Wai Ching Ho, best known for playing Madame Gao across multiple Marvel series, has died aged 83. Tributes poured in from co-stars who remembered her as a mentor and a “beautiful” human being.
Wai Ching Ho, who played Madame Gao for Marvel, dies
Marvel fans came to know Wai Ching Ho as Madame Gao, the quietly terrifying co-founder of the criminal syndicate known as the Hand. She debuted the role in 2015 during Season 1 of Daredevil, then carried the character through the Season 2 arc, into Iron Fist, and finally into the team-up series The Defenders.
Her death was confirmed to Variety, which also shared a family statement that read, “Her family are deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of love and support and the many beautiful messages and memories people have shared about our beloved Wai. Reading how much she meant to so many is comforting to us during this difficult time.” Ho died of a stroke on July 10.
Peter Shinkoda, who played Nobu alongside Ho on Daredevil, posted his tribute. “I won’t ever forget you. I learned every minute from you when we were together on and off set,” he wrote on Instagram. “We will meet again, my friend. You were beautiful.”
Perry Yung, who once played her on-screen husband in the film High Resolution, called her “a kind, compassionate human being whose work as an artist lifted every production to a higher standard.” He added, “Rest in power dear friend.”
Stage actor Mahira Kakkar, who worked with Ho on a 2018 production of Henry VI, described a performer who never spoke ill of colleagues. “For those of us who did not have a lot of role models and mentors in the industry, Wai was a pillar,” Kakkar wrote. “My dear Wai you deserve all the standing ovations – what a stellar human and a stellar artist.”
Born in Hong Kong in 1943, Ho built a career across genres for more than three decades. She landed her first US film role in the 1990s Cadillac Man opposite Robin Williams.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on SuperHeroHype.com.
