Fung Wong Nui, born Kwok Sui-ching in Sanshui, Guangdong on 4 October 1925, was one of the leading Cantonese-opera actresses of Hong Kong and Macao. She studied at a girls' school in Guangzhou, took up opera at thirteen under the singer Tsi Lan-nui, and became a principal dan in 1939; during the Japanese occupation she toured with opera troupes on the mainland. She worked her way up through the ranks from extra and sixth-rank dan to principal dan, was known for her strong technique in both martial and civil roles, and specialised in the tsing-yi parts. When she began playing villains opposite Sun Ma Sze-tsang in the opera To Be First in Sin, the change succeeded so well that she became known as the 'Queen of the Second Troupe', since Cantonese-opera villains are usually played by the second female lead. She joined Mak Ping-wing, Leung Sing-bor and Tam Lan-hing to form the Great Dragon Phoenix troupe, becoming one of the leading opera companies, before founding her own Fung Wong troupe and later the Fung Kau Wong troupe with Mak. She was the 'Red Peony' among the 'Eight Peonies', a sisterhood of eight leading actresses. After Mak Ping-wing died in 1984 she left the stage. She began filming in 1950 with Monk in Love, and her first leading film was A Bachelor's Romance (1953), whose theme song with Leung Sing-bor became widely known. Between 1950 and 1968 she appeared in more than 250 films, including The Imperial Warrant (1968). In the 1970s she hosted the TVB programme Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Fung Wong Nui (1975) and acted in television dramas. She died in San Francisco on 1 December 1992, aged sixty-seven, and was buried in the costume of Princess Hung-luan from Love and Hate in the Phoenix Chamber.
Rising from minor roles to principal dan, Fung Wong Nui earned the title 'Queen of the Second Troupe' for her villain roles. The Great Dragon Phoenix hits she created with Mak Ping-wing, such as Love and Hate in the Phoenix Chamber, became standard repertoire, and her more than 260 films between 1950 and 1968 carried a large body of stage opera onto the screen.
Achievements
- 1950 · Made her screen debut in Monk in Love.
- 1953 · Starred in A Bachelor's Romance, whose theme song with Leung Sing-bor became widely known.
- 1975 · Hosted the TVB programme Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Fung Wong Nui.