Veteran Hong Kong actor Patrick Tse has died at the age of 89.
His children, singer-actor Nicholas Tse and Jennifer Tse, announced his death through social media on 20 July 2026. Known affectionately in the entertainment industry as “Sei Gor”, or “Fourth Brother”, Patrick Tse had worked in film and television for more than seven decades.
Patrick Tse Died Peacefully With His Family
In a statement issued in the names of Patrick Tse’s two children, Jennifer said their father had died peacefully while surrounded by his family.
She said his health had deteriorated for some time before he reached the end of what she described as an extraordinary and fulfilling life. The statement did not identify a specific illness.
Jennifer described her father as a respected actor and artist whose charisma, sincerity and contributions to Hong Kong entertainment had influenced several generations of viewers. She also asked the public to give the family space while they grieved.
Nicholas separately said his father had devoted his life to film and entertainment, with the aim of bringing happiness and laughter to audiences.
He recalled seeing his father experience difficult and unhappy moments away from the screen. Despite those struggles, Patrick Tse insisted on appearing before audiences in the best possible condition.
According to Nicholas, his father often said, “The show must go on.”
Nicholas asked the public not to remember him with tears, saying his father would have preferred to be remembered as the charming and smiling figure audiences had known on screen.
He Became a Star During the Golden Age of Cantonese Cinema
Born Tse Ka-yuk in 1936, Patrick Tse was originally from Panyu in Guangdong and moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was young.
His attempt to enter an acting training course in 1953 was unsuccessful. However, he caught the attention of filmmaker Poon Bing-kuen and joined Poon’s Dihua Film Company.
Tse was already playing the male lead when he made his film debut in Save Your Water Supply in 1954.
He joined Kong Ngee Motion Picture Production Company after it was established in 1955 and appeared in its first production, The Rouge Tigress.
With his confident appearance and polished screen presence, Tse became one of the company’s principal actors and a major film idol during the 1950s and 1960s. His films included The Heart-Stealer, Black Rose and The Story of a Discharged Prisoner.
Tse also moved behind the camera. He helped establish Brothers Film Company in 1961 before it was renamed Tse Brothers Motion Picture Company in 1966.
He made his directorial debut with Madness of Love in 1972 and subsequently directed several more films.
A New Generation Knew Him From Television and Shaolin Soccer
Tse later built a successful television career.
He made his TVB drama debut in Swordsman Siu Sap Yat Long in 1978 and became particularly well known for playing master gambler Law Sei-hoi in the 1980 series The Shell Game.
After spending some time away from the industry, he returned to the screen around the turn of the millennium. Younger audiences may recognise him as the villainous Hung in Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer, which was released in 2001.
He Became Hong Kong’s Oldest Best Actor Winner
Patrick Tse received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2019.
The organisers said the award recognised his significant contributions to Hong Kong television and cinema, as well as the way his work had documented changes in the city’s film industry.
Three years later, he reached another milestone.
At the age of 85, Tse won Best Actor at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance as an ageing former assassin in Time. It was his first win in the category, and he became the oldest Best Actor winner in the awards’ history.
The award completed a remarkable journey for an actor whose career had begun almost 70 years earlier.
