Hong Kong actor, director and producer Patrick Tse dies at 89

Veteran Hong Kong actor, director and producer Patrick Tse Yin (謝賢) has died at the age of 89. His children, Nicholas Tse and Jennifer Tse, confirmed that he passed away peacefully in hospital after a period of declining health.

Born in Guangzhou on 9 August 1936, Tse enrolled at Ling Kwong’s actor training school in 1952 before making his screen debut the following year. His breakthrough came with ‘Dial 999 for Murder’ (1956), which established him as a rising star of Cantonese cinema. He soon formed a hugely popular on-screen partnership with actress Patsy Kar, with the pair headlining a string of romantic dramas produced by Kong Ngee Motion Picture Company.

As Cantonese cinema declined towards the end of the 1960s, Tse moved into Mandarin-language productions and founded Tse Brothers Film Company. He made his directorial debut in 1967 and went on to direct eight features before later becoming a familiar television star through series such as ‘The Shell Game’ (1980).

Across a career spanning almost seven decades, Tse appeared in more than 170 films, including ‘The Story of a Discharged Prisoner’ (1967), which later inspired John Woo’s ‘A Better Tomorrow’ (1986), Stephen Chow’s ‘Shaolin Soccer’ (2001), ‘Colour of the Truth’ (2003) and ‘Tai Chi Hero’ (2012).

In 2019, Tse received the Hong Kong Film Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to the industry. Three years later, he won Best Actor for his performance in ‘Time’ (2021), becoming the oldest recipient of the award. The role proved to be the final screen performance of his career.

For generations of audiences, Tse was one of the defining faces of Hong Kong cinema and television. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.