Chen Qiang (actor)

Chen was born Chen Qingsan (陈庆三; 陳慶三) to a poor family in Xujiahe Township of Ningjin County, in Hebei province. When he was a child, he relocated to Taiyuan, Shanxi with his parents.^[6] In 1936, he attended Taiyuan Youth Theatre and Xinsheng Theatre; both were progressive groups organized by the Chinese Communist Party. In 1938, he went to Yan'an to study acting at Lu Xun Academy of Arts. After graduating in 1939 he joined the Song and Dance Troupe of Shanxi-Chahaer-Hebei Border Region.^{[citation needed]}

Chen joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1942, and made his comedy debut in The Second Uncle.^{[citation needed]}

In 1945, he was cast as Huang Shiren, the despotic landlord, in the ballet play The White Haired Girl.^[7]: 221 His performance was so convincing, that an emotionally invested soldier in the audience almost shot him with a rifle in anger.^{[8][9][10][11]}

In 1947, he was an actor in Dongbei Film Studio, that same year, he participated in Leave Him to Fight Jiang.^{[citation needed]}

In 1949, after the founding of the Communist State, he appeared as Lao Houtou, an old worker in The Bridge, which is the first feature film in the People's Republic. He also played as Yang Mingqing in The White Warrior.^{[citation needed]}

He was transferred to Beijing Film Studio in 1953. At the same year, he appeared in the film Marriage.^{[citation needed]}

In 1958 he starred in two films, He Beauty in the Picture and No Mystery Three Years Ago. And he had a supporting role in the film A Visit to Relatives.^{[citation needed]}

In 1961, he starred as Nan Batian in Xie Jin's film The Red Detachment of Women,^[7]: 221 which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Award at the 1st Hundred Flowers Awards and a Best Actor Award at the 3rd Asian - African Film Festival, in Indonesia, 1964.^[12]

In 1982, Chen Qiang co-starred with his son Chen Peisi in Sunset Street.^{[citation needed]}

In 1986, he played the lead role as Laokui in the comedy film Father and Son.^{[citation needed]}

In 1995, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 13th Golden Eagle Awards for his performance in When Something Amazing Happens.^[12]

On September 13, 2008, Chen won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 29th Hundred Flowers Awards.^[12]

Chen played One-stroke Liu in Devils on the Doorstep, the would-be executioner and legendary swordsman, who in fact is merely a crazy old man.^[7]: 221

On June 26, 2012, Chen died of apoplexy at Anzhen Hospital, in Beijing.^[13]

Chen had two sons, Chen Buda (陈布达) and Chen Peisi, and a daughter, Chen Lida (陈丽达).^[14]