 Lydia Shum Din-ha (July 21, 1947 – February 19, 2008), also known as Lydia Sum,
was a Hong Kong comedian and actress known for her size. Regularly sporting her
signature dark rimmed glasses, she was affectionately known to peers and fans as Fei-fei (literally Fat Fat or Fatty), and appeared in numerous Hong Kong films.
Shum was the sister of Canadian designer Alfred Sung.
Shum died in February 2008 of liver cancer.
Biography
Shum was born in 1947 in Shanghai, China.
She made her film debut in 1960, joining Shaw Brothers as a child actress. Her
stardom began with the widely televised TVB variety show Enjoy Yourself Tonight,
first singing with the Four Golden Flowers in the 1970s. She has since been
established as mainly a comic and dramatic actress, but has appeared in many
films in different genres. Kung fu fans will recognize her from her role as Yuen
Cheung-Yan's dominating wife in the film Drunken Tai Chi. She also appeared as
Richard Ng's wife in the all-star comedy Millionaire's Express and in It's a Mad
Mad World in a major role. She took a leave from her movie career in 1997, and
today she hosts a talk show in Hong Kong, along with numerous telethons and
variety shows on TVB. She returned to films in 2004 with the comedy In-Laws
Outlaws.
Shum starred in Singapore's Channel 5 sitcom Living with Lydia and Cantonese
series like Slim Chances. Her performance in Living with Lydia won her the "Best
Comedy Performance by an Actress" award at the 2003 Asian Television Awards. She
said it was the first time she had acted in an English drama in her 40 year
career so far.
Marriage
Shum married actor and singer Adam Cheng Siu-chow in 1985 after 11 years of
cohabitation. Prior to the marriage, in December 1984, Shum was asked by good
friend Lee Xiang Qin to fly to San Francisco for the opening ceremony of Lee's
shop. Shum, who was in Taiwan then with Cheng, was reluctant to do so initially.
Eventually, Shum left for San Francisco for 3 days. When she came back, she
heard rumors that Cheng was having an affair. When asked, Cheng denied it and
suggested marriage. Thinking that marriage would deter any woman from becoming
close with Cheng, Shum agreed. In January 1985, Cheng and Shum flew to Canada to
marry.
Due to the hurried circumstances of their marriage and Shum's size, there was
insufficient time to prepare for a wedding gown, and Shum wore a Chinese
cheongsam instead. Shum later said in a 2005 interview in Taiwan that one of her
greatest regrets was to not have put on a wedding gown for her marriage.
They had a daughter, Joyce Cheng Yan-yee, in 1987. Eight months after Joyce was
born, Cheng and Shum divorced.
Health & Related Developments
Shum had several chronic ailments : cholangitis, diabetes, and hypertension. In
2002, she was admitted to hospital and had 32 gallstones extracted. In September
2006, Shum was diagnosed with liver tumor and cancer around the gallbladder.
Immediately, doctors removed one third of her liver.
On 1 Nov, 2006, A 24-year-old Indonesian domestic helper, Triyuliarti Yuyun, was
convicted of violating the Hospital Authority Ordinance and sentenced to four
weeks in jail. Yuyun entered a ward at the Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong (QMH)
on 1 Oct, 2006 where Shum had been receiving treatment, and attempted to take
photographs of Shum. Later, it was confirmed that Yuyun was a domestic helper of
one of the employees in the local magazine East Week but she had not been
authorized to take photographs of Shum. The senior management did not approve of
the action and offered an apology to Shum. The Magistrate Colin Mackintosh said
Yuyun's actions were premeditated and done for financial gain; the serious
infringement of the patient's privacy warranted a custodial sentence. On that
occasion, Shum was discharged from the hospital in July 2007.
On 11 October, 2007, Shum collapsed at home due to pleural effusion, and was
rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong for emergency treatment. She was
transferred to the QMH later that day. She was discharged from the hospital on
16 October, 2007.
In late January 2008, Shum's mother passed away in Canada while Shum was already
in hospital.
"Fei Fei" died at the Queen Mary Hospital on 19 February 2008, at 08:38. The
cause of death was liver cancer.
Filmography
The Lotus Lamp (1965), Three Women in a Factory (1967), Broadcast Queen (1967),
The Iron Lady Against the One-eyed Dragon (1967), A Girl's Secret (1967), Every
Girl a Romantic Dreamer (1967), Waste Not Our Youth (1967), Unforgettable First
Love (1967), Lady Songbird (1968), Happy Years (1968), Four Gentlemanly Flowers
(1968), A Blundering Detective and a Foolish Thief (1968), Won't You Give Me a
Kiss? (1968), Teenage Love (1968), Wonderful Youth (1968), We All Enjoy
Ourselves Tonight (1968), Moments of Glorious Beauty (1969), The Little Warrior
(1969), Teddy Girls (1969), To Catch a Cat (1969), A Big Mess (1969), One Day at
a Time (1969), Happy Times (1970), The Mad Bar (1970), The Invincible Eight
(1971), Songs and Romance Forever (1972), The Private Eye (1973), Love is a Four
Letter Word (1973), If Tomorrow Comes (1973), The House of 72 Tenants (1973),
The Country Bumpkin (1974), Tenants of Talkative Street (1974), Lovable Mr. Able
(1974), The Crazy Instructor (1974), The Country Bumpkin in Style (1974), Kissed
by the Wolves (1974), Pretty Swindler (1975), Don't Call Me Uncle (1975), Sup
Sap Bup Dup (1975), You are Wonderful (1976), Love In Hawaii (1976), The Great
Man (1977), Cat vs. Rat (1982), Drunken Tai Chi (1984), The Millionaire's
Express (1986), It's Mad Mad World (1987), Mr. Handsome (1987), Tiger on the
Beat (1988), Double Fattiness (1988), Mother vs. Mother (1988), King of Stanley
Market (1988), Faithfully Yours (1988), The Bachelor's Swan-Song (1989), City
Squeeze (1989), Eat a Bowl of Tea (USA 1989), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World 3
(1989), Lost Souls (1989), The Banquet (1991), The Perfect Match (1991), It's A
Mad Mad Mad World Too! (1992), The Laughter of "Water Margins (1993), Perfect
Couples (1993), He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father (1993), Just Married (1995),
Fitness Tour (1997), Happy Together (1997), Miss Du Shi Niang (2003), In-Laws,
Out-Laws (2004), Where Are They Now? (2006).
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