Biography:

It was Chiang who was one of the top martial stars of his time, cutting down and fighting dozens of enemies at a time, jumping about like a graceful gazelle, a dashing cool dude with a wily smile on his face. Paired with the majestic Ti Lung they were the great "Deadly Duo" of Hong Kong martial cinema, the stars of a dozen "Blood Brothers" movies that were the most violent and intense martial potboilers of the early seventies and they ruled the Hong Kong action movie screens. Yet as the Blood Brothers period came to an end and time passed on, his partner Ti Lung went on to have a successful movie career maintaining his flawless reputation, but Chiangs career began to decline and even worse he, along with (Jimmy) Wang Yu, became one of the most under appreciated kung fu performers of all. Later fans of the genre found his physical skills unsatisfactory, complained about the tacky seventies fashions which he often wore and were a bit annoyed by his screen persona. The fact remains though that Chiang was not only a major player in his time but an able screen-action performer as well as an award winning actor with an original screen persona who often outshone Ti Lung. He was the real heart and centre of some of Chang's Blood brothers movies. David Chiang was born Yim Wai in 1947, the second son of two famed actors Yim Dut and Hong Wei. Later on his widowed mother having remarried with a movie producer she gave birth to another son. All three siblings were destined to a have a great movie career:  the first Paul Chun as a renown character actor and the youngest Derek Yee as an actor/director. Young Wai received a college education in Hong Kong but had already started appearing in movies as a child actor, most notably THE CALLS OF THE NIGHTBIRDS, LITTLE ANGEL OF THE STREET and YOUNG VAGABOND the two latter also featuring  his elder brother Paul Chun (then known asYim Cheong) and produced by his step-father. He also appears to have received some Peking Opera training - not enough to make him a top performer the likes of Jackie Chan or Sammo Hung but more than enough to gave him an unusual agility and solid physical skills.  Following graduation, he started working as a stuntman in the movies. Chiang had graduated to fight-instructor by the time he was spotted by Shaw Brothers leading martial art director Chang Cheh, who brought him into the studio in the winter of 1966 where he then groomed him for a couple of years. By the time he emerge he was known as David Chiang Dai-Wai,. The meaning of his stage name and its origin appear to be rather obscure: Chiang he may have taken it for no other reason than it was a very recognizable name (because of Taiwan president Chiang Kai Shek) with a star quality feel to it. His original first name being Wai , Dai was added to make it mean True Greatness, Dai-wai being also the direct transliteration of the English name David, it may also have been deemed a suitable stage-name for him because his small frame and scholarly looks were evocative of the Biblical David of the David and Goliath famed. Having an English name may also have served to give him a suitable urbane and sophisticated air that played well with his deceptively scholarly, effete look. Regardless Chiang Dai wei can be glimpsed in GOLDEN SWALLOW (1968) as well as THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969), but his first major role was in the gangster flick DEAD END (1969). He graduated to full martial star the following year with WANDERING SWORDSMAN and especially VENGEANCE, the first of Chang Chehs "Blood Brothers" movies pairing the deadly duo of Chiang and Ti Lung. It was also a watershed movie of Hong Kong martial arts cinema that defined and cemented Chang Chehs cinematic approach for years.

Filmography:

Abbot of Shaolin (1979)

The Adventurers (1995)

All Men are Brothers (1975)

Angel (1987)

Angry Guest (1972)

The Anonymous Heroes (1971)

The Banquet (1991)[cameo]

The Blood Brothers (1973)

Blooded Treasury Fight (1979)

Boxer from Shantung (1972)

The Challenger (1979)

The Condemned (1976)[also director]

Dead End (1969)

The Deadly Duo (1971)

Death Duel (1977)

Double Fattiness (1988)[director only]

Dracula and the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)

The Drug Addict (1974)[also director]

Duel of Fists (1971)

The Duel (1971)

Fight for Glory (1981)

Five Shaolin Masters (1974)

Four Riders (1972)

Friends (1974)

From Here to Prosperity (1986)

The Generation Gap (1973)

The Golden Swallow (1968)

Have Sword, Will Travel (1969)

Heaven and Hell Gate (1979)

The Heroic Ones (1970)

The Imposter (1975)

The Invincible Fist (1969)

It's a Mad Mad World (1987)

Judgment of an Assassin (1977)

Just Heroes (1989)

King of Fists and Dollars (1981)

The Legend of Speed (1999)

The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (UK/HK 1974)

The Legend of the Owl (1981)[also director]

The Loot (1980)

The Lost Kung Fu Secrets (1980)

Lover's Tears (1996)[producer only]

Magnificent Wanderers (1977)

Mary From Beijing (1992)

Mother of a Different Kind (1995)[director only]

Mr. Handsome (1987)[director only]

Mr. Sunshine (1989)

Murder Plot (1979)

My Dear Son (1989)[director only]

The Naval Commandos (1977)

The New One Armed Swordsman (1971)

Night of the Assassins (1981)

Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992)

One Armed Swordsmen (1976)[also director]

The Pirate (1973)

Play Catch (1983)

Red Phoenix (1981)

Return of the Deadly Blade (1981)

The Savage Five (1974)

Seven Man Army (1976)

Shanghai 13 (1985)

Shaolin Hand Lock (1978)

Shaolin Mantis (1978)

Shaolin Temple (1976)

Silent Love (1986)[director only]

The Singing Killer (1970)

Six Directions of Boxing (1980)

Soul (1986)

Street Boys (1960)

Strife for Mastery (1982)

The Taxi Driver (1975)

Tiger on the Beat (1988)

Till Death Do We Scare (1982)

Trilogy of Swordsmanship (1972)

Twin Dragons (1992)

Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985)[cameo]

Vengeance! (1970)

The Wandering Swordsman (1970)

The Water Margin (1972)

What Price Survival (1994)

When East Meets West (1990)[director only]

Where's Officer Tuba? (1986)

Will of Iron (1991)[director only]

Winged Tiger (1970)

Yes Madam! (1985)

Young People (1972)

The Young Rebel (1975)