She became a "Beijing drifter" at the age of 60 and played the role of an old lady all her life. She is the most missed "Aunt Niu"
Quick Look
- Peng Yu, a film and television performing artist, first-class actor, and consultant to the Actors Working Committee of the China Television Association, passed away peacefully in Zhuhai on October 7, 2026, at the age of 93.
- Peng Yu is widely known for her role as "Aunt Niu" in "Northeast Family".
- Her acting career spans more than seventy years.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Peng Yu was born in a family of railway workers in Harbin. She loved performing since she was a child. She entered the Harbin Theater at the age of seventeen and later turned to film and television. She is widely recognized for her role as "Aunt Niu" in "A Northeastern Family".
China News Service, Beijing, October 8 (Reporters Ren Siyu Lang Lang) According to the China Television Association Actors Working Committee, Peng Yu, a film and television performing artist, first-class actor, and consultant to the China Television Association Actors Working Committee, passed away peacefully in Zhuhai on October 7, 2026 at the age of 93.
Source: China Television Actor Working Committee Weibo
Speaking of the sharp-tongued "Aunt Niu" in "Northeast Family", many people will immediately think of Peng Yu's friendly face.
In the 1930s, Peng Yu was born in a family of railway workers in Harbin. She had a lively nature and loved singing, dancing and performing since she was a child. She was the backbone of the school's art propaganda team at Harbin Normal School. Although her father was very opposed to her acting, Peng Yu, who loved literature and art, quietly became an actress without telling her father. At the age of 17, Peng Yu was selected by the Harbin Theater for her dazzling performance in the drama "How the Steel Was Tempered", and has been inseparable from the stage ever since.
Having worked in the field of drama for many years, Peng Yu has developed a solid foundation in acting and has also developed the habit of being more realistic about her characters - even if it is a simple line, she must repeatedly ponder the nuances in the tone.
Peng Yu. Source: China Television Actor Working Committee Weibo
In the 1990s, Peng Yu, who was in her 60s, came to Beijing to relax after her lover passed away. By an unexpected opportunity, she played the role of an aunt watching a phone booth in "City Scarecrow". The line only had two words, "give money", but she interpreted this role vividly.
Peng Yu once said that it was this role that laid a solid foundation for his subsequent acting career in Beijing.
"I have a fate with the old lady. I have played the role of the old lady since I was 29 years old, and I have played the old lady all my life." After that, Peng Yu successively appeared in popular film and television dramas such as "Full Moon Tonight", "Empty Mirror", "Northeast Family", "Waiting Hall", "Romantic Things", "Mother's Family", "In-laws", "We Gotta Have a Family", "Chasing Happiness", etc., and she has been continuously booked.
Source: Stills from "Something Romantic"
In these film and television dramas, most of the characters played by Peng Yu are "mother" and "grandma" who are close to life. There are no earth-shattering plots, but they can always impress countless audiences with life-like details.
Among them, the most well-known character is undoubtedly the retired head nurse "Aunt Niu" Chen Jiuxiang in the sitcom "Northeast Family" - an old Northeastern lady with conservative ideas, meticulous work but a sharp tongue. As the backbone of the family, she is Master Niu's heartless wife, a mother who has grown up with her son Niu Xiaowei, and an old naughty kid who plays tricks with her grandson. Peng Yu used a natural and unpretentious performance to vividly interpret Chen Jiuxiang's kindness and simplicity. This role has become the screen image that the audience has the deepest impression of her.
Source: Stills from "Northeast Family"
Source: Stills from "Northeast Family"
Peng Yu cherishes every acting opportunity. Someone once recommended her to star in the movie "Full Moon Tonight" as an old lady, but the director said she was not old enough and too fair. Four days later, Peng Yu went to see the director again. She said: "For four days, I read the script in the sun and squinted my eyes, making several folds. Then I found a piece of tattered clothes to put on, and then put on a white hat that old ladies often wear. The director made up his mind as soon as he saw it."
Source: Screenshot from the movie "Full Moon Tonight"
She once said: "As long as I act, I won't have any diseases. I am so young that I forget how old I am."
In 2001, 67-year-old Peng Yu won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Actress at the 5th Shanghai International Film Festival and the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 21st China Film Golden Rooster Award for her movie "Full Moon Tonight". She became one of the few actors in the Chinese film industry to win the International Best Actress Award at such an advanced age.
Peng Yu. Source: China Television Actor Working Committee Weibo
On October 8, netizens posted messages on social platforms one after another, remembering the classic role played by Peng Yu:
"My favorite old lady, have a good trip."
"Too many classic screen images are vivid in my mind and engraved in my heart. I miss Teacher Peng Yu!"
"I am currently watching "Northeast Family". It is a great drama that I have watched over and over again. I like Aunt Niu the most. Thank you Teacher Peng Yu for your wonderful performance. I will miss you forever."
"Just like the grandma next door, she is very kind. I miss Teacher Peng Yu." (End)
Open Questions
- Where is Peng Yu's body buried?
- Will there be a public memorial service?
- How will her personal art archive be preserved?
