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Thanh Nga: South Vietnamese Actress
of Films and Opera Stage
Murdered at Age 36 |
Thanh Nga (1942-1978) was the most popular actress of South Vietnam's
cai luong opera stage prior to 1975. She was best known portraying roles in
cai luong plays such as
Điêu Thuyền in Phụng Nghi Đình, Kim Anh in Đời Cô Lựu, Vân in Ánh Sáng và Bóng Tối, Quỳnh Nga in Bên Cầu Dệt Lụa and Trưng Trắc in Tiếng Trống Mê Linh. In addition, Thanh Nga had also enjoyed a careeer as a film actress starring in a series of films produced in South Vietnam including
Doi Mat Nguoi Xua (The Eyes of a Past Lover) (1963), Mua Thu Cuoi Cung (Final Autumn) (1971), the film adaption of
Lan va Diep (1972), Xa Lo Khong Den (Dark Highway) (1972) and
Nang Chieu (Evening Sunshine) (1973), in which she had costarred with
Hung Cuong. Aside from her acting and
cai luong opera singing talents, Thanh Nga was also famous for her striking physical beauty being hailed as one of the most beautiful Vietnamese actresses of all time. Her beauty has only been rivaled to that of another screen legend of South Vietnam, actress
Tham Thuy Hang. Twice married with one child and once romantically linked to fellow performer
Thanh Duoc, Thanh Nga met her untimely death at age 36 when she along with her husband were shot and killed in 1978.
Her younger half-brother,
Bao Quoc, is also an accomplished
cai luong and film actor in Vietnam.
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Thanh Nga and Huu Phuoc
in the classic cải lương play, Mưa Rừng,
during the 1960s in Saigon. |
Link(s):
50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
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| Thanh Nga's beauty was easily captured on film. |
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| Thanh Nga in the film, Xa Lo Khong Den (Dark Highway) (1972) |
She and her husband "Dong" (Chief of cabinet to a minister) Lan as shot as her taxi stopped to bet her out around midnight in front of the house next door to her house number 111 on Ngo Tung Chau Street in District 2, Saigon. The shooter was a gunman in white shirt riding as passenger of a Honda motorcycle.
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