Actor With 5-Decade Career Dies Following Cancer Diagnosis: Benz Hui Was 76

Hong Kong-based actor Benz Hui has died. He was 76.

Hui, who is known in Hong Kong as the “King of Supporting Actors” for his many standout roles as a side character, died late last month at a hospital while surrounded by family after a battle with cancer.

While he never became a household name like several other actors from Hong Kong have done, he was one of the most recognizable faces in the country thanks to his 200-plus roles in popular movies and TV shows.

His stage name, Benz Hui, came about after he started driving a Mercedes Benz to work and people began calling him “Benz” over it.

The most fruitful period of his five-decade career was from the 1970s to the early 90s, when he starred in several popular TV shows produced by the Asian broadcasting network TVB. He was also well-known for his role in the crime drama series Line Walker and the subsequent movie, where he played cop-turned-crime-lord Foon Hei Gor from 2014 to 2020.

His 28-year-old daughter posted a tribute to his legacy on Instagram last Tuesday.

“Dad, today is your birthday,” she wrote in Chinese in the post’s caption. “The past few days have felt so surreal. May you now be carefree and go wherever you need to go.”

She continued the post by thanking her family, friends, and fans for their support after his death.

“Forgive me for not being able to thank each of you individually, but every gesture of concern is remembered in my heart,” she wrote. “All of dad’s social media accounts will be retained, and we’ll continue sharing his moments with everyone, carrying on his spirit of ‘happiness’.”

Then, switching to English, she wrote: “Life will never be the same without you, but I’ll do my best to be strong because of you. I miss you and love you endlessly.”

Hui is survived by his daughter and his wife.

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