Cheng Pei-pei obituary

Actor who was considered the first female action hero, best known for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

The title of the first female action star is hotly contested, but the Hong Kong actor Cheng Pei-pei is often cited as one of the contenders, for her role in 1966 martial arts epic Come Drink With Me. Cheng, who has died aged 78 of a rare neurodegenerative condition, indisputably opened doors for women in martial arts cinema.

In practice, this meant opening windows, as on Golden Swallow, the 1968 sequel to Come Drink With Me. “[The director Chang Cheh] asked [the male actors] to jump out of a window, and me to walk through a door,” Cheng told the South China Morning Post. “I refused – I said I wanted to do the same thing. But he said: ‘You’re a lady, and ladies should be more refined.’ I insisted that I jump out of the window, or I would leave. Then I went to [the executive] Raymond Chow and cried. Finally, he allowed me to do it, because, after all, I was a swordswoman.” Continue reading...


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