Chu Ke-liang

Chu was born Hsieh Hsin-ta (謝新達; Hokkien: Siā Sin-ta̍t) in Zuoying, Kaohsiung in Taiwan. Chu left home in his early teenage years to pursue his dream of being in the theater. He went on to receive tuition from Lin Sung-yen (林松煙 Lín Sōngyān) and became an actor and writer but remained largely unknown to the wider public. At around age 30, he had a role in a play about the semi-legendary Liao Tianding as the clown character Zhū Gēliàng. He was so popular in this role that he chose the name as his own stage name. ==Career==

Early career In 1980, the Chu Ke-liang Cabaret Show (豬哥亮歌廳秀; Zhū Gēliàng Gētīng Xiù) broke onto the scene in Taiwan and Chu's popularity took off. Hiatus Chu racked up gambling debts over NT$100 million (US$3.5 million) from playing Taiwan's illegal lottery and Hong Kong's Mark Six despite an income of NT$60 million per month. On 19 February 2009, correspondents from the tabloid Apple Daily followed Chu in various areas of Kaohsiung and Pingtung Counties before confronting him in a Yongda Road swordfish oden noodle restaurant in Pingtung City. Chu also had a major part as a city councilman in the 2011 hit movie Night Market Hero, a role which cemented his comeback. ==Illness and death==

Chu was diagnosed with stage II colorectal cancer in 2014. He feared the adverse effects that came along with the cancer treatment especially the installation of colostomy, leading him to delaying to have intensive treatments until September 2016 when he had severe ascites and poor health status where he were left no choice. (It's reported that Chu had tried many other regimens and unknown treatments both are not proven to be effective instead of the surgery and chemotherapy which are proven to be effective in treating cancer.) Whereas, even though he finally returned to the hospital to accept surgery of removal of the malignant tumor, his cancer had advanced to the final stage, which had metastasized to his other organs, including his lungs and liver. When interviewed subsequent to the surgery, he said "I should have believed in evidence-based medicine two years ago." Having terminal colorectal cancer for three years, Chu died in the National Taiwan University Hospital on 15 May 2017 due to liver failure. He was 70. A private memorial was held on 16 May. A public funeral attended by 2,000 people took place in Banqiao on 20 June. ==Image and influence==

Chu's screen image includes a distinctive hairstyle and clothing. Chu typically wears a (sometimes colorful) dinner jacket with a bowtie but with bermuda shorts, black shoes, and white socks. Chu's hairstyle has been called a "toilet-lid (馬桶蓋 mǎtǒng gài) haircut" and is similar to a bowl cut like that of Moe Howard of the Three Stooges but covering the ears and shoulder-length at the back. Taiwanese entertainer Show Lo is a known admirer of Chu and has imitated his style. ==Personal life==

Chu was married four times and had two sons and three daughters. His second daughter, Jeannie Hsieh, is a well-known Taiwanese singer and actress. ==Filmography==

• Naughty Cadets on Patrol (大頭兵出擊 Dàtóu Bīng Chūjí) (1987) • King of the Children (孩子王 Háizi Wáng) (1988) • Tiānxià Yī Dà Lè (天下一大樂) (1988) • Young Soldier (少爺當大兵 Shàoyé Dāng Dàbīng) (1990) • The New Legend Of Shaolin (1994) • Night Market Hero (2011) • The Killer Who Never Kills (2011) • New Perfect Two (2012) • David Loman (2013) • Twa-Tiu-Tiann (2014) • The Wonderful Wedding (2015) • David Loman 2 (2016) • The Big Power (2016) • Hanky Panky (2017) ==Notes==