At the age of 78, actress Cheng Pei-pei, who was born in China and acted in the Oscar-winning movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, passed away in San Francisco.
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After starring in King Hu’s 1966 film Come Drink with Me, Cheng rose to prominence as an action film actress and was a pioneer in the field of martial arts roles for female performers. Cheng received international recognition and critical acclaim for the picture.
She encouraged a new wave of East Asian filmmakers to come to Hollywood after her move to create female-driven swordplay movies.
According to Cheng’s family, she died on Wednesday after quietly fighting a neurodegenerative brain illness that resembled Parkinson’s disease since 2019.
“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,” her family wrote on Facebook.
Cheng, who was born in Shanghai in 1946, relocated to Hong Kong in 1962 and gained popularity as an actor after Come Drink with Me was released. The movie is regarded as one of the best representations of the “wuxia” genre, which is a historical drama that honours renowned martial artists from ancient China.
She portrayed Golden Swallow in the movie, a prominent leader’s sister who was taken hostage by some bandits. Her character, a master of kung-fu, was sent to save her brother.
Her career began at the age of nineteen with the film, which was chosen as Hong Kong’s entry for the 39th Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film.
When combined with Golden Swallow, the 1968 follow-up, Cheng’s portrayal of a fierce swordswoman helped her land other roles in martial arts movies.
The concept of the lone female assassin sent out to exact revenge was further established by her persona. The Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 box office smashes directed by Quentin Tarantino were greatly influenced by this genre.
In the heyday of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, Cheng, who immigrated to California in the early 1970s, portrayed a number of memorable parts as an action heroine.
Her biggest part came in 2000 when she played the villain Jade Fox in Ang Lee’s wuxia-inspired film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It was among the first popular martial arts movies with a female lead.
The movie became a worldwide sensation and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In addition to taking home the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards, it made $128 million at the North American box office.
At the global box office, it became the first picture in a non-English language to make over $100 million.
Her final performance was as the matchmaker for the title character in the 2020 live-action Disney adaptation of “Mulan.”
Michelle Yeoh, her co-star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, praised Cheng in an Instagram message. “We will miss your kindness and shining talent,” she concluded.
Cheng opted not to disclose her disease to the public following her diagnosis five years prior, preferring to spend her time with her four children and grandchildren.
According to her relatives, she had asked for donations to be made to the Brain Support Network (BSN), where she had given a brain donation, rather than flowers.