Ko Chun-hsiung

Ko Chun-hsiung
Ko Chun-hsiung in Taipei in 2007.
Native name	柯俊雄
Born	Ko Chun-liang (柯俊良) (1945-01-15)15 January 1945 Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Died	6 December 2015(2015-12-06) (aged 70) Taipei, Taiwan
Cause of death	Lung cancer
Nationality	Taiwanese
Alma mater	National Taiwan University of Arts
Occupation	Actor, director, politician
Years active	1965—2015
Political party	Kuomintang Taiwan Farmers' Party (2007 - 2008)
Spouse(s)	Chang Mei-yao (m. 1970–2004) Tsai Qinghua (m. 2005)
Children	Ko Yishan, Ko Pinyin, Ko Jianyu, Ko Zier
Relatives	Ko Lihua (sister)

Ko Chun-hsiung (Chinese: 柯俊雄; pinyin: Kē Jùnxióng; 15 January 1945 – 6 December 2015) was a Taiwanese actor, director and politician.^[1][2][3] He had been acting since the 1960s and had appeared in more than 200 films.

His career accolades included three Golden Horse Awards, two Asia Pacific Film Festival Awards for Best Actor, a Panama International Film Festival Award for Best Actor. In 2005, Chinese Film Association of Performance Art named Ko on the list of 100 Outstanding Artists in Chinese Film (1905 - 2004).

Life

Early life

Ko was born in Kaohsiung, during Taiwan under Japanese rule, he attended Gaoxiong No.2 School and graduated from National Taiwan University of Arts, he also studied at Tokyo University and Saint John's College.

Acting career

Ko began his career by appearing in small roles before 1965. In 1967, Ko starred as Feng Ze in Ching-Zue Bai's Lonely Seventeen, for which he won his first Best Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. In 1974, Ko starred as Zhang Zizhong in the historical film The Everlasting Glory, which earned Ko his second Best Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. In 1976, Ko acted in the historical film Eight Hundred Heroes directed by Shan-si Ting, playing the role of Xie Jinyuan, he won a Golden Horse Award.

Ko won the Best Actor Award at the 1979 Golden Horse Awards for his performance in A Teacher of Great Soldiers.^[4][5]

In 1981, Ko self-directed and performed in My Grandfather, which earned him a Best Actor Award at the Panama International Film Festival. In 1989, Ko starred as Duan Yihu, reuniting him with co-star Jackie Chan, who played Guo Zhenhua, in the romantic comedy film Miracles, which were highly praised by audience. In 1999, Ko filmed in Cao Cao, he received the Best Actor Award at the 36th Golden Horse Awards. In 2012, Ko participated in the Taiwanese-language television drama Feng Shui Family.

Political career

Ko became involved in politics in 1990.

In 1996, Ko stood unsuccessfully in the Provisional Legislative Council Election in British Hong Kong.^[6]

From 1 February 2005 to 31 January 2008, Ko served as the Legislative Yuan.

In 2007, Ko joined the Taiwan Farmers' Party, but was not reelected in the 2008 legislative elections.^[7]

Personal life

Ko was twice married. Originally wed to actress Chang Mei-yao (張美瑤) in 1970, he became the father of two children, Ko Yishan (柯懿珊) and Ko Pinyin (柯品吟). They divorced in 2004, as Ko was involved in an affair with Tsai Qinghua (蔡清樺), who Ko married the next year. Ko's second marriage also produced two children, Ko Jianyu (柯鑒育) and Ko Zier (柯姿而). Chang, Ko's first wife, died in 2012.^[8]

Death

Ko died on 6 December 2015 at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei, a year after being diagnosed with lung cancer.^[9] He was 70.

Works

Film

Television

Awards

References

External links

• Chun Hsiung Ko on IMDb
• O Chun-Hung at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
• Ko Chun Hsiung at AllMovie