It is a coincidence that he appears in several old movies that I have watched in the past few days.
What I read first was "The Fenshui flows forever". In this old movie shot by Beijing Film Studio, he played the leading role of Guo Chunhai. He walked vigorously, spoke sonorously and powerfully, and his mental outlook was so high-spirited. The image of a young leader of an agricultural cooperative stands before our eyes.
Then, I watched "Capturing the Young Man" filmed by Bayi Factory. This is a classic comedy film that brings together a large number of outstanding drama performing artists. However, I also found him among this group of people. He played the role of Jiang Zi who was captured as a young man, which should be one of the few positive images in the film. He brought Jiang Zi's simple image and strong character to life.
After that, there is "Wild Fire, Spring Wind and Ancient City" starring Wang Xiaotang and Wang Xingang. In it, he plays Captain Liang of the martial arts team. Although Wang Xiaotang and Wang Xingang shine brightly in the film as big stars, his performance is also remarkable. His alert eyes, quick movements, and tough temperament all make us unforgettable. .
Yes, he is Wang Zhigang.
A famous actor from the Bayi Factory in the past.
The series of classic images he created on the screen remain so vividly in our minds.
Many movie fans are familiar with the roles he has played. He also left us private messages more than once, hoping that we could chat about his current situation.
I think in everyone's minds, they must feel that after his retirement, he lived in seclusion in a certain city and spent his old age peacefully.
However, what we didn't expect was that he had died 11 years ago.
And in his later years, he also suffered from cancer.
is also bitter to say.
Today, why not take this opportunity to talk about this former "tough guy actor" - Wang Zhigang, who often played the image of a soldier on the screen.
1,
, have you noticed it? The three movies we mentioned earlier were all released in 1963.
In other words, in that year, Wang Zhigang was a guaranteed "new star in the film industry" and a "new screen talent" that the film studio focused on cultivating.
I think the main reason is that the "worker, peasant, and soldier temperament" he possesses is in line with the requirements for actors in the environment at that time.
And his "worker, peasant, and soldier temperament" has a lot to do with his experience.
On February 2, 1935, Wang Zhigang was born into a poor family in Beijing. "Children of poor people become rich early", so Wang Zhigang has been very sensible since he was a child. In order not to put additional financial burden on his parents, he just passed the self-study after graduating from junior high school and was admitted to the mechanical department of Harbin Institute of Technology.
In 1954, 19-year-old Wang Zhigang was assigned to work in a steelmaking plant in Handan, Hebei. As a young man in the new era, he proactively showed a sense of "ownership" and rushed to do all the dirty work. When the master workers in the factory talked about him, they would give a thumbs up.
Wang Zhigang has been working in the factory for three years. It was during these three years that he tempered his will and strengthened his body, making him exude the aura of a "laborer" from the inside out.
In 1957, a classmate of Wang Zhigang knew that he had been interested in literature and art since he was a child, so he came to tell him the news that the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy were jointly recruiting students. As soon as Wang Zhigang heard this, he quickly signed up.
But as soon as he arrived at the examination room, he was "disciplined".
He first applied for the Chinese Opera, and the exam included "music". The examiner asked him to play a piece of piano, but Wang Zhigang was a little confused. Since he had never known what a piano was since he was a child, he just stood there without saying a word. The candidates around him laughed at him, but he remained silent and remained stubborn.
So the examiner said: You can’t even play the piano, why are you taking the Chinese opera exam?
Result Wang Zhigang replied: From our poor family, who has ever seen such a valuable thing? But if you can admit me, I promise to learn faster than anyone else.
From this point, we can see that there is a particularly strong gene in Wang Zhigang's bones.
Naturally, he failed to pass the exam. He was not discouraged and turned around and went to the examination room of Beijing Film Academy. At that time, other candidates put on their best clothes and dressed themselves up carefully in order to impress the examiner. Only Wang Zhigang appeared in front of the examiner wearing a vest and shorts.
But it was Wang Zhigang's slovenliness that attracted the attention of the examiners. And he performed well in the exam, no matter his voice, body or performance, everyone was impressed. So several examiners couldn't help but check the box on his registration form.
In this way, Wang Zhigang walked into the gate of Beijing Film Academy as he wished.
Their 57-level acting class later produced several movie stars who were loved by the audience, such as Mo Zijiang, who played the leading actor A Peng in the classic movie "Five Golden Flowers", and Mo Zijiang, who played the leading role in the movie "The Icing on the Cake" Li Changle who played Tieying in the movie "Xiao Erhei's Marriage", Yang Jianye who played Xiao Erhei in the movie "Xiao Erhei's Marriage", and Cheng Hankun who played the big Li Li in the movie "Little Soldier Zhang Ga", etc.
Of course, this also includes Wang Zhigang.
In fact, judging from subsequent developments, Wang Zhigang is obviously the actor with the most out-of-circle works in his class.
But his personal fate is really disappointing.
2,
As early as when he was studying, he was labeled as a "white expert" by some classmates, and big-character posters about him were posted everywhere. The reason is that he is always immersed in studying and does not listen to what is happening outside the window. In a special era, this is naturally a very remarkable thing. Wasn't one of his seniors, Xu Huanshan from Class 56 of the Beijing Film Academy, wrongly classified as a "rightist" and left to work in school just because he said something wrong? Therefore, Wang Zhigang felt extremely depressed and confused, not knowing what kind of fate awaited him in the future.
Fortunately, everyone can see his excellent character and academic skills. After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1961, he was very lucky to be assigned to the Bayi Film Studio as an actor through the recommendation of his teacher. This is of course a great joy for Wang Zhigang. Because his childhood dreams, firstly to be an actor, and secondly to be a soldier, all of them came true at once.
What Wang Zhigang didn't expect was that as soon as he entered the factory, he was regarded as a key training target. While his classmates were still playing small roles in various film studios, he had already begun to play important supporting roles.
For example, in "The Heart of the Blue Sea" directed by Wang Bing in 1962, Wang Zhigang played the role of the third squad leader. Although there are not many scenes, this is undoubtedly a rare practical opportunity for a student who has just stepped out of school. Moreover, he worked with experienced and mature actors such as Tian Hua, Li Changhua, Li Wanwan, and Shi Cunyu. Wang Zhigang learned many things from them that he could not learn in the classroom.
The third squad leader in "The Heart of the Blue Sea" is the first military image created by Wang Zhigang on the screen. After the sample came out, his performance was generally recognized by everyone. So Bayi Factory quickly handed over more important tasks to him.
"Catch the Young Man" was a key film of the year. The actors in it were basically the original cast of the stage version of the play, such as Wu Xue playing Li Laoshuan, Chen Ge playing Wang Baochang, Shao Hua playing Jiang Guofu, and Pan Qiu playing Pan Hunchback and others, they all can be called performing artists. And Wang Zhigang can also participate in it. How lucky is that?
Therefore, he cherishes this opportunity very much. When he is not filming, he will quietly "learn from his master" by his side.From these "masters", he learned how to shape characters through language and body, and how to vividly display the character's heart through eyes.
In the second half of 1962, Yan Jizhou planned to adapt Li Yingru's novel "Wild Fire, Spring Wind and Ancient City" to the screen. He had his own ideas and persistence in choosing actors. Although directors such as Xie Jin from Shanghai Film Studio and Cui Wei from Beijing Film Studio strongly recommended actors such as Xiang Mei and Xie Fang to him, he still insisted on using actors from Bayi Film Studio. actor. The male and female protagonists are played by Wang Xingang and Wang Xiaotang, and the important supporting roles are also played by Wang Runshen, Wang Zhigang, and Zhao Ruping.
This lineup is quite powerful.
Among all the actors, Wang Zhigang's qualifications are obviously the least. But Yan Jizhou gave him full trust. In the end, judging from the effect he presented on the screen, he obviously lived up to the director's expectations.
Yan Jizhou seemed to see many valuable things from Wang Zhigang, so when he later directed movies, he would basically call him Wang Zhigang. For example, in 1964, Yan Jizhou filmed "The Soldiers" and once again arranged for Wang Zhigang to play the role of second platoon leader Jin Dahong.
For movie fans, everyone will never forget Wang Zhigang's performance and appearance in the two movies "Fen Shui Long Flow" and "Bitter Cauliflower".
As an actor, Wang Zhigang has very good appearance. His facial features are clear-cut, three-dimensional and layered, making him very photogenic. And his height of 1.79 meters makes him stand out among the crowd. In addition, he has been exercising all year round, which has allowed him to develop a good figure with wide shoulders and a thin waist, so the effect of appearing on the screen is particularly good.
This can be seen from his performance in "The Fenshui Long Flow".
"The Fen River" is a film produced by Beijing Film Studio. Wang Zhigang tried his hand at the role of young farmer Guo Chunhai. This role is very different from the military image Wang Zhigang has played before, but Wang Zhigang's performance is so simple and unpretentious. As soon as he puts on a thick cotton-padded jacket and a white towel, the image of a farmer in Jinzhong is clearly visible.
In "Bitter Cauliflower", he played the role of Jiang Yongquan, the leader of the underground party, with mature acting skills and rich layers, which has shown the profound skills of a powerful actor.
3.
However, just when Wang Zhigang was preparing to show off his skills on the screen and create more characters, a movement unexpectedly happened. At this time, movies across the country were in a state of paralysis, and Wang Zhigang naturally entered a situation where there was nothing to film. This state of
lasted for probably more than ten years. In the past ten years, Wang Zhigang has only played the role of a master worker in "Ode to the Silver Needle Under the Shadowless Lamp".
Moreover, his situation is different from that of most other actors in Bayi Factory. That is, he and his wife have been separated in two places all year round.
In fact, Wang Zhi was already married when he just graduated from Beijing Film Academy. My wife is also a college student. But after graduation, he entered the South China Institute of Construction in Guangzhou, Guangdong. In other words, for a long time, Wang Zhigang and his wife could only pass letters. Even if the two of them can take advantage of some holiday get-togethers, they always come and go in a hurry.
In 1967, Wang Zhigang’s eldest son was born. But because he was still working in the countryside at the time, he was not with his mother and son. This filled Wang Zhigang's heart with guilt.
In fact, Wang Zhigang also had the idea of letting his wife come to Beijing to work. However, it was not easy to enter Beijing. Secondly, his wife was not willing to give up her career, so Wang Zhigang gave up the idea. He thought, since his wife cannot come to Beijing, I will try to go to Guangzhou.
But in those days, it was not easy to handle inter-provincial transfers. Wang Zhigang thought of many ways, but still failed to achieve his wish.
It was not until 1972 that he waited for an opportunity. The Pearl River Film Studio in Guangdong sent an invitation to him and many outstanding actors from the Bayi Film Studio, so Wang Zhigang, Zhang Liang, Xing Jitian, Wang Xiaozhong, etc. , collectively entered the Pearl Film Studio Actors Troupe. Actors such as Zhang Liang regained their artistic life, and Wang Zhigang was finally reunited with his wife.
IV,
In 1974, their little daughter was also born, which made Wang Zhigang extremely happy.
In fact, after Wang Zhigang and others entered Pearl Film Studio, it was difficult for them to participate in artistic creation for a long time. Wang Zhigang was assigned to the administrative department and was later appointed as the leader of the actors' troupe. But "being an official" was not what Wang Zhigang wanted in his heart. His favorite thing is still acting in movies.
In 1978, at Wang Zhigang's repeated insistence, he resigned as the leader of the actors' troupe.
It was also in this year that Wang Zhigang returned to the screen and appeared in the movie "Advancing to the Central Plains" together with his old comrades Zhang Liang and Zhou Chu from the Bayi Factory. He starred in it as the male lead Zhou Daming. This is a character with a distinctive personality, played vividly by Wang Zhigang, which left a very deep impression on the audience.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Zhigang appeared in "The Man Who Deals with the Devil" filmed by Pearl Film Studio, and starred in the role of Yu Haibao, showing his plasticity.
In addition, Wang Zhigang also starred in films such as "The Vast Ganshui", "Young Friends", "Little Sea", and "Letter from Wife".
After the time entered the 1990s, Wang Zhigang, like many actors of his generation, devoted his main energy to the interpretation of TV series. He has successively appeared in many works such as "Love and Hate in the Ancient City", "Hong Xiuquan", "Business World", "96 Million Pairs of Eyes", "Beijing-Kowloon Love", "Qixia Qiaomei Haorehe", "Governor Zhang Zhidong" etc. , playing different types of roles. Superb acting skills, amazing.
In 1995, after Wang Zhigang retired from Pearl Film Factory, he still insisted on artistic creation. Although he rarely appeared in front of the camera at this time, he presented spiritual feasts to the audience as a screenwriter and director.
But what is sad is that Wang Zhigang started to have physical abnormalities after he was about 70 years old. In 2010, he was diagnosed with cancer. This was considered an incurable disease at the time. But Wang Zhigang still faced the test of fate with an optimistic attitude. He believes that with his tenacious perseverance, he can overcome this difficulty again.
However, God did not let him do what he wished.
After Wang Zhigang became ill, his health became very bad. He was described as haggard, and his body, which was once as strong as an ox, became as thin as a branch. It makes everyone feel heartbroken when they see it.
Fortunately, his wife has always been by his side and taken good care of him. This made Wang Zhigang full of gratitude.
His children are also very sensible, especially the daughter, who visits her father in the hospital almost every few days. When Wang Zhigang was suffering from the most unbearable pain due to cancer, it was his family's company that gave him the warmest comfort. He said, I am a poor boy, but to be able to become an actor, act in so many movies, gain some fame, meet such a good wife, and have such an excellent pair of children, I am satisfied.
On September 16, 2012, after Wang Zhigang struggled with the disease for two years, he passed away due to ineffective treatment at the age of 77.
Information was not developed at that time, so many movie fans did not know the news of his death.
His death caused a huge blow to his wife and children. Especially for my wife who has been with me for many years, I am heartbroken. Wang Zhigang and his wife have always loved each other and never left each other since they got married. Even though they have been separated for many years, their deep love as husband and wife has not changed.
In those days, life may have been difficult and material conditions were not abundant, but everyone had confidence in their hearts, because as long as there was love in their hearts, nothing would change.
What makes Wang Zhigang even more gratified and proud is that his two sons and daughters are both outstanding and outstanding. They did not become the "second generation stars" like other children of actors. Instead, they chose their favorite career path according to their own wishes.
In 1985, Wang Zhigang's eldest son was admitted to the Department of Chemical Engineering of Tsinghua University with excellent results. How difficult it was to take the Tsinghua exam at that time! Therefore, Wang Zhigang has become the envy of many parents.
Wang Zhigang’s daughter is also very good. In 1993, she was admitted to the Chinese Department of South China Normal University.
Both sons and daughters have become the pride of Wang Zhigang and his wife through their own efforts. After graduation, the son went to work in a foreign-funded company in Shanghai, while the daughter stayed with her parents and taught in a middle school in Guangzhou.
The most rare thing is that these two sons and daughters are very filial. During his illness, they would come to the bedside to accompany their father whenever they had time. After her father died, her daughter took her mother into her home to live with her. When the son is not busy, he will accompany his mother on trips.
Now Wang Zhigang's children have also entered the most beautiful years of their lives. Some of their mothers are in good health, and some of their children are excellent. At this time, it would be great if my father Wang Zhigang was still alive!
Now, let’s talk about Wang Zhigang again. I believe it must have awakened everyone’s long-lost memories, right? So in everyone's impression, which role he played is the most unforgettable? Everyone is welcome to interact with more fans through the message area.
