Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Bong Soo Han dies

Los Angeles -- Korean martial arts master Bong Soo Han, who helped revolutionize Hollywood's understanding of martial arts by creating fight sequences for modern American films, died on Monday. He was 73.

Often called the father of Hapkido in the Western world, Han was careful about whom he promoted, awarding only slightly more than 100 black belts in more than 35 years of teaching in the United States.

Han was discovered by Hollywood in 1969, shortly after he arrived in the United States, while giving a Hapkido demonstration at a park near Malibu. Actor Tom Laughlin saw him perform and asked for help with his action film "Billy Jack."

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