1. Remembering the exemplary husband of that classic character
Time flies, on a sunny afternoon in March 2023, Xu Yuzhen sat alone and peacefully on her warm little balcony, staring at the intimate old photo of Chen Yude on the wall, her eyes filled with deep longing, as if this emotion could penetrate time and space and take her back to the time of the year.
Although 27 spring and autumn have passed since that day, Chen Yude, the "gold medal supporting actor" who is very popular with the national audience, is still vibrant and lifelike in her heart.
On the picture, it was Chen Yude, who was already full of gray hair, his deep eyes were slightly lowered, but the corners of his mouth were still filled with a warm smile. This was the last time Xu Yuzhen saw her husband's face.
She still remembers that at the last moment of her life, Chen Yude once said to her affectionately: "I don't want to be treated anymore, it will only bring unnecessary burden to the family and unit."
Although her husband always regarded her and the children as the most important people, Xu Yuzhen at that time was so desperate for him to continue to survive! However, fate is cruel after all, at 1 a.m. on May 3, 1996, accompanied by her and her two children, Chen Yude quietly left this world at the age of 56.
The untimely death of her husband is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Xu Yuzhen. She fell into a deep grief and drowned in the shadow of the loss of her loved one for a long time.
She always felt as if her husband was still living at home, and even the children rarely mentioned their father, lest it hurt her deeply.
Recalling the 38 years spent with Chen Yude, Xu Yuzhen's tears couldn't help but moisten her eyes. Although her husband was a well-known movie star, he never showed any arrogance or conceit, and always maintained a simple, cautious, and low-key quality.
Whenever an audience asks him in a joking tone whether he is like a "second-rate son" on the screen in real life, Chen Yude always calmly and implicitly gives an answer.
2. An extraordinary journey of artistic pursuit
In fact, Chan's passion and talent for the performing arts began as early as his childhood. In 1940, Chen Yude was born in an ordinary family in Zhenping County, Nanyang City, Henan Province.
When he was only two years old, his hometown was hit by a severe drought and a locust plague, and the whole family had to flee to Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, where Xi'an has since become Chen's second home.
Chen Yude, who lives directly opposite the Youth Auditorium, carries that indelible innocence, and frequently sneaks into the auditorium when his parents are not paying attention to enjoy the wonderful performances of the Northwest Art Troupe stationed here.
Whenever he meets the outstanding acting skills of the actors on stage, Chan Yude is thrilled and full of interest in the repertoire.
When he returned home, he would always quickly put on the sheets and imitate the actors of the art troupe to play in the house, making his sisters and brothers laugh.
Since stepping into the door of Xi'an No. 10 Middle School, Chen Yude has been actively involved in the school's art troupe and has become one of the core members of the team. In 1958, he successfully played the role of "Lu Gui" in the campus drama "Thunderstorm", and his vivid performance aroused enthusiastic responses on campus.
As he approached his high school graduation, Chen Yude firmly decided to pursue his inner artistic dream, and resolutely chose to apply for the Shanghai Theater Academy. Although this decision was strongly opposed by his parents, he did not hesitate to secretly enroll, and was finally admitted to the school.
In the process of studying at the Shanghai Theater Academy, Chen Yude's comedy talent was fully explored and displayed, and teachers praised him as a "rare comedy genius".
After graduating from university, Chen Yude was assigned to work in the Henan Provincial Repertory Theatre. In 1964, he made his debut on the big screen in the movie "Dragon Horse Spirit", and successfully created the very comic role of "Liugen", and was therefore favored by Beijing Film Studio, and since then he has officially embarked on his brilliant acting career.
3. Create a classic image of "gold medal supporting role".
In 1964, Chen Yude successfully created the role of the funny "Root" in his first work "Dragon Horse Spirit" filmed by Beijing Film Studio. He wears a glass-brimmed hat, a "two-story" costume with a long inside and a short outside, and a paper clip pinned to the collar, which makes the audience laugh as soon as he appears.
Especially in the scene where he went on a blind date with Liu Cuixiang, Chen Yude showed the character's personality traits vividly and vividly through rich facial expressions and exaggerated body movements, which is unforgettable.
The film gave him a solid foundation as a comedian.
Since then, Chen Yude has successively played small characters in many well-known film and television dramas such as "Look at This Family", "Dumb Aunt", "Contemporary", etc., creating one lifelike image after another, leaving a deep memory on the audience.
However, it was not until 1983, when the feature film "Our Cow is 100 Years Old" on the theme of rural life was released, that Chen Yude really became famous throughout the country and won wide recognition and love.
Chen Yude in the film performed the role of "Tian Fu" brilliantly with his superb acting skills, which left a deep impression on the audience. With his messy, dusty hair, shabby short-sleeved shirt and unshoed footsteps, and a panicked and confused expression, he vividly paints a lazy portrait of a "lazy and cynical" person.
The more exciting performance is undoubtedly the gripping scene of "smashing the pot". When Tian Fu realized that he owed the production team 18 catties of corn for a grain debt, he mistakenly thought that he had been oppressed, so he angrily broke into Niu Baisui's house, picked up a stone and slammed the iron pot.
When all this happened, Chen Yude successfully expressed Tian Fu's complex emotions such as shock and confusion, anger and self-blame vividly, which moved the audience.
Chen Yude's excellent acting skills are deeply loved by the audience and bring an unforgettable viewing experience to the audience. With his outstanding performance in "Our Cow is 100 Years Old", he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 7th Popular Film "Hundred Flowers Awards".
Subsequently, he once again successfully portrayed the role of "Liu Tiedan" with his superb acting skills in "Our Veterans", portraying the character traits of this sour old veteran vividly.
In 1987, Chen Yude was honored to appear on the stage of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, and co-starred with Wang Fuli in the famous sketch "Loving Couple" In 1991, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 14th "Hundred Flowers Award" again for his wonderful performance in the film "Cockfighting", and was praised as "Gold Medal Supporting Actor" and "Henan Monster" by the media and audience.
Fourth, the art world is bright and the family is warm
Despite his reputation in the entertainment industry, Chan's living environment is quite modest. The family of four lives in a small space of only 30 square meters, with a small stove for burning honeycomb coal at the door.
Whenever his wife, Xu Yuzhen, was busy in the kitchen, billowing fumes poured into the house unscrupulously, choking the children to cough incessantly.
However, despite the poor living conditions, the family is full of warmth and love. Despite his thriving career, Chan has never forgotten his duty, always remaining humble and low-key, and caring for his family.
Every time he returns from abroad, he takes on all the household chores: cooking for the whole family, washing clothes, and even cleaning the concrete floor to a spotless level, so that the family can enjoy life without worries.
In fact, although Chen Yude, who has superb acting skills, does not earn a lot of income from filming, he knows that he cannot affect the normal operation of his family and his unit, so whenever he goes out to perform, he always chooses to donate up to 90% of his remuneration to his parent troupe, Henan Provincial Repertory Theatre, to help the team overcome difficulties and dangers.
Despite the hardships of life, the humble and productive actor still adheres to a poor and ordinary lifestyle.
On the set, Chan Yu-tak is known for his good reputation and has never had any disputes with others. Even when he has a busy schedule, he always tries to avoid causing trouble to others, choosing to solve problems himself.
Whether it's filling up a thermos or tidying up the room, he does it himself, and is a model of a "model husband".
It is this unpretentious, kind and innocent quality that makes Chen Yude win the unanimous appreciation and love of his colleagues in the crew.
An enthusiastic viewer once mocked Chen Yude and questioned whether he was like a "second-rate" image on the screen in real life. Other actors may be outraged by this, but Chan explains it in a subtle and gentle way.
He has always maintained a humble and low-key attitude and does not pretend to be a star, which is precisely what touches him the most.
As Chen Yude's wife, Xu Yuzhen naturally knows her husband's conduct well. One year, she published an article in the newspaper, solemnly announcing to the public: "Chen Yude in life has nothing to do with the old sick, the lazy, and the second-rate, he is a model husband and an excellent father."
Fifth, fate is ruthless and never abandoned
However, fate ruthlessly dealt a heavy blow to this otherwise happy family in 1991. That year, Chen Yude was diagnosed with sinus cancer, and the news was like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, which made the whole family fall into the abyss of despair in an instant.
In the face of her husband's sudden illness, Xu Yuzhen did not hesitate, and after receiving the full support of her family, she firmly decided to accompany Chen Yude to Guangzhou for treatment.
Therefore, under the careful care of his wife, Chen Yude successfully completed the lesion removal surgery and experienced a painful chemotherapy process that lasted for more than two months.
At one point, his condition seemed to improve, rekindling the flame of hope for the family.
However, the disease struck relentlessly again. In April 1996, Chen Yude's health deteriorated rapidly, and he bitterly confided in his wife the heartbreaking words: "I can't hold on anymore, and this will only add to the burden on my family and the unit."
Hearing this, Xu Yuzhen and her two children felt pain in their hearts, and they were resolutely unwilling to give up so easily. The wife angrily reprimanded her husband for his nonsense and resolutely sent him to the hospital for more in-depth treatment.
However, even Chen Yude himself understands that in the face of terrible cancer, there is no room for manoeuvre, less than two weeks later, that is, at 1 o'clock in the middle of the night on May 3, 1996, in the company of his lover and children, the once popular "gold medal supporting actor" closed his eyes peacefully, and finally said goodbye to this world At this moment, his death was undoubtedly untimely death, at the age of only 56, until the last moment of his life, Chen Yude never let out a painful moan,
Lest it bring more trouble to his family, he chose to bear the pain silently, leave quietly, and did not want to burden the relatives around him, this selfless quality makes it even more difficult for his wife and children to let go of the "weird star" style that will forever be recorded in history In March 2023, it has been a full 27 years since Chen Yude's death, however, this "gold medal supporting actor" who has successfully shaped many classic roles such as "Tian Fu", "Four Circles" and "Tie Dan" has a unique comedy talent and low-key and humble attitude towards life
However, Chen Yude's lifestyle is very different from the glittering light on the screen, and it is particularly simple and pragmatic. The four members of the Chen family live in an old house of only 30 square meters, and the furnishings in the home are extremely simple, almost like a family with four walls.
However, in such a situation, Chen Yude has never regarded himself as a dazzling star, and has always maintained a humble and approachable attitude towards others, he has perfectly interpreted the noble title of "model husband" with practical actions, and when his career is booming, Chen Yude still adheres to the principle of living in poverty, and even whenever he goes out to perform, he does not hesitate to hand over most of the remuneration to the Henan Repertory Theatre, so as to help the unit overcome many difficulties.
In 1991, Chen Yude was unfortunately diagnosed with sinus cancer. In the face of the sudden illness, his wife Xu Yuzhen did not hesitate to send him to Guangzhou for treatment, and always accompanied him, giving him endless love and support.
Despite the ill-fated fate and the resurgence of cancer, until the last moment of their lives, the couple, who have been together for 38 years, are still closely connected and support each other, and they have fulfilled their love vow of "never leaving" with practical actions.
Now, Chen Yude has left us for 27 years, but his spirit of innocence, kindness, and determination to pursue his dreams will always be engraved in the hearts of the audience. This outstanding actor, known as the "Gold Medal Supporting Actor" and "Henan Monster Star", is undoubtedly worthy of being remembered and inherited from generation to generation by his artistic talent and personality charm.