Kenneth Tsang death: Veteran Hong Kong actor and James Bond star dies aged 86

Tsang was also known for his role in ‘Rush Hour 2’

Kenneth Tsang photographed in 2012 on the red carpet at the 31st Hong Kong Film Awards (AFP via Getty Images)

Veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang has died at the age of 86.

Known for his five-decade career in the Hong Kong film industry, Tsang is best known to western audiences through his roles in Hollywood films such as The Replacement Killers, Rush Hour 2, and the 2002 James Bond outing Die Another Day.

The actor was found dead in a Hong Kong hotel on Wednesday 27 April, having tested negative for Covid earlier in the week. A cause of death has not been disclosed.

According to a local government source (viaSouth China Morning Post), Tsang had been quarantining at a hotel in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district, having just returned from a trip to Singapore.

He had been staying at the hotel in accordance with Hong Kong’s travel quarentine rules.

Before appearing in Hollywood films, Tsang had been a prominant leading man in kung-fu movies dating back to the 1960s.

Many of the films across his 1980s and 1990s output remain beloved to this day, such as The Killer, Peking Opera Blues, and Jackie Chan’s Police Story 3: Super Cop.

He also enjoyed multiple collaborations with director John Woo, including A Better Tomorrow (1986) and its 1987 sequel.