Cheng Pei-Pei, a Chinese actress renowned for her groundbreaking martial arts roles in films, such as “Come Drink with Me” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” has died at the age of 78.
“In 2019, our mom was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative, atypical parkinsonism syndrome – unofficially, corticobasal degeneration (CBD). It is a rare [brain] disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, however, current treatments cannot slow the progression,” the statement reads.
Ms. Cheng shared four children with her ex-husband, businessman Yuan Wen-tung: Jennifer Yuan, filmmaker Harry Yuan, actress Marsha Yuan, and Eugenia Yuan, an actress and former U.S. Olympic gymnast.
Ms. Cheng’s children said the actress chose not to disclose her diagnosis to the public “so that she could deal with her condition in private and spend her remaining time with her children and grandchildren.” They also expressed gratitude to Ms. Cheng’s friends, colleagues, and fans for their support over the years.
“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 children wrote.
“She loved being an actress and knew, even with her hard work, how fortunate she was to have the career she had. Our mom remained humble and approachable, patient and kind, and always generous with her time, eager to help others whenever she could. She will be dearly missed.”
Ms. Cheng’s brain was donated to the Brain Support Network nonprofit to help advance research on corticobasal degeneration and other rare neurological diseases, her children noted.
Shortly after her death, Ms. Marsha Yuan took to Instagram to share a touching tribute to her mother.
“I love my mother so much that the pain of losing her is almost unbearable. She was such a strong, beautiful, caring, funny, cute, unselfish, loving, generous role model of a mother. She always put us first and I can only hope that I will have a relationship with my son as my mother had with each of her children. A relationship that was open, honest, and empathetic,” she continued.
Remembering Cheng Pei-Pei
Born in Shanghai, China, in 1946, Ms. Cheng spent her younger years training in ballet.“I just wanted to be a dancer,” she previously said in an interview with Kung Fu Magazine. “Because you don’t need to talk to express yourself, I could use my body.”
However, she told the publication that she also enjoyed watching films growing up. When she was 16, Ms. Cheng moved to Hong Kong to pursue a film career, enrolling in an acting course at the prestigious film production company Shaw Brothers in 1963. She garnered her first movie role that year, starring in the film “The Magic Lamp,” going on to perform in 1964’s “Lovers’ Rock.”
Ms. Cheng married Mr. Yuan in 1970, and shortly thereafter, the couple moved to the United States, where the actress enrolled in a business program at the University of California, Irvine in Southern California’s Orange County. After their divorce in 1987, Ms. Cheng moved back to Hong Kong and began acting again, starring in “Painted Faces” (1988), “Flying Dagger” (1993), and “Lover’s Lover” (1994), among others.
In 2000, the actress garnered a leading role in the action film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” directed by Ang Lee and starring Michelle Yeoh. Ms. Cheng’s performance in the cult classic earned her the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2001.
More recently, Ms. Cheng played a matchmaker in the 2020 live-action film “Mulan,” which starred Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Donnie Yen, and Liu Yifei.
However, despite her successes in the martial arts film genre, Ms. Cheng told Kung Fu Magazine that she never considered herself “a martial arts lady.”
“I’m really a dancer,” she said. “I tell my children that it’s a bonus to be a dancer because you are graceful, can kick high, bend low.”
Ms. Cheng is survived by her four children and grandchildren.
