Yuen Tai-Yung

Yuen Tai-yung (Chinese: 阮大勇; pinyin: Ruǎn Dàyǒng; born 1941) is a Chinese artist best known for his Hong Kong movie posters. Dubbed "The Godfather of Hong Kong Movie Posters", he produced over 200 posters from the 1970s to 1990s that include notable films of Bruce Lee, the Hui Brothers, Karl Maka, Stephen Chow, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. His other works include advertisements, comic magazine covers, portraits, sketches, and satirical comics.

Yuen was born in 1941 in Zhejiang and raised in Shanghai. In 1957 during his teens, he moved to Hong Kong and started work in factories. Around 1965, he worked at the advertising company as an illustrator, a skill that he had to self-teach.

By the mid-70's, Yuen was commission by the Hui brothers to illustrate the key art for The Private Eyes. Due to the record breaking box office success of the film, thanks in large part of his appealing art, a high demand of his works soon followed, establishing himself as the go-to poster artist by the local studios.

In 1992, Yuen retired and moved to New Zealand. After his wife died in 2007, he returned to Hong Kong and resumed sketching and showcasing his works at art exhibit.

Awards

• 2017 Hong Kong Film Award for Professional Achievement