I don’t normally post In Memoriam-type articles, but this one hits close a little. In my heyday after Jackie Chan crossed over in the 90s, my staple diet of Hong Kong cinema was always more geared toward Golden Harvest material, and having grown up on those films with legendary producer and Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Raymond Chow’s name attached, Friday’s news of his passing understanably affects a lot of martial arts fans and cinephiles keen on the genre.
Chow, born October 8, 1927, was chief of production at Shaw Brothers for twelve years before launching Golden Harvest in 1970 with Leonard Ho. He produced over 600 films during his time, shepherding an era that would see the launch of many a film star out of Asia including the venerable Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Tsui Hark.
The studio even had a hand in Hollywood pics such as The Cannonball Run and on New Line’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action franchise. Chow retired from movies in 2007 following Ho’s passing in 2003.
Chow was 91 upon his passing according to details at South China Morning Post.
Feel free to comment below and share your favorite memories or Raymond Chow-credited films or the like.
Featured pic: Dave Friedman