Wai Ching Ho, the actress best known for portraying the villain Madame Gao in Marvel's Daredevil and voicing Grandma Wu in Pixar's Turning Red, has died at the age of 82. No cause of death has been confirmed, but tributes from colleagues and fans have flooded social media.
Co-stars Mourn the Loss
Peter Shinkoda, who played Nobu Yoshioka in Daredevil season 1, announced Ho's passing on Instagram. He wrote: "Just lost someone very special to me. She was one of the coolest. Thinking aloud." In a subsequent post, he added: "I won't ever forget you. I learned every minute from you when we were together on and off set. We will meet again, my friend. You were beautiful."
Actress Mahira Kakkar also shared her memories: "I had the enormous good fortune to work with Wai Ching Ho and to share a dressing room with her. She was incredible—warm, funny, caring, joyful, positive and a truly wonderful actor. At the age of 82? 83? She played a lead role—basically a female King Lear, and was riveting."
Career Highlights
Ho is most recognized for her role as Madame Gao, the principal antagonist in Marvel's Daredevil season 1, as well as in Iron Fist and The Defenders. She also lent her voice to Grandma Wu in Pixar's 2022 film Turning Red, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film and holds a 95% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Her extensive career spanned film, television, and theatre. Before Daredevil, she appeared in Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Flight of the Conchords, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. She also had roles in Orange Is the New Black, Fresh Off the Boat, The Good Cop, New Amsterdam, Hustlers, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and Only Murders in the Building.
Theatre Work and Legacy
In addition to her screen work, Ho performed in theatre, including productions of Henry VI, Endlings, Snow in Midsummer, and Pearl's Beauty Salon. Kakkar noted: "She would say to us—Eat two slices of raw ginger every day and you won't get sick! For those of us who did not have a lot of role models and mentors in the industry, Wai was a pillar."
Kakkar concluded: "I am deeply grateful I got to know her and I am very sad she is gone. She also utterly refused to speak ill of anyone. My dear Wai, you deserve all the standing ovations—what a stellar human and a stellar artist. What an example of how to live."
