Chu Ke-liang
| Chu Ke-liang | |
|---|---|
An undated photo of young Chu Ke-liang
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| Background information | |
| Chinese name | (traditional) |
| Chinese name | (simplified) |
| Pinyin | Zhū Gēliàng (Mandarin) |
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Ti Ko-liōng (Hokkien) |
| Birth name | Hsieh Hsin-ta (謝新達 Siā Sin-ta̍t) |
| Born |
5 December 1946 Zuoying, Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| Died | 15 May 2017 (aged 70) National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan |
| Other name(s) | Chu Ko-liang |
| Occupation | Comedian, television host, actor, singer |
| Years active | 1980–2017 |
| Children | 5 (including Jeannie Hsieh and ) |
| Signature | |
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Chu Ke-liang (Chinese: 豬哥亮; pinyin: Zhū Gēliàng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ti Ko-liōng or Ti Ko-liāng; 5 December 1946 – 15 May 2017) was a Taiwanese comedian, actor, television show host and singer. He was known for his "over-the-top appearance" with unusual clothing and hair styles and his coarse humor.
Chu was born Hsieh Hsin-ta (謝新達; Taiwanese Siā Sin-ta̍t) in Zuoying, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Chu left home in his early teenage years to pursue his dream of being in the theater. He went on to receive tuition from Lin Sung-yen (林松煙 Lín Sōngyān) and became an actor and writer but remained largely unknown to the wider public. At around age 30, he had a role in a play about the semi-legendary Liao Tianding as the clown character Zhū Gēliàng. He was so popular in this role that he chose the name as his own stage name.
In 1980, the Chu Ke-liang Cabaret Show (豬哥亮歌廳秀; Zhū Gēliàng Gētīng Xiù) broke onto the scene in Taiwan and Chu's popularity took off. In the show, Chu had a mild-mannered persona but often used coarse language and double entendre. He would get into quarrels with the guest singers and tell off-color jokes. Along with Chang Fei, Frankie Kao, and Ni Min-jan, Chu was one of Taiwan's biggest TV stars of the 1980s.
In 1994, Chu campaigned on behalf of James Soong in his candidacy for the governorship of Taiwan province. Soong successfully used support from Chu, who was at the time Taiwan's most popular entertainer, to help convince Taiwanese to support a candidate with a mainland Chinese background.
Chu racked up gambling debts over NT$1 billion (US$35 million) from playing Taiwan's illegal lottery and Hong Kong's Mark Six despite an income of NT$60 million per month. He is said to have owed his boss, Yang Tang-kuei, NT$120 million. As a result, he fled into hiding to escape this and other debts to underworld figures in 1995. He briefly returned to the public eye in 1997 but again absconded in 1999.
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