R.I.P. Cheng Pei-Pei, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star and martial arts legend

Cheng Pei-Pei, the iconic action star known for films such as Come Drink With Me and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has died. According to Variety, she had been privately battling a degenerative brain disease since 2019. She was 78 years old. 

“To all her friends, colleagues, and fans, thank you for all the support you showed her over the years. Our mom Cheng Pei Pei wanted to be remembered for who she was: the legendary Queen of Martial Arts best known for her roles such as Golden Swallow (Come Drink With Me), Madam Wah (The Flirting Scholar), and Jade Fox (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). She was a versatile, award-winning actress whose film and television career spanned six decades, not only in Asia but internationally as well in roles such as “Junn” (Lilting), “Maria Wang” (Meditation Park), and “The Matchmaker” (Mulan),” said a statement from her family via Variety. “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.”

Born in Shanghai in 1946, Cheng began her performing arts career in ballet before she began working with the Shaw Brothers studio. She became a pioneering female martial artist with her breakout role in 1966’s Come Drink With Me. After relocating to the United States, she attended business school while raising a family, per Variety. She later starred in the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which sparked a career revival that included projects like Naked Weapon, Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li, and the live-action remake of Mulan. 

In The A.V. Club’s review of Come Drink With Me, Scott Tobias wrote, “Cheng Pei-Pei had a background in professional dance, not martial arts, and her movements suggest grace more than strength, which not only gives her character a cool, unflappable reserve, but helps transform Come Drink With Me into something that looks as much like a musical as it does a kung-fu movie. At times, it even breaks out into song. And there’s magic, too, in the quiet rapport between Golden Swallow and Drunken Cat, who become partners with few words exchanged and Astaire-Rogers timing. It seems like fantasy, but the action remains more grounded and realistic than the ‘wire fu’ films to come. Hu and his stars just make it look easy.”

Cheng is survived by her children, Eugenia, Jennifer, Harry, and Marsha, who all followed her into show business, as well as her grandchildren. Having been diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease, the actor decided to donate her brain to medical research after her death. Per Variety, Cheng requested that donations be made to the Brain Support Network (BSN) where her brain was donated in lieu of flowers.