Chen Qiang

Chen Qiang (1918 – June 26, 2012) was a renowned contemporary Chinese actor. He received numerous awards for his performances, including the Chinese Film Century Award for Best Actor, the 13th Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actor at the National Television Awards, and the 17th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.

Chen Qiang was born in 1918. Due to his family's difficult economic situation, he migrated with his parents to Taiyuan during his childhood. After the September 18 Incident in 1931, he began participating in performances of anti-Japanese dramas. Following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, he joined the revolutionary forces and was involved in wartime propaganda work in northwestern Shanxi. In April 1938, he enrolled in the drama department of Lu Xun Art Academy, where he studied mainly theatrical acting theory and techniques.

After graduating from Lu Xun Art Academy in 1939, he joined the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Area Federation Arts Troupe. In 1942, he participated in the Northwestern War Service Group, starring in the drama "Second Uncle." At the same time, he joined the Chinese Communist Party. In 1944, he became an actor with the Lu Xun Art Academy Arts Troupe and in 1945 performed in the musical "White-Haired Girl," playing the villainous landlord Huang Shiren. In 1947, he became an actor at the Northeast Film Studio and participated in the film "Send Him to Fight Old Chiang." In 1949, he co-starred with Wang Jiayi and Lü Ban in the feature film "The Bridge," playing the worker Lao Houtou. That same year, he starred alongside Angel in the drama "White-Clad Warrior," playing Yang Mingqing, who lost an arm due to injury.

In 1950, he reprised his role as Huang Shiren in the film adaptation of the opera "White-Haired Girl," alongside Tian Hua and Hu Peng. Starting from 1953, Chen Qiang worked at Beijing Film Studio and starred in many films. In 1954, he co-starred with Li Jiufang in the film "A Proposal." In the 1960s, he portrayed characters such as Old Kui, Old Hu, and Old Sun.

Chen Qiang's performance career spanned multiple fields including theater, film, and television. He was especially known for playing villainous roles, showcasing a wide range of character types from antagonists like Nan Bati and Huang Shiren to comedic minor figures. Notably, in the 1961 film "Red Detachment of Women," he played Nan Bati and won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1st Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards. In the 1962 film "The Magician's Adventure," he portrayed magician Lu Huanqi, demonstrating his versatile acting skills.

As time progressed, he gradually shifted towards comedy roles. His "Erzi Series" comedy films, in collaboration with Chen Peisi, were very popular among audiences. In 1983, he starred in "Erzi Opens a Shop," becoming one of China’s earliest private film producers.

In his later years, Chen Qiang continued to be active in the entertainment industry. In 2008, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival. On June 26, 2012, Chen Qiang passed away in Beijing due to illness at the age of 94. His artistic contributions have been widely recognized, and he is celebrated as an outstanding actor in the history of Chinese cinema.