Luther Chu

Lu Feng (; born Chu Qi Xue 儲啟學; born April 3, 1956) is a Taiwanese-born Hong Kong-based martial arts actor, action choreographer, and director. Lu gained international prominence in 1978 for starring in the Shaw Brothers film Five Deadly Venoms, earning him and the rest of the cast the collective moniker of Venom Mob. He was part of Chang Cheh's ensemble of fourth generation actors along with Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, Lo Mang, and Sun Chien. Early life Lu was born Chu Qi Xue on April 3, 1956, in Taipei, Taiwan. His ancestral roots can be traced back to Anhui Province in Mainland China. The youngest of four sons, Lu grew up idolizing martial arts actor Chen Kuan-tai. At age 8, he was sent to the government-run Junior Lu Guang Drama School by his parents, who were struggling to support him and his siblings. There, he studied revolutionary opera with future costar and lifelong friend, Chiang Sheng. Lu, along with Chiang, Philip Kwok, Robert Tai, and Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi would practice acrobatics near Taipei Bridge and earned pocket money playing extras in movies that were shot nearby. In addition to acrobatics, Lu sang, practiced martial arts and somersaults, and became proficient in various weapons. Upon graduating, he had plans to pursue a career in the professional arts but decided on film and television instead, owing to the declining popularity of Chinese opera. An avid drinker of Coca-Cola, Lu's love of the soft drink earned him the nickname Cola King. Career Lu was recruited by Chang Cheh in 1975 around the same time the latter relocated his independent film company, Long Bow, to Taiwan. Lu started out as an actor on the set of Shaolin Hellgate and had filmed scenes before the project was shelved and its entire crew recast two years later. Nonetheless, he was noticed by Chang who subsequently promoted him as an actor and in 1976, landed his first major role in Chang's film, Shaolin Temple. In addition to acting, Lu briefly worked as a stuntman in some productions including Ng See-yuen's Secret Rivals 2 (1977), where much of his previous acrobatic training was applied to the action choreography. Following Long Bow's closure in late 1976, Lu, along with Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, and several other actors left with Chang who relocated back to the Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong. In 1978, Lu was cast as Tang Shankui a.k.a. the Centipede in Chang's Five Deadly Venoms where he also served as one of the film's action directors.