Marvel and Theater Actor Wai Ching Ho Passes Away at 82

Actor Wai Ching Ho, best known for her work in Marvel projects, has passed away at age 82. Wai Ching Ho was best known for starring as Madame Gao in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first in Daredevil in 2015, followed by Iron Fist and The Defenders in 2017.

Her family released the following statement: “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... Reading how much she meant to so many is comforting to us during this difficult time.”

Wai Ching Ho voice voiced Grandma Wu in Pixar's Turning Red in 2022, and appeared in the TV show Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens. She appeared Off-Broadway as Bishop Winchester/Old Clifford in NAATCO’s production of Henry VI, and in Celine Song's Endlings at NYTW. Other selected New York stage credits include The Joy Luck Club, Carry the Tiger to the Mountain, Legacy Codes (Pan Asian Rep); No Foreigners Beyond This Point, The Square (MaYi Theatre Company); and Rosa Loses Her Face (Queens Theatre in the Park). Last winter, she originated the role of Han Sol in Endlings at A.R.T. in Cambridge, MA.

Regional credits include The Denver Center of Performing Arts, Long Wharf, Pittsburgh Public Theatre and TheatreWorks Palo Alto. Currently she can be seen in the film Hustlers playing Destiny’s Grandma. 

On screen, she also appeared in the Law and Order franchise, New Amsterdamn, Orange is the New Black, Fresh Off the Boat, Lucky Grandma, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Robot Stories and Premium Rush, and more.