'Looks like he's recovering quite well': Former action star and stroke survivor Gordon Liu turns 68, appears in rare photo

When a star fades from the spotlight, fans are often left wondering how they're doing.

So when Hong Kong actor-director Lee Lik-chi shared a new photo of former actor Gordon Liu, renowned for action movies like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) and Return to the 36th Chamber (1980), netizens were excited to see him.

On Aug 27, Lik-chi, 62, shared a Weibo post congratulating Gordon on his 68th birthday. In the photo accompanying it, Gordon can be seen sitting in a chair giving a thumbs-up.

He wears a loose grey shirt and appears to have a belt around his waist for support.

While he sported a monk-like shaved head throughout much of his career, Gordon can now be seen with grey hair and a receding hairline.

Gordon suffered a stroke in 2011, and when a netizen asked on the Weibo post how he was "only 68 but looks 88," others were quick to point it out and chastise them for their rudeness.

He was performing in To Kwa Wan, Hong Kong, with his band when he suffered the stroke and hit his head. He had partial paralysis on his right side and a speech impairment as a result, and had to use a wheelchair.

The next year, he divorced his second wife and entered a nursing home for recovery.

He spent the next few years embroiled in a legal battle with the former assistant he entrusted his assets to, after which he appointed actress Amy Fan as his guardian.

By 2015, it was reported that his speech had improved and he no longer spoke with a slur.

"It looks like he's recovering quite well," a netizen commented on Lik-chi's post.

Others wished him a happy birthday and good health.

One netizen shared photos of Gordon in his iconic roles in Challenge of the Masters (1976), The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and its sequel, and Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Volume 2 (2004), lauding him as being from "a generation of kung fu superstars".

Other than being a staple in Hong Kong action movies and his foray into Hollywood, Gordon also made his Bollywood debut in 2009's Chandni Chowk to China.

drimac@asiaone.com

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