Rothrock. In 1989, taekwondo grandmaster and actor
Jun Chong invited Hwang to the U.S. to appear as a villain in the film
Street Soldiers. To bring an international flavor to the movie, Hwang was credited as Jason Hwang, using his son's name. In the early 1990s, the elder Hwang returned to
South Korea to run a golf tee manufacturer and a hotel in Seoul, later managing a private security agency. He has since made occasional film appearances such as in
Emperor of the Underworld (1994) and
Boss (1996). In July 1996, Hwang retired from acting at age 51. On Dec. 20, 2025, Hwang was moved to tears while attending a fan meetup in Japan to mark his 81st birthday when former Hong Kong action star
Yukari Oshima made a surprise visit.
Return to acting After a long absence from acting, Hwang in 2009 appeared in the TV series
The Return of Iljimae. He was also featured in the documentary "The Anonymous King," in which Jon James Hodson examines Hwang's personal life in
Seoul, Korea and Hong Kong. ==Filmography==