Chinese actress Cheng Peipei, who starred in Ang Lee's Oscar-nominated “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and King Ho's “Come Drink with Me,” has died at the age of 78.
Actress Cheng, considered a pioneer in martial arts for actresses, died in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday. Cheng had long suffered from a degenerative brain disease and donated her brain for medical research.
Born in Shanghai on January 6, 1946, Cheng moved to Hong Kong in 1962. Trained in ballet and dance, she soon landed a job with the renowned Shaw Brothers studio. While her debut was in the drama Lovers' Rock , she became a major star in martial arts, action and swordplay films after her breakout role in King Ho's 1966 film Come Drink With Me . The film set the tone for a sequel (1968's Golden Swallow ), an unrealized remake by Quentin Tarantino and a host of other East Asian female-led action films. At the time, she was named Hong Kong's entry for the International Academy Awards, but was not nominated.
Cheng then moved back to California in the 1970s, where she raised four children and attended business school at the University of California, Irvine. All four of her children had roles in entertainment. Harry Yuan was a National Geographic Channel anchor. Eugenia Yuan was an American Olympic gymnast and starred in the Hong Kong films “3 Extremes II” and “The Eye 2,” the Australian TV series “Secret City,” the American productions “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” and the revived TV series “Hawaii Five-O.”
Cheng's career took off after her co-starring role as a poisonous fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. The film won four Academy Awards and grossed $128 million at the North American box office, becoming the first foreign-language film to gross over $100 million in the market.
Her subsequent career has spanned both sides of the Pacific, with titles including the Hong Kong action film Naked Weapon (alongside a young Maggie Q) and Hyde Park Entertainment's Capcom game adaptation Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. More recent performances have included the lead role in 2014's Lilting and The Matchmaker in Disney's 2020 live-action remake of Mulan.
“To all her friends, colleagues and fans, thank you for all the support you have given her over the years. Our mother Cheng Pei Pei wanted to be remembered for who she was: a legendary martial arts queen known for roles such as Golden Swallow (‘Come Drink With Me’), Madam Wah (‘The Flirting Scholar’), and Jade Fox (‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’). She was a multi-talented and award-winning actress whose film and television career spanned six decades, not only in Asia but also internationally in roles such as ‘Junn’ (‘Lilting’), ‘Maria Wang’ (‘Meditation Park’), and ‘The Matchmaker’ (‘Mulan’),” according to a statement from her family.
“She loved being an actress and knew, even with all her hard work, how lucky she was to have this career. Our mother remained humble and easygoing, patient and kind, always generous with her time, and willing to help others whenever she could. We will miss her greatly.”
In 2019, Cheng was diagnosed with atypical neurodegenerative Parkinson’s syndrome — informally, corticobasal degeneration (CBD). It’s a rare disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s, but current treatments can’t slow the progression of the disease. She chose not to publicly announce her diagnosis, dealing with her condition in private and spending her remaining time with her four children (Eugenia, Jennifer, Harry, and Marsha) and grandchildren, the family explained. In lieu of flowers, Cheng has asked that donations be made to the Brain Support Network (BSN), where her brain was donated.
