On April 23, the Shandong Provincial Drama Theatre issued an obituary that the famous performance artist Comrade Wang Yumei died in Beijing at 20:50 on April 13, 2022 due to illness, at the age of 87.
Due to the requirements of epidemic prevention and control and Wang Yumei's low-key life attitude, her subsequent affairs have been handled with the principle of simplicity.
In her artistic career of more than half a century, Wang Yumei has not only created a variety of classic images for Chinese film and television with her superb acting skills that touch people's hearts, but also made outstanding contributions to the construction of Chinese theaters and the cultivation of a generation of outstanding young artists with her kind and sincere personality qualities.
In the face of the bad news of her death, actress Ni Ping sent a memorial to the story that happened in the past when she and Teacher Wang Yumei jointly filmed the movie "Mountain Chrysanthemum". At that time, Ni Ping was also a young actor in the Shandong Provincial Drama Theatre, and Wang Yumei played her mother. In a heavy scene, Ni Ping nervously could not cry out, she lay on the body of Teacher Wang Yumei, just when she said the line, Teacher Wang gently kneaded her ears to let her relax, at that moment, Ni Ping felt a kind of warmth from her mother, she could not cry. "In the days that followed, we were both teachers and students as well as mother and daughter. Teacher Wang, thank you and miss you! ”
Wang Yumei's care and care for the actors is like the tolerance of the mother, and the mother image she plays in the film and television drama is also truly heartwarming, so she is also known as "the mother professional household" and "the first old lady on the screen".
In 1963, at the age of 29, Wang Yumei began to play an old lady in her 50s, and Zhao Wu's aunt in "After the Harvest" was her first old mother figure, and she portrayed the simple and pure traditional Chinese women into a beautiful portrait, which penetrated the hearts of the audience.
After "After the Harvest" was widely acclaimed, Wang Yumei went to Beijing to perform, and Premier Zhou Enlai watched her performance, took her hand and said: "I didn't expect you to be so young, and you played this old lady Zhao Wu aunt so vividly, and you will perform more good dramas for the people in the future!" This reception made Wang Yumei extremely excited, she always kept in mind the words of Premier Zhou, and truly devoted her life to the creation of film and television dramas and the construction of theaters.
During the Sino-Vietnamese self-defense counterattack, Wang Yumei had a warrior in her heart, and she did not hesitate to join the Central Condolence Group and rushed to the front line to perform condolences, and was called "the mother of the warrior" by the soldiers.
In the movie "Xiyingmen", Wang Yumei played Ren Wen's mother, she was kind and kind, virtuous and gentle. With this film, she won the nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the second Golden Rooster Awards.
She played Liang Da Niang in "Wreath Under the Mountain", and has starred in movies and TV series versions. The role of Liang Da Niang is arguably the most touching mother figure in the history of Chinese cinema. Her son was killed in battle with a bloody IOU in his pocket. Liang Da Niang and her daughter-in-law ran to the position to see him for the last time, and decided to sell her property to pay off her son's debt, although she was weak, but she had a strong will, and the sincere and touching performance made the audience burst into tears. With this role, she won the "Golden Eagle Award", "Feitian Award" and "Hundred Flowers Award" for best supporting actress.
Just after playing the simple Liang Da Niang, Wang Yumei turned around and went to shoot the movie "Tan Si Tong", playing Empress Dowager Cixi, which was the first Cixi on the screen Chinese. The two roles with such a great contrast between before and after, Wang Yumei all successfully completed and won the title of "Golden Rooster Award" Best Supporting Actress Award.
Since then, she has continued to shine in film and television drama creation, and has won many awards. In 1995, Wang Yumei won the Actor Award of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of World Cinema and the 90th Anniversary of the Birth of Chinese Cinema, becoming the first person in the country to receive this honor as a drama actor.
Wang Yumei loves acting, even if she has been playing a supporting actress and playing an old mother, she also does her best to do her best. In her eyes, every role is flesh and blood, there is no protagonist supporting role, as long as you go deep into it, it is the protagonist.
In 2005, Wang Yumei's husband Zhai Jianping died. Zhai Jianping once served as the head of the Shandong Provincial Repertory Theatre, and his students, in addition to Ni Ping, also had Zhao Na, the head of the Bayi Factory, and Xu Shaohua, the tang monk of the 86th edition of "Journey to the West". The couple have a very good relationship, support each other, and work together to cultivate a young generation of actors. After the death of her husband Zhai Jianping, Wang Yumei suffered a great mental blow and soon became ill in bed and could not take over the play.
In 2006, Wang Yumei left for retirement, the death of her husband and the fact that she had already suffered from Alzheimer's disease, she could no longer carry out filming work, so she temporarily retreated behind the scenes and continued to train young actors. After her treatment with experts and the company of her family, her physical condition improved and she continued to shoot until 2010, when Wang Yumei never appeared on the screen again.
In front of the screen, she interprets her love for artistic work with professional level, and behind the screen, she uses her sincere teaching to cultivate students and serve the people. She has spent her life practicing the ideals and beliefs of artists, like candles, burning herself and contributing to illuminating the cause of Chinese culture. Heavy mourning, I wish the old man a good journey.