Cheng Pei-pei dead at 78: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Mulan actress, dubbed ‘Queen of the Swords’, passes away after battle with rare disease

Cheng Pei-pei, known for her iconic role in Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, died Wednesday in San Francisco at the age of 78.

“It is with a heavy heart that we report that the rumors are true. Our mother, Cheng Pei-pei, passed away peacefully at home on July 17, surrounded by her loved ones,” Cheng’s family wrote on her facebook.

The Chinese actress, nicknamed the “Queen of Swords” and considered one of the first female action film stars, was “diagnosed with neurodegenerative atypical Parkinsonian syndrome – unofficially corticobasal degeneration” – in 2019, Cheng’s family said.

“It is a rare disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, but current treatments cannot slow its progression,” they continued. “She chose not to share this news publicly so she could deal with her condition in peace and spend her remaining time with her children and grandchildren.”

Her family remembers Pei-pei as the “legendary queen of martial arts” and as a “versatile, award-winning actress” with an international career that spanned more than six decades.

“It is with a heavy heart that we report 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 her Facebook; starring in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Zhang Ziyi (L)

“Our mother remained humble and approachable, patient and kind, and always generous with her time, eager to help others when she could. She will be greatly missed,” they concluded.

Pei-pei was born on January 6, 1946 in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong in 1962, where she began her illustrious career at the iconic Shaw Brothers studio, known for popularizing kung fu films.

She made her feature film debut in the drama Lovers’ Rock and quickly rose to fame as a major star in martial arts, action, and sword-fighting films.

Her breakthrough role came in 1966 with King Hu’s Come Drink With Me, which made her famous at the age of 19.

The film that formed the basis for a sequel (Golden Swallow in 1968) and inspired countless female-dominated East Asian action films.

Although Come Drink With Me was selected as Hong Kong’s Oscar contender, the film was not nominated.

Cheng also appeared in several other Shaw Brothers films, including The Jade Raksha (1968), Dragon Swamp (1969), The Lady Hermit (1971) and The Shadow Whip (1971).

In the 1970s, Cheng moved to California, where she combined raising four children with studying at the business school of the University of California, Irvine.

The Chinese actress, nicknamed the “Queen of Swords” and considered one of the first female action movie stars, was “diagnosed with neurodegenerative atypical parkinsonism syndrome — unofficially corticobasal degeneration — in 2019, according to Cheng’s family; seen in 2018

Born in Shanghai on January 6, 1946, Pei-pei moved to Hong Kong in 1962, where she began her illustrious career at the iconic Shaw Brothers studio, known for popularizing kung fu films; seen in Mulan

More recently, Cheng starred in the 2014 film Lilting (pictured) and played The Matchmaker in Disney’s 2020 live-action remake of Mulan

Her career took a huge turn with her role as the villain Jade Fox in the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which went on to win four Oscars.

Cheng recently starred in the 2014 film Lilting and played The Matchmaker in Disney’s 2020 live-action remake of Mulan.

She is survived by four children: Eugenia, Jennifer, Harry and Marsha, as well as her grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, Cheng requested that donations be made to the Brain Support Network (BSN), to which her brain was donated.