Wu Jiaxiang

Wu Jiaxiang (7 July 1919 - 20 March 1993), a native of She County, Anhui, was born in Beijing and became a Hong Kong actor and director. During the early years of the War of Resistance he performed with a drama troupe in Hankou and on the amateur stage in Shanghai, later joining the Central Motion Picture Studio in Chongqing as a trainee actor; he had appeared in only three films but had ample stage experience. He came to Hong Kong at the end of 1945, and the 1946 film Gone are the Swallows When the Willow Flowers Wilt was the first he acted in after his arrival; he became a regular performer for companies such as Yung Hwa and Hsin Hwa. From 1953 he also served as assistant director, first doubling as actor and assistant director on Rose, Rose, I Love You (1954). Joining Motion Picture & General Investment in September 1957, he was prized as a character actor, appearing in many films and learning the craft of assistant direction under directors such as Evan Yang. In 1965 he won Best Supporting Actor at the 4th Golden Horse Awards for The Beggar's Daughter. His solo directing debut was Father and Son (1963), followed by City Fantasy (1964) and others; after his contract expired in 1965 he moved to Shaw Brothers, working as both actor and director on films including Sweet and Wild (1966) and Guess Who Killed My Twelve Lovers (1970). In the 1970s he acted in works such as King Hu's Raining in the Mountain (1979). In 1980 he joined Taiwan's China Television as a staple actor and appeared in Hong Kong films including Dragon Lord (1982). He died in Hong Kong on 20 March 1993.