Kelly Lai Chen

Kelly Lai Chen
Chinese name 雷震
Pinyin Léi Zhèn (Mandarin)
Born Xi Zhongjian
(1933-09-03)3 September 1933
Shanghai, China
Died 3 April 2018(2018-04-03) (aged 84)
Hong Kong
Years active 1956–2000
Spouse(s)
Angela Mao
(m. 1974; div. 1980)
Relatives Betty Loh Ti (sister)

Kelly Lai Chen (Chinese: 雷震; pinyin: Léi Zhèn; Wade–Giles: Lei Chen; 3 September 1933 – 3 April 2018) was a Hong Kong actor born in Shanghai. He appeared in more than 40 films in the 1950s and 1960s, and was best known for his portrayals of sensitive young men. He was the older brother of the famous actress Betty Loh Ti, and the ex-husband of the martial arts actress Angela Mao.

Early life

In 1933, Lai was born as Xi Zhongjian (奚重俭) into a prominent family from Pudong, Shanghai, owner of the Xi Fu Ji (奚福记) Factory. He was the third child among six siblings; Betty Loh Ti (born Xi Zhongyi) was the youngest.[1][2] Their maternal grandfather was the tycoon Gu Zhuxuan, who owned Shanghai's Tianchan Theatre. When Lai was four, his father was killed by Japanese bombing during the Battle of Shanghai, and his mother died ten years later.[2][3] He and his siblings were brought up by their maternal grandmother.[4]

When the Communists took over Mainland China in 1949, Lai's grandmother brought the children to Hong Kong. He trained in the Republic of China Air Force cadet school in Taiwan for half a year, but was forced to quit because of heart disease.[1][5]

Career

After returning to Hong Kong, Lai attended the actor training school of Motion Picture & General Investment (MP&GI, later Cathay Organisation HK). In 1956, he starred in his first film Green Hills and Jade Valleys directed by Yueh Feng. In his second film, Golden Lotus, also by Yueh Feng, he acted opposite the star actress Lin Dai. The highly successful film launched Lai into stardom.[1][3] In the following years, he appeared in more than 40 films,[1][3] including Evan Yang's Our Dream Car (1959), Chung Kai-man (鍾啟文)'sThe Education of Love (1961), and Wong Tin-lam's Father Takes a Bride (1963), starring opposite popular actresses such as Ge Lan, Jeannette Lin Cui, and Lucilla You Min. He was known for his portrayals of "gentle, vulnerable, and sensitive" young men.[4]

In 1967, Lai, his sister Betty Loh Ti, and director Yuan Qiufeng founded Gold Eagle Film Company. It made a number of martial arts films, including Duel at the Supreme Gate (1968), but they were commercially unsuccessful.[4]

Lai retired from acting in 1971 and focused on producing films. He retired in the early 1990s, but returned to the screen for Andrew Lau's 1996 film Young and Dangerous 2 and Wong Kar-wai's award-winning In the Mood for Love (2000),[1] in which he played Maggie Cheung's boss.[4]

Personal life

In 1974, Lai married martial arts actress Angela Mao, nicknamed "female Bruce Lee". They had a daughter together, and divorced after six years of marriage.[1]

In his later years Lai lived alone in Hong Kong, and his daughter often visited him. He died on 3 April 2018, aged 84.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "五六十年代"忧郁小生" 85岁雷震逝世". Zaobao. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  2. 1 2 "乐蒂". Tencent. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  3. 1 2 3 "對戲林黛張曼玉幾代影后「憂鬱小生」雷震病逝". Apple Daily. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lisa Odham Stokes (2007). Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-8108-6458-0.
  5. ↑ "昔日「憂鬱小生」雷震離世 享年84歲". Headline Daily (in Chinese). 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
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