Gu Yue
Gu Yue (古月） | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hu Shixue (胡诗学) December 26, 1937 Hubei, China |
| Died | July 2, 2005 (aged 67) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978-2005 |
| Spouse | Zhang Yan (张燕) |
Gu Yue (Chinese: 古月; pinyin: Gǔ Yuè) (December 26, 1937 – July 2, 2005), originally named Hu Shixue (胡诗学), was a Chinese actor.[1] Noted for his uncanny resemblance to Mao Zedong, with whom he shares a birthday, he played the former Chinese leader 84 times from 1978 until his death.[2] He won the Best Actor titles at China's Hundred Flowers Awards in 1990 and again in 1993.
Personal life
[edit]Feng Mu, a cultural leader, found Gu at an orphanage after the liberation of Nanning.[3]: 169 Feng trained Gu to become a member of an army theater troupe as a teenager.[3]: 170 The two ultimately lost contact for a period of 40 years, reconnecting after Feng wrote an article praising Gu's performance as Mao in the 1983 film Crossing the Chishui River Four Times, not realizing that the performer was the boy he had rescued from an orphanage.[3]: 170
Gu and his wife Zhang Yan had a son.[citation needed]
Gu's personal life was low-profile.[4]: 254
Career
[edit]Marshal Ye Jianying chose Gu to portray Mao in the August First Film Studio's 1983 film Crossing the Chishui River Four Times.[3]: 169 Gu had extensive training to internalize Mao's accent, gestures, and comportment.[4]: 255
Gu played the role of Mao in The Song of the Chinese Revolution.[3]: 169–170
Gu only performed the role of Mao in his career.[4]: 254
The Chinese Communist Party did not generally permit Gu to do product endorsements.[4]: 254 He was permitted to appear at a charity concert, but was criticized by the public for the amount of money he made for the appearance and the perception that his appearance had harmed the dignity and mystique of Mao Zedong.[4]: 254 In a newspaper interview, Gu stated, "To play a leader, you have to be prepared to make some sacrifices."[4]: 254
Death
[edit]On July 2, 2005, while staying in southern China, Gu suffered a heart attack shortly after bathing in a sauna and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:09 pm.[citation needed]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | English title | Original title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Xi'an Incident | 西安事变 | Mao Zedong |
| 1982 | — | 四渡赤水 | |
| 1988 | — | 彭大将军 | |
| 1989 | The Birth of New China | 开国大典 | |
| 1991 | Decisive Engagement: The Liaoxi-Shenyang Campaign | 大决战：辽沈战役 | |
| — | 大决战：淮海战役 | ||
| — | 大决战：平津战役 | ||
| — | 决战之后 | ||
| 1992 | — | 重庆谈判 | |
| 1993 | — | 中国出了个毛泽东 | |
| The Story of Mao Zedong | 毛泽东的故事 | ||
| 1995 | — | 金戈铁马 | |
| 1996 | The Great Military March Forward: Engulf the Southwest | 大转折--鏖战鲁西南 | |
| — | 大转折--挺进大别山 | ||
| The Great Military March Forward: Liberate the Northwest | 大进军--解放大西北 | ||
| 1997 | The Great Military March Forward: Pursue and Wipe Out in the South | 大进军--南线大追歼 | |
| — | 旭日惊雷 | ||
| 1999 | The Great Military March Forward: Fight for Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou | 大战宁沪杭 | |
| Sworn Brothers | 肝胆相照 | ||
| 2000 | — | 毛泽东与斯诺 | |
| 2001 | — | 走出西柏坡 | |
| 2002 | Uncle Kurban Visits Beijing | 库尔班大叔上北京 | |
| 2005 | — | 风起云涌 |
Television
[edit]| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | — | 古城情恨 | Mao Zedong | |
| 1991 | — | 南阳大会战 | ||
| — | 七战七捷 | |||
| 1993 | — | 豫东之战 | ||
| 1997 | — | 西藏风云 | ||
| 1998 | — | 上海沧桑 | ||
| — | 中国命运的决战 | |||
| — | — | 抗美援朝 | Unreleased | |
| 2001 | — | 向前,向前! | ||
| 2002 | — | 彭真 | ||
| 2008 | Ren Bishi (TV series) | 任弼时 | Posthumous release |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best actor | The Birth of New China | Won |
| 1993 | 16th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best actor | The Story of Mao Zedong | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ "Gu Yue, 68; Actor Portrayed Mao in 84 Films, TV Shows". Los Angeles Times. 2005-07-06. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
- ^ Barme, Geremie (2016-09-16). Shades of Mao: The Posthumous Cult of the Great Leader: The Posthumous Cult of the Great Leader. Taylor & Francis. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-315-28576-4.
- ^ a b c d e Chen, Xiaomei (2016). "Performing the "Red Classics": From The East is Red to The Road to Revival". In Li, Jie; Zhang, Enhua (eds.). Red Legacies in China: Cultural Afterlives of the Communist Revolution. Harvard contemporary China series. Vol. 18. Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London: Harvard University Asia Center. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1sq5t95. ISBN 978-0-674-73718-1. JSTOR j.ctt1sq5t95.
- ^ a b c d e f Lee, Haiyan (2016). "Mao's Two Bodies: On the Curious (Political) Art of Impersonating the Great Helmsman". In Li, Jie; Zhang, Enhua (eds.). Red Legacies in China: Cultural Afterlives of the Communist Revolution. Harvard Contemporary China Series. Vol. 18. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Asia Center. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1sq5t95. ISBN 978-0-674-73718-1. JSTOR j.ctt1sq5t95.