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Run Run Shaw

Shaw, Run Run, 1907–, Chinese film mogul, best known of the six Shaw brothers who founded an Asian movie empire. In Shanghai, he and brother Runme Shaw established the Shaw Organization (1926) and Shaw Studios (1930), both of which became major factors in the growth and production of Asian films. The siblings set up production and distribution facilities for their movies, many of which were shown in Shaw-owned theaters in SE Asia and in a network of Chinatown cinemas worldwide. In Hong Kong during the late 1950s Shaw founded the colony's then-largest privately owned film studio and soon became known as Asia's movie king, producing flashy, action-packed historical and martial-art features until 1985. His kung-fu epics were particulary popular in the West and influenced a number of Western filmmakers, e.g., Quentin Tarantino. Shaw since has focused much of his attention on television, founding and running Television Broadcasts Ltd. (TVB), which creates programming for Hong Kong and overseas Chinese audiences. In the early 21st cent. he was the driving force behind the construction of Hong Kong Movie City, a studio and production facility. Shaw also has become a major philanthropist, donating billions to charity and establishing the Shaw Prize for scientific achievement. He was knighted in 1974.