Obituary: Veteran Hong Kong actor Pau Fong, the father of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), passed away last Friday after a long bout of illness. He was 84.

Pau Fong (1922 – 2006) Pau (real name Pau Jihuan) was born on Nov 12, 1922. He made his movie debut in the 1948 film Spirit of China, and had been one of the most prolific actors of his generation.

He had starred in hundreds of movies and TV dramas over the past five decades. Last March, he was listed as one of the top 100 Chinese movie actors, in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Chinese filmmaking. He was later bestowed with his own star on Hong Kong's Avenue of Stars.

The veteran actor continued working till 1999 when he suffered a stroke while filming a TV series. After the stroke, he was confined to a sanatorium until a few months back when he suffered lung complications, and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Pau was married to the late actress Liu Su. Besides youngest son Peter, he leaves behind daughters Hee Ka and Hee Ching (last seen in Jet Li's Fearless).