Joseph Chi Chiong Chavez was born in 1953 in South America, where his father, a doctor, and his mother, a Peruvian-Chinese individual, raised him.
In his junior year of college, Chavez made the unconventional decision to drop out and pursue his passion for amateur race car driving in Hong Kong. During this time, he befriended a group of skilled stunt drivers.
In 1978, while visiting friends on a film set, Chavez took the initiative to participate in a stunt involving a car crashing into a glass wall, marking his entry into the film industry. He soon began working as a stuntman and, in the early 1980s, was promoted to the position of action choreographer.
In 1982, Chavez took his expertise to the next level by founding the industry association, Stunt Unlimited, which aimed to coordinate and standardize car stunt practices.
Throughout his illustrious career, Chavez has worked on numerous notable films, including Aces Go Places IV (1986),City on Fire (1987),A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989),All About Ah-Long (1989),A Moment of Romance (1990),Highway Man (1995),and Initial D (2005).
In addition to his work as an action choreographer, Chavez has also ventured into directing. His directorial debut was My Hero II, released in 1993, followed by The Tragic Fantasy - Tiger of Wanchai (1994, co-directed with Steven Lo) and Temptation of an Angel (1999).
Chavez's most recent contribution to the film industry was his work on the action sequences in Skyfall (2012),which took place in Shanghai.