Canada. From his work, Yip became an important community leader in Toronto's Chinatown. After achieving victory in his legal fight for Chinese-Canadian rights, Yip returned to his legal career serving Toronto's Chinese community. He maintained a private legal practice in Chinatown where he flourished, due to his fluency in three Chinese languages, the fact he was the only Chinese-speaking attorney in Toronto at the time, and because he was a man who "gave personal care and attention to his clients". Yip was highly respected by other lawyers, recognized as a person of integrity and role model; he was also fondly remembered as a man with an encyclopedic knowledge, as comfortable discussing classical literature as he was debating intricacies of law. In addition to his 47 years assisting Chinese residents with their legal needs, four decades of that spent working out of store-front offices in Chinatown, Yip served two terms as a Toronto Board of Education trustee for Ward 6 in the 1970s. In 1985, he played the role of tong leader, Milton Bin, in the movie Year of the Dragon starring Mickey Rourke. Then in 1991 he appeared in a Cyndi Lauper rock video. Yip continued to practice law until retiring in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 87, Yip received special recognition from Ryerson University as the oldest student in their continuing education program, studying Shakespearean English by correspondence. In 1998 he was awarded the Law Society Medal by the Law Society of Upper Canada for outstanding service to the legal profession. Personal life In 1942, Yip married Victoria Chow, his childhood sweetheart. They had three children and five grandchildren. Yip's sister, Susanne Yip Gimling, was principal of the Kwangtung Provincial Girls’ Middle School in Guangzhou, China during the 1930s. Awards Law Society of Upper Canada Medal 1998 References External links 1906 births 2001 deaths Canadian people of Chinese descent Lawyers in Ontario Male actors from Toronto Male actors from Vancouver Osgoode Hall Law School alumni Toronto Metropolitan University alumni Sportspeople from Toronto Sportspeople from Vancouver Sports hall of fame inductees University of British Columbia alumni University of Michigan College of Pharmacy alumni 20th-century Canadian lawyers The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada officers Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel from British Columbia