Born in Taiwan on October 21, 1951, Kuo is also known as Philip Kwok. Originally an agile circus acrobat, he entered the film business by chance. His performance in Boxer Rebellion caught the attention of director Chang Cheh, who invited him to play the lead in Marco Polo. He came to Hong Kong in 1976 and joined Shaw Brothers as a basic actor. After The Five Venoms in 1978, Kuo had been the male lead and martial arts choreographer in various films, including The Rebel Intruders, The Flag of Iron, The Sword Stained With Royal Blood and Ode to Gallantry. With the support of Chang, Kuo went back to Taiwan in 1981 and founded a film company with his Taiwanese colleagues Chiang Sheng (a.k.a Chiu Kang-sang) and Lu Feng. One of their productions was Ruthless Tactics, which Kuo starred and directed himself. He went behind the scene after the mid-80s to be the action and martial arts choreographer of numerous TV and theatrical productions in Hong Kong. Some of his signature works are Peacock King, Hard Boiled and A Chinese Ghost Story, which earned him and Tony Ching Siu-tung the Best Action Choreography nomination in the 7th Hong Kong Film Awards.