Wai Ching Ho, Veteran Stage and Screen Actor Known for MCU Role, Dies at 82

Wai Ching Ho, the Hong Kong-born actor whose decades-long career encompassed work in theater, film, and television, has died at the age of 82.

A graduate of the University of Hong Kong and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Ho was a familiar and respected presence on stages in New York and across the country, most recently appearing in the Primary Stages production of Laowang: A Chinatown King Lear at the end of 2025. Of her performance as the Lear-like figure A-Poh, our critic said, “Ho brings a balance of warmth and arrogance to A-Poh that makes the character magnetic even at her most imperious.”

Ho’s off-Broadway credits included Snow in Midsummer at Classic Stage Company, Celine Song’s Endlings at New York Theatre Workshop, Henry VI with the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), and No Foreigners Beyond This Point with Ma-Yi Theater Company, among many others.

She was best known for portraying the enigmatic Madame Gao across Marvel’s Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. She also voiced Grandma Wu in Pixar’s Turning Red and appeared in films including Hustlers, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Robot Stories.

Her television résumé included appearances on all four Law & Order series, Only Murders in the Building, New Amsterdam, and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, among many other credits.

Ho’s survivors include her four grandchildren and their parents.