Veteran Hong Kong actor and Cantonese opera director Lau Shun has died aged 87.
News of his death was shared by fellow opera and film actor Law Kar-ying, who wrote on Weibo today (May 30): “My senior Lau Shun passed away at 6pm yesterday.
“He was born in the Year of the Rabbit and was 87.”
Kar-ying also paid tribute to Lau Shun, saying that the latter made great contributions to the Cantonese opera scene, and helped many others improve their acting over the years.
Born in Beijing in 1939, Lau Shun graduated from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in 1958 before embarking on an illustrious opera career. He moved to Hong Kong in the 1980s.
His notable movie appearances include Swordsman (1990), for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 10th Hong Kong Film Awards, Dragon Inn (1992), and Hail the Judge (1994), where he played a eunuch opposite Stephen Chow.
One of his latest movies was 2013’s The Grandmaster.
Though he was rarely cast in a leading role, Lau Shun’s versatility earned him the moniker “Thousand-Faced Buddha” as well as “Golden Supporting Actor”.
According to the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Lau Shun devoted the later part of his career to adapting and directing Chinese operas and was appointed their Programme Coordinator and Artistic Advisor in 2000.
The Academy also awarded him an honorary fellowship in 2019.
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