When talking about the image of a loving mother in Hong Kong, how can we not mention Su Xingxuan? Her name may not be as loud as some big-name stars, but her face is like the familiar aunt next door, warm and friendly. On the screen, she is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people as a loving mother, and every performance seems to portray the delicacy and greatness of maternal love deeply.
Such an actor should be an evergreen tree in the entertainment industry, and his name becomes more and more famous as time goes by. However, fate played a joke on her. Just when the audience was looking forward to more exciting performances from her, Su Xingxuan flew across the sky like a shooting star and quietly disappeared from people's sight.
It wasn't until the sad news came that 61-year-old Su Xingxuan passed away due to illness, many people were shocked to realize that the actor who had touched them countless times had passed away. Her death seemed like an unforeseen tragedy, which left people not only shocked but also filled with regret and confusion.
Why did Su Xingxuan choose to quit the entertainment industry at the peak of her career? And why did he suffer from illness in his later years and ultimately failed to enjoy life in peace?
Su Xingxuan, the "mother" behind Tony Leung: the short-lived glory on the screen and the ups and downs in reality
When "The Deer and the Cauldron" and "Brother Xin Zha" became popular in Hong Kong in 1984, Tony Leung's name became a household name overnight. But do you know what kind of "mother" is hidden behind this new movie star? She is Su Xingxuan, an ordinary woman full of stories.
In that era, Hong Kong’s entertainment industry was like a bright sea of stars, with beauties like clouds and stars glittering. But Su Xingxuan was like a little star forgotten in the corner, shining silently. Her appearance is not outstanding, but she has a unique gentle temperament that makes people want to get close to her.
Su Xingxuan’s acting career was not smooth. Although she performed well in the TVB artist training class and even became classmates with Xu Shaoxiong, Gan Guoliang and others, she encountered the embarrassing situation of "unemployment upon graduation" after graduation. Because her appearance was not outstanding enough, it was difficult for her to win the favor of the director, and she could only watch other classmates become popular one by one.
However, fate is always full of surprises. Just when Su Xingxuan was about to give up, she got an opportunity to play Tony Leung's mother.
She was only 32 years old at that time, not much older than Liang Chao, but she had to play the role of a mother. This is undoubtedly a huge challenge for Su Xingxuan, but she has successfully created a deeply rooted image of a mother with her own efforts and talent.
The popularity of "Brother Xin Zha" made Su Xingxuan's name become well known to people. Her acting skills were recognized by the audience and brought her more performance opportunities.
However, just when her career was just starting, fate played a joke on her again. Due to the limitation of appearance, her acting career has never been able to achieve greater breakthroughs.
A Different Path to "Mother"
In that era when resources, background, and connections determined everything, she could only knock on the door by submitting resumes from film crews one after another. However, this did not break her determination. On the contrary, she accumulated valuable experience in the role and slowly honed her acting skills.
At the age of 30, Su Xingxuan’s career still did not improve much. Facing the highly competitive entertainment industry, she began to think about her own way out. She understands that she cannot compete for those "flower vase" roles like other actresses, as that will only make her less advantageous. So, she decided to try a different route - playing a role that others couldn't complete.
Opportunities always come to those who are prepared. By chance, Su Xingxuan learned that a director was looking for an actress with a good image to play the role of mother, but the actor was unwilling to take the role.
Su Xingxuan did not hesitate and volunteered to get this opportunity. She used her own strength to prove that she was qualified for this role, and she also began to make a name for herself in the director circle.
In the few years after
, Su Xingxuan's career began to improve. She played Li Ping, the mother of the hero "Guo Jing" in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" in 1983. Although the role was not outstanding, her performance was unanimously recognized by the audience. TVB even took the initiative to raise her salary, which also improved her status in the entertainment industry.
Immediately afterwards, she successively played the "mother" of celebrities such as Tony Leung and Huang Rihua, becoming an indispensable "mother" professional in the entertainment industry. Her acting skills have been recognized by more and more people, and she has gained a firm foothold in the entertainment industry.
However, just when her career reached its peak, she chose to retire. After 1996, she left the entertainment industry and started a new life of her own.
Although these glorious days did not last long, Su Xingxuan used her own strength and hard work to prove that she could carve out her own world in the entertainment industry.
Mother of the screen, a good wife and loving mother in life
At the end of the 20th century, Su Xingxuan’s life on the set was like a daily routine. At that time, she was already an old face in the industry. Although she was mostly in supporting roles, every time she appeared, she was impressive. It was on days like this that she met Xu Chengbiao.
Xu Chengbiao, an ordinary person working on the crew, became the most important person in Su Xingxuan's life. The love between the two is like the lights on the set, low-key and warm. Soon after, they entered the palace of marriage.
Married life did not make Su Xingxuan give up her acting career. Xu Chengbiao, this caring husband, always supported her choice. As a result, Su Xingxuan continued to shine on the screen, while also playing the role of a good wife and mother in the family. The birth of a son brought endless joy and happiness to the family.
However, with the changes in the Hong Kong film and television industry, the pay for supporting actors is getting lower and lower. Faced with the pressure of reality, Su Xingxuan made a difficult decision - to say goodbye to the screen temporarily and go home to help her husband manage the vegetarian restaurant. During that time, she changed from a glamorous actress to the proprietress of a vegetarian restaurant, but she did not complain, but enjoyed it.
A few years later, when Su Xingxuan returned to the screen again, she was already a professional "mother" in the hearts of directors. Her acting skills are more proficient, and every time she appears, people are moved.
However, at this time, she had focused more on her family. For her, filming is more of a kind of enjoyment and a spice to life.
A life without regrets from the screen to heaven
Ten years have passed, when we mention the name Su Xingxuan again, ripples still appear in the hearts of those viewers who are familiar with her. In 2024, it has been ten years since her death, but her shadow never seems to really leave.
Her life is just like the middle-aged Hong Kong woman she played in "The King", ordinary but full of power. In 2021, at the age of 60, she won the first award in her life for this role. At that moment, she wanted to hold the trophy herself, but the disease ruthlessly deprived her of her strength.
Su Xingxuan's health began to decline as early as after filming "The King". Diabetes, an ulcer on her right foot, and multiple surgeries. These painful experiences seemed to tell her that the winter of life had come.
However, she did not give up, and even after a minor stroke left her dependent on a wheelchair, she still maintained an optimistic attitude. But fate did not let her go, and the tumor in her stomach once again cast a shadow on her life.
On June 12, 2013, Su Xingxuan passed away from the torture of illness. Her departure shocked and regretted many stars in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.
On the day of her funeral, celebrities such as Ng Mang-tat, Tony Leung, and Carina Lau sent wreaths or visited the scene in person to bid her farewell. In their eyes, Su Xingxuan was a resolute, dedicated and gregarious actor. Her death is undoubtedly a great loss to the film and television industry.
Tony Leung said when facing the camera: "She will always live in my heart", while Chow Yun-fat lamented: "Her death is a loss to the film and television industry!" Carina Lau also posted on social media, saying: "Sister Xuan is a person who lives in isolation from the world. The most competitive actor!" Although her death made countless people feel sorry for her, she left without regrets because she spent her whole life pursuing her beloved acting career.
Today, Su Xingxuan’s husband not only keeps the vegetarian restaurant they once ran together in order, but also becomes the chairman of the Hong Kong Buddhist Cultural Enterprise Co., Ltd. and Xinglinfang Pharmaceutical.
He continues his wife's kindness and love in his own way, and often participates in charity activities and makes donations. Where Su Xingxuan couldn't see her, her husband moved on with her kindness!
Conclusion
From the time she entered the industry in 1972 until she passed away due to illness in 2013, every step she took was so calm and solid. Wang Mingquan and Zheng Yuling are all famous, and beside them, Su Xingxuan always plays the role of the silently giving "mother".
In this flashy entertainment circle, she is more like a breath of fresh air. When others were fighting for fame and fortune, she chose to stick to her principles and not become a pawn in the game of capital. And are those so-called "superstar" auras really important to her?
Perhaps, in her warm family, she found more real happiness than under the spotlight. After all, life is not a movie and everyone does not need to be the protagonist. Su Xingxuan, the "invisible superstar" in the entertainment industry, tells us in her own way: ordinary people can be so beautiful.
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