David Chiang was born Chiang Wei-nian into a thespian family. His father Yan Hua, was a leading actor in the 1940s and his mother was actress Hong Wei, while elder brother Paul Chin Pei and younger brother Derek Yee are both well-known names in the acting world.

David Chiang had an early start in showbiz, appearing in films like Street Boys and Li Han-hsiang's The Kingdom And The Beauty when he was still a kid. He officially started his martial arts career in 1966 when he was hired by wu-xia master Chang Cheh as a stuntman for Golden Swallow. His wiry agility quickly earned him the nickname "The Elastic Double".

The turning point of his career came in 1967 when Chang requested for Chiang to take up a speaking role in The One-Armed Swordsman. Although the role was small, it gave the young Chiang a chance to show both his acting and his fighting prowess. It would mark the start of a relationship with Chang that would span 30 films.

With Chang's support, Chiang finally made the jump from a stunt unknown to being a star of his own in the box office hit Wandering Swordsman in 1970. His next film Vengeance won him his first Best Actor Award at the Asian Film Festival.

His name again made the roster at the 1973 Asian Film Festival when he was named Most Contemporary Actor for his performance in Generation Gap. Chiang left to try his luck in Taiwan with his mentor Chang; he returned to turn a new page in his career in 1975 with the award-winning period drama, The Empress Dowager, by Li Han-hsiang.

Chiang has directed his own productions subsequently and taken part in television series and other films in the more recent years.

Filmography
(Films available in Celestial’s Shaw Brothers Film Library with year of production/ theatrical release)

Dead End (1969)
Have Sword Will Travel (1969)
The Wandering Swordsman (1969)
Vengeance (1970)
The Heroic Ones (1970)
The Singing Killer (1970)
The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
The Duel (1971)
The Anonymous Heroes (1971)
Duel Of Fist (1971)
The Deadly Duo (1971)
The Boxer From Shantung (1972)
The Angry Guest (1972)
The Water Margin (1972)
Trilogy Of Swordsmanship (1972)
Young People (1972)
Four Riders (1972)
Blood Brothers (1973)
The Generation Gap (1973)
The Pirate (1973)
The Young Rebel (1973)
All Men Are Brothers (1973)
Friends (1973)
The Savage Five (1974)
A Mad World Of Fools (1974)
Five Shaolin Masters (1974)
The Empress Dowager (1975)
The Imposter (1975)
The Taxi Driver (1975)
Seven Man Army (1976)
The Condemned (1976)
Shaolin Temple (1976)
Magnificent Wanderers (1976)
The Naval Commandos (1977)
Death Duel (1977)
Judgement Of An Assassin (1977)
Shaolin Hand Lock (1978)
Shaolin Mantis (1978)
Heaven And Hell (1978)
Murder Plot (1979)
Abbot Of Shaolin (1979)