Betty Loh Ti (24 July 1937 – 27 December 1968) was a Chinese actress who was often described as the 'Chinese Classic Beauty'. In the 1960s, she was popular among both Chinese and Western filmgoers.

Biography

Born in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, Chinese as , Betty was raised by her maternal grandmother following her parents' death. With her family, she left Shanghai in 1949 and settled in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

.

Betty started her career

Career

Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....

 in the film industry

Film industry

The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...

 in 1952 and played in 44 film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

s until her death in 1968. During this period, she joined three film production companies: Great Wall Film Production Limited (1953–1958), The Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Limited (1958–1964), and Motion Picture and General Investments Limited (1964–1968). In her 44 films, she played varied roles which showcased her skill as an actress.

She married the actor Peter Chen Ho in 1962. Her brother Kelly Lei Chen was also an actor with MP&GI. Several sources mention that she committed suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

, although this information is subject to debate.

The Enchanting Shadow

In 1960, The Enchanting Shadow

The Enchanting Shadow

The Enchanting Shadow is a 1960 Hong Kong drama film directed by Li Han-hsiang. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. The film was also selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 33rd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Cast:* Betty Loh Ti...

(倩女幽魂) was shown at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival

1960 Cannes Film Festival

-Jury:*Georges Simenon *Marc Allégret *Louis Chauvet *Diego Fabbri *Hidemi Ima *Grigori Kozintsev *Maurice Leroux *Max Lippmann *Henry Miller...

. The film produced by the Shaw's Brother Production is the first Mandarin film in colour to take in a major international film festival. An enthusiastic reception was given by the Cannes audience to the film, and Betty was praised as 'The Most Beautiful Star of the East'.

Dream of the Red Chamber

In 1962, she played the role of Lin Daiyu in this film, based on the world-renowned piece of literature of the same name written by Cao Xueqin

Cao Xueqin

Cao Xueqin was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature...

 during the Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

, the love tragedy of the graceful girl with her cousin Jia Baoyu. Though the play was not well received, fans were touched by her performance.

The Love Eterne

In 1963, Betty Loh Ti became the Best Actress of Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 for her role in the legendary blockbuster The Love Eterne

The Love Eterne

The Love Eterne is a 1963 Hong Kong musical film of the Huangmei opera genre directed by Li Han Hsiang. It is based on the Chinese classic story The Butterfly Lovers, which is sometimes referred to as the Romeo and Juliet of the Far East...

. This film had broken the box office record in many South East Asia countries, Taipei

Taipei

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

 even became 'the crazy city'. Many people saw the film over one hundred times, we can say it was as lengendary as Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind (film)

Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...

in the Mandarin film world.

Filmography

The films she played for the Great Wall Film Production Limited were as follow:

• The Peerless Beauty (1953)
• Tales of the City (1954)
• Loves of the Youngsters (1955)
• Diamond Thief (1955)
• The Apartment for Women (1956)
• Sunrise (1956)
• Three Loves (1956)
• A Widow's Tears (1956)
• The Song of Harmony (1957)
• Suspicion (1957)
• The Chivalrous Songstress (1957)
• Love Affairs of a Confirmed Bachelor (1959)

The films she played for The Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Limited were as follow:

• The Magic Touch (1958)
• Love Letter Murder (1959)
• The Adventures of the Thirteenth Sister (1959)
• The Deformed (1959)
• The Malayan Affair (1960)
• Back Door (1960)
• Love Thy Neighbour (1960)
• The Enchanting Shadow
  The Enchanting Shadow
  The Enchanting Shadow is a 1960 Hong Kong drama film directed by Li Han-hsiang. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. The film was also selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 33rd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Cast:* Betty Loh Ti...
  
  (1960)
• When the Peach Blossoms Bloom (1960)
• The Rose of Summer (1961)
• The Pistol (1961)
• The Bride Napping (1962)
• Dream of the Red Chamber (1962)
• Mid-Nightmare (Part One) (1962)
• Mid-Nightmare (Part Two) (1963)
• Revenge of a Swordswoman (1963)
• The Love Eterne
  The Love Eterne
  The Love Eterne is a 1963 Hong Kong musical film of the Huangmei opera genre directed by Li Han Hsiang. It is based on the Chinese classic story The Butterfly Lovers, which is sometimes referred to as the Romeo and Juliet of the Far East...
  
  (1963)
• My Lucky Star (1963)
• The Dancing Millionairess (1964)
• The Story of Sue San (1964)
• Sons of the Good Earth (1965)

The films she played for Motion Picture and General Investments Limited (MP&GI)were as follow:

• A Beggar's Daughter (1965)
• The Longest Night (1965)
• The Lucky Purse (1966)
• Lady in the Moon (1966)
• A Debt of Blood (1966)
• The Magic Fan (1967)
• Darling, Stay at Home (1968)
• Travels with a Sword (1968)
• Red Plum Pavilion (1968)

External links

• The Classic Beauty, Betty Loh Ti – a website done by the fans of Betty in Taiwan
• HK cinemagic entry