R.I.P. PEOPLE'S ARTIST: People’s Artist Diệp Lang died of a heart attack at home on March 11 in California. He was 83. He had 60 years of experience in Vietnamese theatre. Photo courtesy of the HCM City Theatre’s Association

HCM CITY — People’s Artist Diệp Lang died of a heart attack at home on March 11 in San Diego, California. He was 83. 

Actor Lang had a 60-year-old career in cải lương (reformed opera), a 100-year-old traditional theatre genre of the southern region. He was also involved in drama and movies. 

Lang, whose real name was Dương Công Thuấn, was born in a traditional family in Sa Đéc Province (now Đồng Tháp Province). He began his career at an early age in Sài Gòn (now HCM City). 

During the 1950s-60s, he worked as lead actor for several theatre troupes, becoming one of the brightest stars in cải lương.

In 1962, he performed for Kim Chưởng Theatre, one of the region’s leading art troupes. One year later, he won the Thanh Tâm Award for Best Actor, presented by a prestigious daily newspaper in Sài Gòn (now HCM City).  

His strong and melodic voice and stage presence helped Lang leave an indelible mark on cải lương, enabling the artist to use his popularity to promote the art form. 

After 1975, he developed his career in cải lương, drama and cinema. He worked as a theatre director and art producer. 

Lang won several top prizes at theatre festivals and contests. He performed in several hundreds plays, videos and movies. 

He performed cải lương for overseas Vietnamese and foreign audiences in Australia, France and the US. 

He worked for leading art schools and cultural centres in the region, offering cải lương and drama training for many students and young artists. 

He was a member of the HCM City’s Theatre Association. 

For his devotion to Vietnamese theatre, Lang was honoured the title People’s Artist by the Government. 

“People’s Artist Diệp Lang played a very important role in our theatre’s development. His art keeps cải lương - a form of the South’s traditional theatre - alive among Vietnamese people,” said People’s Artist Bạch Tuyết. — VNS