Father of Hong Kong’s movie and TV entertainment Run Run Shaw dies at age 106
Lauded as the man who gave rise to the golden age of Hong Kong movies, Run Run Shaw passed away this morning. Shaw was not only respected for his work in the film industry, but also for his achievements in television entertainment and philanthropy. He was knighted in 1907, and even had an asteroid named after him.
Run Run Shaw, the founder of Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Ltd. and co-founder of Television Broadcasts Ltd.(TVB), the city’s biggest television network, died at his home at 6:55 am, according to a TVB statement.
Run Run Shaw’s works gave rise to the golden era of Hong Kong's film industry. Shaw Brothers movies dominated the Asia movie scene in the 1960s. The studio also distributed Chinese movies to the global cinema. “The Magnificent Concubine,” a film about the dramatic relationship between a Tang Dynasty emperor and his favorite concubine, was the first Chinese movie to receive an international award, when it achieved acclaim at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
In a 1981 interview in Signature magazine, Shaw spoke about his vision for movie-making. “Films are an art; they are also an industry,” Shaw said. “Forget that for a moment and you have a money loser in your hands.”
Shaw also made many notable investments internationally, including cult classic Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford.
In a radio show this morning, lawmaker James To said he had run into Shaw a few times on the MTR many years ago. “He was in his 80s,” To said. “He said it was rush hour and he had to be on time.”
The media mogul is also remembered for his philanthropist works. To said he once asked Shaw how many schools he had. “He then sank into deep thoughts for two minutes. Then he said he had more than 4,000 schools.” He had donated several billions towards building education and medical facilities in Hong Kong and on the mainland.