Cheng Pei-pei, martial-arts actor who starred in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’ dies at 78
Cheng Pei-pei, a Chinese-born martial arts film actor who starred in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” has died, her family announced Friday. She was 78.
Cheng, who had been diagnosed with a rare illness with symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease, died Wednesday at home surrounded by her loved ones, her family wrote on Facebook. They said that current medical treatment could not slow the progression of the disease, called neurodegenerative atypical parkinsonism syndrome, and that she had chosen to donate her brain for medical research.
“Our mom wanted to be remembered by how she was: the legendary Queen of Martial Arts ... a versatile, award-winning actress whose film and television career spanned over six decades, not only in Asia but internationally as well,” the family said.
What makes Steven Yeun a new kind of leading man in Hollywood? Name another Asian American actor to score this kind of variety, this kind of acclaim, in the U.S.
Cheng loved being an actor and knew how fortunate she was to have the career she had, they said.
Variety reported that she died in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Shanghai-born film star became a household name in Hong Kong, once dubbed the Hollywood of the Far East, for her performances in martial arts movies in the 1960s. One of her most famous films was “Come Drink With Me,” directed by King Hu and released in 1966.
She played Jade Fox, who uses poisoned needles, in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which also starred famed Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat and Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh. The movie, released in 2000, grossed $128.1 million in North America and won four Oscars.
‘We have to stand up for ourselves and be courageous enough to have a voice,’ said Michelle Yeoh, star of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’
More recently, Cheng performed in Disney’s “Mulan,” released in 2020.
She is survived by her three daughters and a son.
Supreme Art Entertainment, the company for which she worked, expressed deep sorrow over her death.
“Besides her relentless efforts in her career, Sister Pei-pei was also an approachable, kind, helpful, and patient mother. Sister Pei-pei, we will always miss you!” it said on Facebook.
Leung writes for the Associated Press.
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