Wai Ching Ho, the veteran actress best known to Marvel fans as Madame Gao, has died. She was 82.
People reported that Ho’s death was announced by her former Daredevil costar Peter Shinkoda on Saturday, July 11. Entertainment Weekly reported that actor Perry Yung later said Ho had “passed away peacefully after a stroke.”
A representative for Ho confirmed her death to People and shared a statement from her family thanking fans and colleagues for the messages they had sent after the news became public.
Her Daredevil Costars Paid Tribute
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Shinkoda, who played Nobu Yoshioka on Daredevil, remembered Ho as someone he learned from both on and off set.
“I won’t ever forget you,” he wrote in one tribute, adding that he learned from her every minute they were together. He called her “beautiful” and said he would hang on every word because he recognized her wisdom.
Yung, who acted with Ho in the 2018 drama High Resolution, also honored her as a kind and compassionate artist. He said her work lifted every production to a higher standard and remembered spending time with her offstage as well as watching her perform.
Madame Gao Became Her Signature Screen Role
Ho first appeared as Madame Gao in Season 1 of Netflix’s Daredevil in 2015. The character quickly became one of the show’s most memorable villains, calm on the surface but quietly dangerous.
Ho later brought Madame Gao into Iron Fist and The Defenders, making her part of Marvel’s wider small-screen universe.
Entertainment Weekly noted that Ho once credited the writers with giving Madame Gao more to do as the character developed, while describing Gao as calm on the surface with a mind that was “always churning.”
Her Career Went Far Beyond Marvel
Ho’s résumé stretched across film, television, animation and theater. People noted that she appeared in Premium Rush, Hustlers, Fresh Off the Boat and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens.
She also voiced Grandma Wu in Pixar’s Turning Red. Entertainment Weekly reported that Ho’s U.S. screen career included One Life to Live, Happiness, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Born in Hong Kong in 1943, Ho built a career that moved between stage work, independent films, television dramas, studio comedies and genre projects.
She Was Also Remembered as a Stage Artist and Mentor
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People reported that Ho also had a stage career that included Celine Song’s off-Broadway play Endlings.
Actress Mahira Kakkar remembered her as warm, funny, caring, joyful and a “pillar” for actors who did not always have many role models in the industry.
“My dear Wai you deserve all the standing ovations,” Kakkar wrote. “What a stellar human and a stellar artist.”