8 Unforgettable Huang Wenyong Roles

As a self-sacrificing platoon commander, the actor defined what we look for in a leader.

The case for his greatness starts here. He was so convincing as the hardworking, upstanding immigrant Ah Shui some of us actually thought he was a real historical figure.

Sure, the show gave us the heebie jeebies during bedtime, but with Wenyong as legendary ghost catcher Zhong Kui, you just knew things would be okay.

Cab driver Ong Kim Lai, the role for which Wenyong was named Best Comedy Actor at2000’s Star Awards, may be one of the stingiest characters ever to appear on TV, but through Wenyong, he also provoked copious laughter.

Wenyong relished playing the titular character so much he would go on to reprise it on Ch 8’s Lunar New Year specials for years to come.

Oh, how we loathed (and secretly loved) the annoying, brutish ex-con Lin Jingcai who tormented Chen Liping and Xiang Yun’s characters in this mega-hit.

Francis Lin Bang, the lovable but henpecked over-the-hill getai singer, was just the kind of character Wenyong would go on to trademark in the later part of his career.

As an ex-table tennis coach frustrated about losing his job to a foreigner, he voiced not just his character’s concerns, but the nation’s as well, further cementing his status as a heartland icon.