Zhao Lei (actor) facts for kids
Zhao Lei (Chinese: 趙雷; Wade–Giles: Chao Lei; 1928 – 24 June 1996) was a famous Chinese actor. He was one of the most popular male stars in movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan during the 1950s and 1960s. People often called him the "Film Emperor" because he was so good at acting.
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Who Was Zhao Lei?
Zhao Lei was born in China in 1928. His birth name was Wang Yumin (Chinese: 王育民). He was born in a place called Ding County in Hebei province. In the 1940s, he moved to Hong Kong. This is where his amazing acting career began.
Early Life and Career
Zhao Lei started working for a big movie company called Shaw Brothers Studio in 1953. This studio made many popular films. He worked there for ten years. Later, he moved to another movie company called Cathay-Keris Films.
A "Film Emperor"
Zhao Lei was a very talented actor. In 1966, he won a special award. It was the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor. This award is one of the most important honors for actors in Chinese cinema. It showed how much people loved his work.
Later Years and Legacy
Zhao Lei kept acting in movies into the 1970s. He appeared in more than one hundred films during his career! After acting, he opened a restaurant in Taipei. He passed away in Hong Kong on June 24, 1996, when he was 68 years old. His wife, Shi Ying (石英), was also an actress. She also worked with Shaw Brothers.
Films You Might Know
Here are some of the movies Zhao Lei acted in:
- The Kingdom and the Beauty (1959)
- The Enchanting Shadow (1960)
- The Magnificent Concubine (1962)
- Empress Wu Tse-Tien (1963)
- Cheating Panorama (1972)
