If you’re reading this magazine, you already know Al Leong— action-movie legend, perennial big-screen bad guy and evil henchman extraordinaire.

He’s menaced his way through more than 100 movies and TV shows, with iconic scenes in Lethal Weapon, Big Trouble in Little China, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and The Scorpion King — more films than we have space to list here. Besides, you already know who Al Leong is. Or do you?

Here are eight facts we’re willing to bet you never knew about one of Hollywood’s iconic villains:

1.

He grew his hair out after seeing The Beatles perform onThe Ed Sullivan Show and has kept it long ever since.

2.

He was a top kung fu student and instructor under the legendary Ark Yuey Wong (1900–1987). Leong is an expert in ng ga kuen (five families/five animals kung fu) and won multiple martial arts tournaments in the mid-1970s. ln 1980 he came out of retirement to win the World Silver Cup Martial Arts Championship.

3.

He’s an accomplished Chinese lion dancer. ln fact, Leong was a founding member of a lion-dance team called the Four Seas, which performed regularly at Chinese New Year celebrations, cultural festivals and restaurant openings. Leong is credited with introducing the guan gung–style, red-faced Cantonese lion to Los Angeles, and he was part of the first two-lion team to dance “the whole length” of LA’s Chinatown— climbing “every pole, every rooftop, over every railing, and all this in one day,” Leong says. Why? Because someone bet them they couldn’t.

4.

His nickname is Ka-Bong. lt was given to him by one of his brother’s friends, a man named Chuck Wagner. “l believe [it was] just because it rhymed,” Leong says. “Anyway, it stuck.”

5.

Leong has collected stuffed animals all his life. He has more than 150, and all of them have names. His favorite, a stuffed wolf named “Wolfman,” was a member of his wedding party — and even wore a custom-made suit.

6.

Leong has ridden motorcycles, both on and off road, for most of his life. Before getting into movies, he worked as a motorcycle mechanic, welder and custom automotive pinstriper. These days, he off-roads in a Rhino UTV (utility terrain vehicle).

7.

ln addition to having survived brain cancer (1993) and a stroke (2005), Leong has sustained three broken collarbones, 25 fractured ribs, several torn ligaments in his left ankle, multiple knee surgeries, broken fingers, broken arms, broken legs and one failed marriage. “l haven’t broken my back,” he says, “but then again, life isn’t over yet.”

8.

His favorite weapon is the kwan dao, with which he performedat Ed Parker’s Long Beach lnternationals and for the film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (in which he played Genghis Khan).