Wu Ma, born Fung Wang-yuen in Tianjin on 27 September 1942, died of lung cancer in Hong Kong on 4 February 2014, aged seventy-one. After coming to Hong Kong he joined Shaw Brothers' Southern Drama School and made his screen debut in Lady General Hua Mulan (1965). A protege of the directors Chang Cheh and King Hu, he spent his early years in supporting and stunt roles in martial-arts and action films, becoming a regular character player at the Shaw studio. Promoted to director in 1972, he co-directed The Water Margin and The Pirate with Chang Cheh. In 1981 he assisted Sammo Hung on Carry On Pickpocket and directed a comedy of his own the same year. In 1982 he directed the supernatural comedy The Dead and the Deadly, starring Sammo Hung and produced by Raymond Chow and Hung, whose blend of horror and comedy won him a Best Director nomination at the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards. Through the 1980s he directed a string of crowd-pleasers in the supernatural and comedy veins. In 1987 his portrayal of the Taoist priest Yin Chek-ha in Ching Siu-tung's A Chinese Ghost Story won him Best Supporting Actor at the 24th Golden Horse Awards and became his signature role; he later appeared in Swordsman (1990), Dances with Dragon (1991) and Deadful Melody (1994). Over a career of more than fifty years he appeared in some 300 films across wuxia, comedy, horror and drama, remaining active on television into the 2000s. In 2012 he won Best Actor at the media awards of the 15th Shanghai International Film Festival for The Painting Saint.
Wu Ma both acted and directed, and was a mainstay of Hong Kong's supernatural comedies. His Yin Chek-ha in A Chinese Ghost Story, at once righteous and funny, became the model of the movie Taoist priest and won him a Golden Horse award; from The Dead and the Deadly to a string of 1980s crowd-pleasers he proved a versatile craftsman, appearing in more than 300 films across half a century.
Achievements
- 1965 · Appeared in his first film, Lady General Hua Mulan, beginning his screen career.
- 1972 · Was promoted to director, co-directing The Water Margin and The Pirate with Chang Cheh.
- 1984 · Received a Best Director nomination at the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards for directing The Dead and the Deadly.
- 1987 · Won Best Supporting Actor at the 24th Golden Horse Awards for Yin Chek-ha in A Chinese Ghost Story.