⊙In 1982, Lam won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Direction, in the film Prodigal Son. Prodigal Son featured what is widely acknowledged as amongst the best Wing Chun caught on film, performed by Lam. He also underlined his acting talent by convincingly playing a frail, elderly Taoist priest in The Dead And The Deadly (1983). 在1982年, 林正英凭电影"败家仔"而赢取到香港电影最佳动作奖。 林在此电影内展示之咏春功夫,被普遍地认为是电影史上最好之一。 他在电影"人吓人"(1983)中饰演的老弱道士,其活龙活现的演出,使别人对其演戏天分开始也刮目相看。
Lams star did not rise until 1985, with the release of Mr. Vampire, the movie that fueled the hopping vampire genre. Lam was nominated for Best Actor for his role as the taoist priest. The character was an engaging mixture of naivety and stoic authority, and became a favourite for audiences. Lam was to reprise this role many times throughout his career. 但林正英的演艺事业是直至1985年时,电影"僵尸先生"上映才开始起飞。 他在此僵尸片中饰演一名道士,其演出更获提名最佳男演员。 林饰演的道士是一个缺乏世故经验又主张禁欲主义的权威,此角色极受观察受落。 在他往后的演艺生涯中,他多次重演此角色。
Shortly after the release of 僵尸道长, the Golden Harvest film company attempted to make an English version of the movie. Due to various difficulties, the film was never made and Lam did not make another attempt at the foreign market. 在"僵尸道长"上映不久,嘉禾电影制作公司尝试制作此片的外国版本。 在种种困难之下,该片最终未能完成而林亦没有再尝试打入外国市场。