Zhang Lei, China parkour expert, Donnie Yen stunt double dead at 39 from heart attack

Zhang served as the stunt double for Yen in several films from 2009 to 2014.

While Yen, often hailed by Hong Kong media as “the strongest in the universe”, performed most of his own stunts, Zhang stood ready as his official stunt double in Bodyguards and Assassins, Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, Swordsmen, The Monkey King, The Iceman, and Special ID.

On his Douyin account, Zhang shared film clips of himself deftly manoeuvring through crowded narrow streets, leaping and rolling across war-torn battlefields or evading pursuers on rainy night streets.

“My ability to start quickly and to move powerfully in a short time is quite impressive, which is similar to Yen. I believe this is the main reason I was chosen as his stunt double,” said Zhang in an interview with The Beijing Extreme Sports Association.

His performance as a stunt double in Bodyguards and Assassins was among the first films in mainland China to fully showcase parkour.

Zhang also collaborated with Hong Kong actor Yuen Wah in the TV series A Legend of Shaolin Kung Fu.

In 2010, he began teaching as a top-level parkour instructor at the Sammo Hung Kam-po International Film and Television Training Base, an institution founded by Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung.

Since parkour’s introduction to China in 2007, Zhang was among the first to embrace the sport and dedicated his life to promoting it.

“Even though injuries are common for me, I still love this sport. Parkour lets me fully unleash myself. It feels like flying. I love the pounding in my heart it brings,” said Zhang.

He added that he was born for parkour.

Zhang clinched the championship at a national parkour competition in 2010 and initiated several major parkour events in China.

In 2008, he founded a parkour club, where he taught the skills to more than 2,000 students.

“I trained with Brother Lei for a while, he was a good person. He truly loved parkour and led us passionately,” said one Douyin observer.

In 2023, he led a team to establish the first group standard for parkour projects in the country.

Originating in France in the 1980s, parkour is an extreme sport that incorporates elements like climbing, jumping, and rolling.

It emphasises moving through a known environment in the fastest and most efficient way possible, attracting many young people with its freedom, agility and challenge.

Despite some concerns about the impact of extreme sports on physical health, most online observers have expressed regret over Zhang’s passing.

“It’s such a pity. He was so young,” said one.

“He was my son’s coach. Farewell!” added another.