Wen Xingyu

Biography

Wen Xingyu was a renowned Chinese comedic actor and theatre and film director, born on 6 August 1941 in Dandong, Liaoning, to a Hui ethnic family. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 1963 and became an actor at the Central Experimental Theatre, later serving as its deputy director. He began directing plays in the late 1970s and 1980s, staging notable works such as "Song of the Great Wind," "The True Story of Ah Q," and "Soul and Flesh." He gained nationwide fame for portraying the elderly character Fu Ming in the sitcom "I Love My Family" (1993), considered the first mainland Chinese sitcom, where he created his signature raspy "grandfather voice." His career spanned directing and acting in numerous television and film productions, and he also hosted the CCTV New Year's Gala in 2000. He passed away on 30 July 2007, leaving a significant artistic legacy in Chinese drama.