Lee Heung-kam (13 January 1932 – 4 January 2021) was a Hong Kong Cantonese opera singer and TVB actress.
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Career
She joined the entertainment industry when she was 14 years old. Since 1960, she became known for being an antagonist in many Cantonese operas, films and TV drama series. This lasted until the 80's when her roles were re-typecasted as a kind mother or a spiteful mother-in-law.
Over a career spanning more than 70 years, Lee portrayed mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother roles in numerous Chinese films and television productions. Her performances often focused on characters with different personalities and emotional traits.
Lee was also the god-mother of many celebrities, for example Chow Yun-fat, Carol Cheng, Cherie Chung, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung etc.
In 1972, Lee joined TVB. Lee was known for Enjoy Yourself Tonight.
In 1974, Lee and Tam Ping-man, an actor and on-screen partner, co-founded a production company. One of their most popular duets is Can You Come Back, which was featured in the comedy Rose Rose I Love You in 1993, they performed this song many times on stage together.
Filmography
Aliases: Li Hsiang-Chun, Li Xiang-Jun
Films
Thus is a partial list of films.
1960 Lady Racketeer
1960 Miss Pony-Tail
1960 Rear Entrance - Mandy Hui Shuk Wan
1961 The Pistol - Lu Xiao-Yin
1961 The Witch-Girl, He Yue'er
1961 The Golden Trumpet
1962 Dream of the Red Chamber - 1st Master's wife
1962 The Mid-Nightmare
1962 Yang Kwei Fei - Lady Mei/Jiang Cai Pin
1962 When Fortune Smiles
1963 The Love Eterne - Student
1963 The Adulteress - Yang's Wife
1963 Return of the Phoenix - Cheng Xue-E
1963 Mid-Nightmare (Part 2)
1963 Boundan
1964 Comedy of Mismatches - Sun Zhuyi (Guest Star)
1965 Move Over, Darling
1966 Dawn Will Come - Yan Qiurong
1967 A Gifted Scholar and a Beautiful Maid (aka Merry Maid)
1967 The Golden Swallow
1967 The Long Journey Home - Madam Chui
Awards and nominations
Won – 1997 ATV Anniversary Awards - Best Supporting Actress – The Good Old Days
Nominated – 2008 TVB Anniversary Awards – Best Supporting Actress – Moonlight Resonance
Nominated – 2010 TVB Anniversary Awards – Most Popular Female Character – Can't Buy Me Love
Won – 2011 TVB Lifetime Achievement Award
Personal life
In 1950, Lee married Siu Chung-kwan, a Cantonese opera singer. They had a daughter, Siu Ji-wan.
Lee had been forced to retire from acting in 2011 due to Alzheimer's disease, her condition deteriorated in December 2020.
On 4 January 2021, Lee died in Hong Kong. Lee was 88 years old. 9 days before her 89th birthday, Lee fainted while having dinner, and was pronounced dead en route to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong.
