Lorin Williams July 12th, 2026 - 2:12 PM
The comic book fandom mourns the loss of veteran actress Wai Ching Ho, who has died at the age of 82. According to Variety, Ho suffered a stroke on July 10. She was mostly known for her portrayal of Marvel villain Madame Gao in Netflix’s Daredevil series. The role carried on throughout the series universe, as she appeared in Iron Fist and the crossover event series, The Defenders.
News of her passing was first acknowledged on social media by Ho’s Marvel co-star Peter Shinkoda (Falling Skies, The Predator). In an Instagram post, Shinkoda wrote, “I won’t ever forget you. I learned every minute from you when we were together on and off set. I know wisdom – I’d hang on your every word. We will meet again, my friend. You were beautiful.” View the full post below.
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Shinkoda starred as Nobu Yoshioka, a villain associate of Ho’s Gao, who was a founding member of the crime syndicate, The Hand, in Daredevil.
Another tribute came from actor Perry Yung (Warrior, The Equalizer). Yung stated, “It’s a very emotional moment for all of us who knew Wai Ching Ho. She passed away peacefully after a stroke two days ago. I had seen her perform many times on stage, had many a dim sum and she came to see @slantperformancegroup many times. I even had the enormous good fortune of having played her husband (parents to @justinchon) in the film High Resolution. Wai Ching was a kind, compassionate human being whose work as an artist lifted every production to a higher standard, and we are better for it. Rest in power dear friend.”
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Born in Hong Kong in 1943, Ho’s first American role was in 1990’s Cadillac Man with Robin Williams (Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire). She remained active in TV and film throughout her career, appearing in Soapdish, Hustlers, One Life to Live and Flight of the Conchords. She also had a recurring role in the Comedy Central series Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens.
Ho also dabbled in voice-acting, lending her talent to PlayStation’s popular gaming franchise Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. She also recently voiced Grandma Wu in Pixar’s coming-of-age film, Turning Red.
