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When Woo’s parents were faced with persecution, his Lutheran family fled to Hong Kong when he was five years old. During this time, the Woo family led a hard life in the slums since his father had tuberculosis and could not work. In 1953, the family was made homeless when their house was burned to the ground in a brush fire. It was only thanks to donations from charities that his family were able to move into another house. Unfortunately, by this time, a wave of crime and violence was beginning to infest Hong Kong’s housing projects. One of Woo’s most vivid childhood memories was of seeing a man being killed on his front steps.
In order to escape his dismal surroundings, Woo would retreat to the local movie theater. It was through musicals like The Wizard of Oz -a film that still stands as his all-time favorite-that the young Woo came to realize that the world was not just filled with violence and suffering; it could be beautiful and happy as well.
Woo has been married to Annie Woo Ngau Chun-lung since 1976 and they have three children. He plans to stay in the United States.
Tags: John Woo, United States
