Betty Ting
Encyclopedia
Betty Ting Pei is a Taiwan
ese actress who joined Shaw Brothers
in 1967. Despite acting in more than 30 movie
s, nowadays she is known because of the mysterious and controversial death of Bruce Lee
in her apartment
.
. In January 1967, after acting in six Taiwanese films, she was spotted by Shaw Brothers' director
, Peter Pan Lei, and thereafter adopted the screen name of "Ting Pei". Her first film in Hong Kong
was The Purple Shell, where she acted as a dance hostess
.
Although Betty had acted in drama
s, comedies
, musical
s and martial arts films, she is better known in Asia for her mistress
roles and her many bedroom scenes. She was a regular of director Inoue Umetsugu
, for whom she performed in the musicals, The Millionaire Chase, The Yellow Muffler, and The Brain Stealers.
In 1973, Betty became a freelance actress, and continued to make films both in her native Taiwan, as well as in Hong Kong.
s when Bruce died in her apartment at 67 Beacon Hill Road, Kowloon Tong
, Hong Kong
. According to press reports, Bruce Lee was going over the script
of Game of Death
in Betty's apartment, a Golden Harvest
film in which she was reported to have a lead role, when he complained of a headache
. She gave him a single tablet of Equagesic
, a strong aspirin
-based drug
that she often used herself. He then went to sleep, but when she could not wake him up for a dinner appointment with Raymond Chow
, the owner of Golden Harvest, Betty called an ambulance
. Lee was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital
where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Death was allegedly caused by an allergic reaction
that resulted in brain
edema
(swelling of the brain). The coroner
described his passing as "death by misadventure".
On 20 July 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong, due to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby
, with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Lee met producer Raymond Chow at 2 p.m. at home to discuss the making of the movie Game of Death. They worked until 4 p.m. and then drove together to the home of Lee's colleague Betty Ting, a Taiwanese actress. The three went over the script at Ting's home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting.
After Bruce's death, Ting appeared in several other Hong Kong films, including the Hui Brothers' comedy, Games Gamblers Play (1974) which broke box office
records. She subsequently married Charles Heung
, the head of Win's Film Co., but the marriage did not last. In 1985, she retired from show business
, and allegedly became a Buddhist
nun
after appearing in her last movie, My Name Ain't Suzie.
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...
ese actress who joined Shaw Brothers
Shaw Brothers Studio
The Shaw Brothers Studio , owned by Shaw Brothers Ltd., was the foremost and the largest movie production company of Hong Kong movies.From their distribution base in Singapore where they founded parent company Shaw Organization in 1924, and as a strategic development of their movie distribution...
in 1967. Despite acting in more than 30 movie
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, nowadays she is known because of the mysterious and controversial death of Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
in her apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
.
Career
Born Tang Mei Li, Betty started her acting career with "China Motion Picture Corporation" in TaiwanTaiwan
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...
. In January 1967, after acting in six Taiwanese films, she was spotted by Shaw Brothers' director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, Peter Pan Lei, and thereafter adopted the screen name of "Ting Pei". Her first film 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...
was The Purple Shell, where she acted as a dance hostess
Taxi dancer
A taxi dancer, or taxi for short , is a paid dance partner in a partner dance. For official purposes in the US, their occupation was referred to as "dancer", when they worked in taxi-dance halls that had all the necessary business permits...
.
Although Betty had acted in drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
s, comedies
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
s and martial arts films, she is better known in Asia for her mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
roles and her many bedroom scenes. She was a regular of director Inoue Umetsugu
Umetsugu Inoue
was a Japanese film director and scriptwriter. He directed 115 movies, wrote 101 screenplays, and is credited with the original story for five films...
, for whom she performed in the musicals, The Millionaire Chase, The Yellow Muffler, and The Brain Stealers.
In 1973, Betty became a freelance actress, and continued to make films both in her native Taiwan, as well as in Hong Kong.
Relationship with Bruce Lee
On 20 July 1973, Ting unwittingly hit the headlineHeadline
The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a...
s when Bruce died in her apartment at 67 Beacon Hill Road, Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong , formerly Kau Lung Tong, is an area in Hong Kong. Within New Kowloon, it is administratively divided by Kowloon City District and Sham Shui Po District...
, 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...
. According to press reports, Bruce Lee was going over the script
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
of Game of Death
Game of Death
The Game of Death is a 1972 film starring Bruce Lee. It was almost the last film Bruce Lee had planned to be the demonstration piece of his martial art Jeet Kune Do. Over 100 minutes of footage was shot before his death, some of which was later misplaced in the Golden Harvest archives...
in Betty's apartment, a Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest is a film production, distribution, and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It played a major role in becoming the first Chinese film company to successfully enter the western market for an extended period of time, especially with the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan...
film in which she was reported to have a lead role, when he complained of a headache
Headache
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
. She gave him a single tablet of Equagesic
Equagesic
Equagesic is a combination drug indicated for short-term pain treatment accompanied by tension or anxiety in patients with musculoskeletal disorders or tension headache.- Composition :It combines*aspirin 325mg and...
, a strong aspirin
Aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
-based drug
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
that she often used herself. He then went to sleep, but when she could not wake him up for a dinner appointment with Raymond Chow
Raymond Chow
Raymond Chow Man-Wai is a Hong Kong film producer, and presenter and was responsible for successfully launching martial arts and the Hong Kong cinema onto the international stage...
, the owner of Golden Harvest, Betty called an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
. Lee was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong
Queen Elizabeth Hospital , QE in short, is a hospital at King's Park in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was named after Queen Elizabeth II. The hospital is a major hospital in southern Kowloon. This hospital has around 1,800 beds. It has more or less 350 physicians and surgeons...
where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Death was allegedly caused by an allergic reaction
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
that resulted in brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
edema
Edema
Edema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...
(swelling of the brain). The coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
described his passing as "death by misadventure".
On 20 July 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong, due to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby
George Lazenby
George Robert Lazenby is an Australian actor and former model, best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.-Early life:...
, with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Lee met producer Raymond Chow at 2 p.m. at home to discuss the making of the movie Game of Death. They worked until 4 p.m. and then drove together to the home of Lee's colleague Betty Ting, a Taiwanese actress. The three went over the script at Ting's home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting.
After Bruce's death, Ting appeared in several other Hong Kong films, including the Hui Brothers' comedy, Games Gamblers Play (1974) which broke box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
records. She subsequently married Charles Heung
Charles Heung
Charles Heung Wah-Keung is a Hong Kong actor-turned-film producer and presenter. As founder of Win's Entertainment in the 1980s and China Star Entertainment Group in the 1990s, he has helped established the careers of various cinematic icons in Hong Kong that include Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat,...
, the head of Win's Film Co., but the marriage did not last. In 1985, she retired from show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
, and allegedly became a Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
after appearing in her last movie, My Name Ain't Suzie.
Filmography
- 1967: The Purple Shell
- 1968: Tomorrow is Another Day
- 1968: The Brain Stealers
- 1969: Dear Murderer
- 1969: The Singing Escort
- 1969: The Millionaire Chase
- 1970: Hellgate
- 1970: Apartment For LadiesApartment for LadiesApartment for Ladies or Nu zi gong yu is a 1970 Hong Kong Shaw Brothers comedy film directed by Umetsugu Inoue.-Cast and roles:* Alice Au Yin Ching as Ding* Barry Chan as Tommy* Chou Chia-li* Ha Ping as Lulu* Man No Kuo...
- 1971: The Night is Young
- 1972: The Yellow Muffler
- 1972: Intimate Confessions of a Chinese CourtesanIntimate Confessions Of A Chinese CourtesanIntimate Confessions Of A Chinese Courtesan, or Ai Nu in Mandarin Chinese, is a 1972 Shaw Brothers film directed by Chor Yuen and starring Lily Ho.-Plot:...
- 1972: The 14 AmazonsThe 14 AmazonsThe 14 Amazons is a 1972 Hong Kong wuxia film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and featuring a predominantly female cast. The story is about the female Generals of the Yang Clan.-Plot:...
- 1972: Stranger in Hong Kong
- 1972: Madness of Love
- 1973: Love Across the Seas
- 1973: Adultery, Chinese Style
- 1973: The House of 72 TenantsThe House of 72 TenantsThe House of 72 Tenants is a 1973 Hong Kong film directed by Chor Yuen. It is a remake of a 1963 Chinese film of the same name. It was the top box office film of 1973 in Hong Kong, surpassing Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon.-Cast:...
- 1973: The Call Girls
- 1973: The Rendezvous of Warriors
- 1974: The Chinese Godfather
- 1974: Naughty! Naughty!
- 1974: The Shrine of Ultimate BlissThe Shrine of Ultimate BlissThe Shrine of Ultimate Bliss, also known as Stoner, A Man Called Stoner, and Hong Kong Hitman is a Hong Kong film which was produced by Raymond Chow and directed by Huang Feng. The film was released in 1974. It was originally scheduled to be Bruce Lee's next film after Game of Death 1978...
- 1974: The Virgin Mart
- 1974: The Looks of Hong Kong
- 1974: Games Gamblers PlayGames Gamblers PlayGames Gamblers Play is a 1974 Hong Kong film directed by Michael Hui with action direction by Sammo Hung.-Cast:*Chan Lap Ban*Cheng Kwan-Min*Cheung Wah*Chiao Roy*Fung Ging Man*Ho Pak-Kwong*Michael Hui*Ricky Hui*Sam Hui*Benz Hui*Sammo Hung...
- 1975: A Debt of Crime
- 1975: The Playboy
- 1975: The Evidence
- 1975: Old Master Q
- 1976: Bruce Lee...His last days (Clone imitation of Bruce Lee)
- 1976: Bruce Lee and IBruce Lee and IBruce Lee and I , also known as Lei Siu Lung yi ngo and Bruce Lee: His Last Days, His Last Nights Danny Lee stars as Bruce Lee and Betty Ting Pei stars as herself in this movie that is based on Bruce Lee's last days leading up to his death in Pei's apartment in Hong Kong in July...
- 1978: My Darling Girls
- 1978: The Mysterious Footworks of Kung Fu
- 1981: Mahjong Heroes
- 1982: The 82 Tenants
- 1985: My Name Ain't Suzie