Walter Tso, legendary action man of the screen, dies at 91
Legendary screen actor Walter Tso Tat-wah died last week in Britain. He was 91.
Tso, who was best known for his role as Detective Inspector Wah, died of a stomach haemorrhage on Saturday.
Veteran actress and close friend Connie Chan Po-chu, who was his goddaughter, last night confirmed that he had died. 'It was very sudden. He had been doing well before that,' she said.
Tso had been in a coma in hospital. 'This is such a loss to me. He was a good man,' Chan said.
Actress Lee Heung-kam, a long-time friend, said she only learned the news of his death when approached by reporters.
'He was a person of kindness and integrity,' she said. 'He never failed to offer help to his friends in times of need. It's sudden news. My heart and my hand shook when I learned the news,' Lee said. 'I've lost another old friend.'
Tso was born on September 15, 1915, in Taishan, Guangdong. He was the most well-known wuxia (action) movie actor in the 1960s. By then he and Shek Kin, another super star, were famous for the 'good and evil' roles they played.
Tso starred in more than 700 films and one of his roles was the eldest disciple of legendary kung-fu character Wong Fei-hung.
Tso reportedly lost his Wah Tat Studio, which produced most of his movies, at the gambling table.
As a student, he sneaked out of school to see the first silent movies to screen in Hong Kong. It was a Chinese martial arts film The Hero Of Guangdong that made him decide to become an actor.
Tso emigrated to London with his restaurateur son in 1990, but returned to Hong Kong to join TVB in 1993 because he felt like a 'third-class citizen' there.
But he returned to London in 1997 when his wife of 60 years fell ill with kidney disease and had to undergo dialysis. After his wife died in July 2000, Tso returned to Hong Kong and lived in a friend's flat in Mong Kok.
He spent a month in hospital after falling down stairs at his home at Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok, in August last year.
He returned to Britain in November to visit family, saying he would stay for up to two months for medical tests and expected to return to Hong Kong.
He is survived by a son, in Britain, and a daughter who lives in America.
