Wai Ching Ho, who portrayed memorable Marvel TV character Madame Gao, has died aged 83.
The Hong Kong actress’ passing was first confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter in a statement from her family, with later reports stating she had died following a stroke.
Across a career in film and television spanning five decades, Ho guest starred in numerous series, including Law & Order, Orange is the New Black, Flight of the Conchords, New Amsterdam, and Only Murders in the Building. In 2022, she voiced Grandma Wu in Pixar animated film Turning Red.
Her most high profile role was as scheming mob boss Madame Gao, who appeared in a recurring capacity across more than 20 episodes of Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Defenders.
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Popular with fans, Gao’s character grew in importance as she was revealed to be one of several high-ranking members of The Hand — a group that served as the primary antagonist of Netflix’s street level team-up miniseries The Defenders, which featured Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand.
Viewers last saw Gao facing an uncertain fate in that series’ explosive finale, though there had been some hope her character might return alongside The Hand in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, or in Daredevil: Born Again’s third season.
“Her family are deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of love and support and the many beautiful messages and memories people have shared about our beloved Wai,” her family wrote. “Reading how much she meant to so many is comforting to us during this difficult time.”
“I won’t ever forget you,” wrote her Daredevil co-star Peter Shinkoda, who played Nobu. “I learned every minute from you when we were together on and off set. I know wisdom – I’d hang on your every word. We will meet again, my friend. You were beautiful.”
Image credit: Rob Kim/Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
