Award-winning Taiwanese actor Ku Pao-ming (???), best known as one of few successful thespians of his generation to garner widespread acclaim both on stage and in film, died Saturday at the age of 71.

Frequent collaborator and friend James Liang (???) confirmed the news of Ku’s passing in a social media post.

Ku starred in several critically acclaimed stage productions of the Godot Theater Company (????), founded by Liang, including a Mandarin adaptation of the French comedy, “Art.”

In his social media post, Liang revealed that Ku had passed away due to congestive heart failure.

The actor would have celebrated his 72nd birthday on April 8.

Ku is perhaps most familiar to Western audiences from Jet Li’s (???) 2007 period drama “The Warlords (???),” but he gained notable recognition in the Mandarin-speaking world for his mastery of comedic roles.

According to Liang, Ku was dedicated to his craft throughout his life and would command any scene whether it was comedic, dramatic, or absurdist.

Known for his chameleon-like character work, Ku was a two-time winner at the Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan’s highest award for television, for best actor and best supporting actor, while he was also recognized with a Golden Horse award for his supporting role in “The Peach Blossom Land (?????).”

He also starred in the Edward Yang-directed “The Terrorizers (????),” a seminal work in the New Taiwanese Cinema movement of the 1980s.

Following his passing, those from the world of theater and film expressed their sorrow and condolences.

Acclaimed American-born Taiwanese playwright and theater director Stan Lai (???) said that the world had lost an irreplaceable talent, while screen director Chen Yu-Hsun (???) described Ku as a “national treasure.”

Speaking with CNA, screen director Kevin Chu (???) said that Ku was an accomplished actor, and remembered a time when the late actor stole an entire scene from other well-known actors during the making of a comedy movie.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel