A much-loved actress known for her appearances in several Marvel projects and for voicing a well-known Disney Pixar character has passed away at the age of 82.
Hong Kong star Wai Ching Ho was born on November 16, 1943, in British Hong Kong. Specific details regarding her death — such as the cause and the exact date — have not yet been confirmed.
Ho was known best for her appearances in several of Netflix’s Marvel Cinematic Universe shows. She played Madame Gao, one of the five leading founders of the ancient and powerful organization known as the Hand, in “Daredevil,” “Iron Fist,” and “The Defenders.”
She was also known for voicing Wu, the grandmother of main character Mei, in Pixar’s 2022 animated coming-of-age fantasy comedy-drama movie “Turning Red.”
One of her “Daredevil” co-stars, Canadian actor Peter Shinkoda, took to his Instagram account to share the sad news of Ho’s death with his 8,600 followers. Shinkoda posted two pictures of Ho, one of which shows him alongside her in the popular superhero series.
He captioned his post, “I won’t ever forget you. I learned every minute from you when we were together on and off set. We will meet again, my friend. You were beautiful. 🙏😣@waichinghohknyc #MadameGao #TheHand @daredevil @marvelstudios.”
Of course, Ho had far more acting credits that just her Marvel and Pixar roles.
Wai Ching Ho Had an Extensive Filmography
In addition to her aforementioned Marvel and Pixar roles, Wai Ching Ho had an extensive list of credits on both the big and small screens.
Notable movies she appeared in included 1990’s black comedy “Cadillac Man,” 1998’s black comedy-drama “Happiness,” 2008’s adventure comedy “Adventures of Power,” 2010’s fantasy film “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” 2019’s crime comedy-drama “Hustlers,” and 2023’s horror movie “Lovely, Dark, and Deep.”
On television, she appeared rather prolifically in various “Law & Order” series. “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” and “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”
Her other small screen credits include soap opera “One Life to Live,” teen drama “Swans Crossing,” sitcom “Flight of the Conchords,” comedy-drama “Orange is the New Black,” sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” medical drama “New Amsterdam,” horror anthology series “Two Sentence Horror Stories,” sitcom “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens,” and mystery comedy-drama series “Only Murders in the Building.”
When news of Ho’s sad passing began to circulate online, tributes to the highly respected actress started to pour in.
Fans Pay Tribute to ‘Great’ Wai Ching Ho
Social media is now awash with tributes to Wai Ching Ho following her sad passing.
On Peter Shinkoda’s post about it, one of his followers commented, “She passed??!! Oh no. She was so great! ❤️❤️❤️”
Another follower wrote, “Her performance was so good and haunting at the same time. Condolences and may she RIP.”
Someone else in the comments section said, “Rest in peace…she was a beautiful actress and incredible person.”
On another post about Ho’s death, one Instagram user wrote, “Oh there are not enough words and my heart hurts. She lived every moment to its fullest and taught so many of us the importance of doing the same. Always loving, mischievous, and talented beyond words.”
Somebody else noted, “she was one of the most incredible talents.”
“Oh Wai. The absolute best human being💔,” said one individual.
Meanwhile, on X, an X user commented, “Rest in peace, Wai Ching Ho, a true star ⭐️.”
Finally, another X user wrote, “Big loss. Madame Gao was easily the most interesting of the Daredevil side villains in season 1 and even her expanded role in Defenders was such a tease for her real potential. Wish they had brought her back Born Again. RIP Wai Ching Ho.”
We’d like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Wai Ching Ho at this sad time. May she rest in eternal peace.
Wai Ching Ho’s filmography and some personal info was courtesy of IMDb.
