Cheng Pei-pei, the Shanghai-born actress who starred in Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and several others, has died at 78.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the rumors are true. Our mother, Cheng Pei-pei, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on July 17,” Cheng’s family wrote on Facebook. “In 2019, our mom was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative, atypical parkinsonism syndrome – unofficially, corticobasal degeneration (CBD). It is a rare disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, however, current treatments cannot slow the progression. She chose not to make this news public so that she could deal with her condition in private and spend her remaining time with her children and grandchildren.”
The statement added: “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.”
Cheng’s breakthrough role was in the 1966 wuxia film Come Drink With Me, directed by King Hu, which spawned a sequel in 1968 titled Golden Swallow after Cheng’s character in the movie. She starred in several other memorable movie roles, including portraying Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Zhilan in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.
Her final film role came in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan, in which she played the Matchmaker, a stern woman responsible for arranging marriages and evaluating potential brides and grooms. Her early scene in the movie was shown at D23 in 2019, much to the entertainment of those in attendance.
Michelle Yeoh, who starred alongside Cheng in Wing Chun and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, posted a tribute to her former co-star on Instagram. “Heartfelt condolences to Pei Pei Jie’s family, friends and fans,” Yeoh wrote, adding a personal note to Cheng: “We will miss your kindness and shining talent RIP.”
Cheng is survived by her four children, Eugenia, Jennifer, Harry and Marsha, and her grandchildren. Instead of flowers, Cheng’s family have encouraged people to make donations to the Brain Support Network (BSN), where Cheng donated her brain for research.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
